International draughts on a 10×10 board can look daunting at first: 40 pieces, the majority rule, flying kings. Learning is much easier when someone tells you after every move whether it was good and stops you before a serious mistake. On 9qum that is the job of the AI coach in Play with a coach mode. Here is how it works and how to get from your first rules to rated games against people.
🎓 Play with a coach ▶ Play international draughts
You play a game, and the coach rates every move you make with one of six marks: best move, excellent, good, inaccuracy, mistake or blunder. You see at once where you played precisely and where you gave a man away.
On a blunder the game pauses. The coach shows the threat — the shot your opponent now has — and offers a take-back. You see the mistake before it costs you the game and can try a better move straight away.
There are ten coaches, each with a different way of talking. Daniyar, Aigerim and Aruzhan are free; the other seven come with a membership. Games with the coach do not affect your rating, so there is no pressure to get everything right.
Start with the course in the Learn section. Each step is a live board with a position where you find the move yourself; the board highlights where you can go and gives a hint if your move is wrong. The course has three parts.
If the rules are new to you, read the international draughts rules first — it takes about ten minutes.
After the course, move on to Puzzles. There are 50 international draughts puzzles of three kinds:
Shots are the heart of international draughts: capturing is compulsory, and the majority rule forces your opponent to capture exactly where you want. The more of these positions you solve, the sooner you start spotting them in your own games.
Once the coach rarely says “mistake” or “blunder”, play the computer without hints. It has 4 levels: Novice, Amateur, Strong and Master. Start with Novice and move up when you start winning. Games against the AI are saved in your history.
Open any game or position in Game analysis: play moves for both sides, set up your own position on the board and get the AI's advice on which move is stronger.
The next step is the online tables. Games against people count towards a Glicko-2 rating of its own for international draughts, and stronger players can test themselves in tournaments. You can also invite a friend with a link sent by messenger. Whenever you want to brush up on the basics, the coach is still there.
🎓 Play with a coach 📚 Learn 🧩 Puzzles
No. The course starts from zero: the board, moves, captures. If you already play Russian draughts, most rules will be familiar — the new parts are the 10×10 board, the majority rule and the fact that a man is not crowned in the middle of a capture.
Three: Daniyar, Aigerim and Aruzhan. Seven more coaches are available with a membership.
3 questions a day for free once you are signed in, and more with a membership. Move ratings, the pause on blunders and 3 hints per game work without asking anything.
Yes, you can listen to the advice: by default it is read out by your phone's or computer's voice. If you do not want sound, switch it off — all advice stays on screen as text.
No. Coach mode is for learning. Your Glicko-2 rating is based on games against people at the online tables.