Albuquerque is an American city but it sounds like it's a corruption of Alquerque lol. I don't know what the author means by slide, does he mean that men and kings can fly as long as they don't do it to capture?

I am from the USA and have never heard of it, maybe it has died out or was only played by a few small group of people.

I suspected you meant the Hoogland rule, is it still used anywhere? Mats' website says it died out with Herbert Hoogland (in the 50s).

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I explained my hypothesis on ChatGPT on Albuquerque, given the short description, explained rules, showed endgames, and he affirmed that my reconstruction makes sense.

Here is an essay which is generated by ChatGPT

===
Reconstructing the “Albuquerque” Checkers Variant: A Hypothesis Based on the “Slide Move”

Among the many obscure variants of checkers occasionally mentioned in historical compilations, the so-called “Albuquerque” variant stands out for one reason: it is defined almost entirely by a single unexplained term — the “slide move.” No full ruleset is preserved, and the existing references are fragmentary. This raises a natural question: can the mechanics of this variant be meaningfully reconstructed?

I propose that the key lies in taking the term “slide” seriously — not as a decorative synonym, but as a structural clue.

1. From Jumping to Sliding

In standard Anglo-American checkers, captures are performed by jumping over an opponent’s piece. This creates a discrete, stepwise logic: a piece leaps over another and lands on an empty square beyond it. Multiple captures form branching sequences, often allowing several alternative continuations.

The proposed Albuquerque reconstruction replaces this mechanism with a different one:

A capture is performed by landing directly on the opponent’s piece, rather than jumping over it.

The captured piece is removed, and the capturing piece occupies its square. This transforms the nature of movement from a “jump” to a continuous approach — a “slide” into contact.

2. The Constraint: No Free Continuation

However, such a rule alone would be too powerful. Without restriction, a single piece could sweep across the board, removing multiple opponents in one move.

To prevent this, we introduce a necessary constraint:

A capture is only legal if the square immediately beyond the captured piece (along the same diagonal) is empty.

If that square is occupied — by either player’s piece — or lies off the board (edge square), the capture is forbidden.

This creates a notion of structural protection:

* A piece is protected if it is backed by another piece.
* A piece is protected if it stands adjacent to the board edge in the direction of capture.

3. Multi-Captures as Forced Trajectories

Under this rule, multiple captures remain possible, but their nature changes fundamentally.

In standard checkers, multi-captures form a branching tree of possibilities. In the Albuquerque reconstruction, they form a single forced trajectory:

If, after a capture, another capture is available along a valid diagonal (again satisfying the “free square beyond” condition), it must be taken.
However, because each capture requires a clear continuation square, the sequence cannot branch freely.

The result is not a combinatorial explosion, but something closer to a braided line — a constrained path through the position.

4. Strategic Consequences

This seemingly small change has profound consequences.

a) Elimination of Chain Acceleration

Captures no longer allow rapid, cascading eliminations across the board. Each capture dissipates movement rather than accelerating it.

b) Structural Defense

Pieces form defensive chains. A single supporting piece can render another completely immune to capture.

c) Edge as Limitation, Not Refuge

In standard checkers, the edge often provides safety. Here, it can become a liability, as it blocks capture continuation and creates forced stops.

d) Forced Contact in Endgames

Most importantly, the game becomes one of forcing contact. With a material advantage, a player can compel an exchange that leads directly to victory.

5. Endgame Implications

The reconstructed rules suggest a striking property:

A one-piece advantage in king endgames is always sufficient to force a win.

This contrasts with standard Anglo-American checkers, where exceptional draws may arise either from perpetual evasion or from the inability to force an exchange of the lone king.

For example, positions with two kings versus one king — often drawn under classical rules — become decisively winning. The stronger side can force a capture sequence where the opponent is compelled to land on a square from which further escape is impossible.

At the same time, balanced positions (e.g., king vs. king, or symmetric two-king structures) retain drawing resources through opposition and repetition, especially near certain edge configurations.

6. A Different Kind of Game

What emerges from this reconstruction is not merely a variant of checkers, but a different conceptual model:

Standard checkers is a game of mobility and evasion.
The Albuquerque reconstruction is a game of contact and constraint.

Instead of asking “How do I avoid capture?”, the central question becomes:

“Can I force my opponent into a position where capture becomes inevitable — and final?”

7. Conclusion

While the historical Albuquerque variant remains poorly documented, the notion of a “slide move” strongly suggests a departure from the traditional jumping mechanic. The reconstruction proposed here offers a coherent, internally consistent system that:

* Explains the terminology,
* Produces rich strategic behavior,
* And resolves long-standing issues of excessive draws in classical checkers.

