Chapayev (game)

Chapayev is a Russian tabletop game that blends the strategic positioning of checkers with the physical flicking action of games such as carrom and pichenotte. Two players face off across a standard checkerboard, each starting with eight pieces arranged on their own back rows. On a turn, a player flicks one of their own pieces with a finger, sending it skittering across the board to strike and knock an opponent's piece off the playing surface; landing a hit earns the shooter an additional move. A piece that lands upside down after being struck is called a traitor and switches control to the opponent, adding a twist of risk to every shot. Players who clear a round advance their starting row toward the far side of the board, and the game is named for Vasily Chapayev, a celebrated commander of the Russian Civil War. It remains a familiar pastime across the territory of the former Soviet Union, played informally with ordinary checkers equipment rather than specialized gear.