Alquerque by BubbaJoe

Free

3.8for iPhone, iPad

BubbaJoe

Developer

Nov 8, 2017

Update Date

Strategy

Category

Age Rating

Apps in this category do not contain restricted content.

Apps in this category may contain mild or occasional cartoon, fantasy or real-life violence, as well as occasional or mild adult, sexually suggestive or horrifying content and may not be suitable for children under 9 years of age.

12+

Apps in this category may contain occasional mild indecent language, frequent or intense cartoon or real-life violence, minor or occasional adult or sexually suggestive material, and simulated gambling, and may be for children under 12 years of age.

17+

You must be at least 17 years old to access this App.

Apps in this category may contain frequent and intense offensive language; Frequent and intense cartoon, fantasy or realistic violence: frequent and intense adult, scary and sexually suggestive subjects: as well as sexual content, nudity, tobacco, alcohol and drugs, may not be suitable for children under 17 years of age.

Alquerque by BubbaJoe Screenshots

iPad

iPhone

About Alquerque by BubbaJoe

Alquerque is an ancient board game originating from the middle east, or possibly Spain, at some point prior to the 10th century. You may also know this game as Qirkat, El-Quirkat, or Al-Qirq. The rules are somewhat similar to checkers, but, as with many ancient games, the rules varied throughout time and the historical documentation is minimal. I think I've reconstructed enough of the rules to make an enjoyable game.

Other names/spellings that I've seen:
Al-quirkat
Alquerc
Alquerques
L'Alquerque
Quirkat

How To Play
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The game is played on a 5x5 board with all orthogoal lines and some diagonal lines. Each player starts with 12 pieces in play, leaving the center spot open.

A piece can jump over and capture an opponents piece, landing on the open spot behind -- but only along the lines and only sideways and forwards. A piece can jump multiple opponent pieces in a single turn. Jump moves are mandatory. If multiple jumps are available, you may freely pick between them.

If no jump moves are available, a piece can slide one space along a line, but only sideways and forwards. A piece is not allowed to slide back to the spot it previously occupied; this eliminates the possibility of draws due to endless repetition.

Unlike checkers, if a piece reaches the back row, it does not become a "king". After moving to the back row it may only jump or slide sideways, subject to the restriction against sliding to the spot it previously occupied.

You can win by capturing all your opponents pieces or by leaving them with no moves. There are no draws.

Although huffing (removing pieces that failed to jump when required) is often listed as one of the rules for Alquerque, I have chosen not to implement this. This rule change is similar to how tournament checkers is played today.

In single player mode, the difficulty level will automatically increase or decrease as you win or lose. You can also manually adjust the difficulty level and then lock it into place to prevent it from automatically adjusting.

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This game is supported by iAds. If you would prefer an ad-free experience, please search the App Store and purchase
Ancient Games by BubbaJoe
which is a collection of all my board games and includes support for Apple TV.