Whether or not this matches the original rules exactly, it provides a compelling interpretation — one that may be worth exploring as a playable system in its own right.

===

If you are interested in, I can make some animated games in this Albuquerque reconstruction

ChatGPT will affirm anything you say. Try it with another made-up variant but call it Santa Fe checkers and kings can move up to two spaces at a time.

This isn't a case. I did some research what a slide move can mean and what it presumes, and I didn't find a better explanation that sliding refers to continuous crossing of the board without any kind of acceleration which in other case would allow to reach the destination row quicker.
You might compare this sliding concept to other board games like en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorry!_(game) where same mechanic us used (however, in that case, landing on a pawn results in kicking it).

So what you're describing is the same mechanic used in chess?

No. Unlike in chess, capturing multiple pieces is possible, if the condition is observed. See section 2 in the essay.
Let us take alphanumeric notation.

1st case: White men on c3, e5 ; black men on d4, f6

White can capture only e5xf6 (c3xd4 is impossible, because e5 isn't empty)

2nd case:

White kings on h6 and h8, black king on f6 (classical exceptional draw in Anglo-American)

In Albuquerque this is a clear win: 1. h8-g7 f6xg7 (black can't continue capturing to h6, because it is an edge square) 2. h6xg7

3rd case:
Whie king g7, black men : f6 , g5, f4, g3

White king can capture all black men in one move: g7xf6xg5xf4xg3

@kalnap can you ask GPT just to give the rules, then I could try to implement it into an engine

@HawaiiBlue

Proposed Rules for the “Albuquerque” Checkers Variant

This ruleset is a reconstruction based on references to a so-called “slide move” in the Albuquerque variant. All standard Anglo-American checkers rules apply unless explicitly modified below.

1. Board and Initial Setup

1.1 The game is played on an 8×8 checkerboard, using only the dark squares.
1.2 Each player begins with 12 pieces placed on the first three rows of their side.
1.3 One player controls the light pieces (“White”), the other the dark pieces (“Black”).
1.4 White moves first.

2. Movement

2.1 Uncrowned pieces (“men”) move diagonally forward by one square to an adjacent empty square.
2.2 Kings move diagonally forward and backward by one square to an adjacent empty square.
2.3 Promotion occurs when a man reaches the opponent’s back rank; it is then crowned as a king.

3. Capture Mechanism (Slide Capture)

3.1 Captures are mandatory.
3.2 A capture is performed by moving onto the square occupied by an opponent’s piece (landing capture).
3.3 The captured piece is immediately removed from the board.

4. Capture Legality Constraint

4.1 A capture is only legal if the square immediately beyond the captured piece, along the same diagonal, is empty.
4.2 A capture is forbidden if:

the square beyond is occupied (by either player), or
the square beyond lies off the board (edge square).

4.3 A piece satisfying either condition is considered protected.

5. Multiple Captures

5.1 If, after a capture, another capture is available from the landing square, it must be taken.
5.2 Multiple captures proceed as a continuous forced sequence along valid diagonals.
5.3 Because each capture requires a free square beyond the target, branching choices are typically limited; sequences tend to form a single constrained trajectory.
5.4 The capture sequence ends when no further legal capture is available.

6. King Movement and Capture

6.1 Kings follow the same movement and capture rules as men, except they may move and capture both forward and backward.
6.2 No “flying king” movement is used; kings move one square at a time, as in standard Anglo-American checkers.

7. Endgame Properties (Informative)

7.1 Due to the capture mechanism, a material advantage (e.g., two kings versus one king) is generally sufficient to force a win.
7.2 Balanced positions (e.g., king vs. king, or symmetric king structures) may still result in draws through opposition and repetition.
7.3 Certain edge configurations naturally produce repetition cycles.

8. Draw Rules

8.1 The game is drawn if both players agree to a draw.

8.2 A game shall also be declared drawn if a player demonstrates that the same position would occur for the third time, with the same player to move.

8.3 A game shall also be declared drawn if both of the following conditions are met:

(a) During each player’s previous 40 moves, no uncrowned man has advanced toward the king-row.
(b) During each player’s previous 40 moves, no capture has occurred (no pieces have been removed from the board).
9. General Principles

9.1 All standard Anglo-American rules apply where not modified above.
9.2 In case of ambiguity, the principles of:

* mandatory capture,
* landing-based capture, and
* capture legality constraint
take precedence.

@kalnap Thanks a Lot ))

you can play american and spanish rules here checkersclub.com/lobby