Makruk, also known as Thai chess, is a captivating traditional strategy game that, while similar to international chess, boasts its own set of unique rules and pieces. Played on an 8x8 board, Makruk features familiar pieces such as the king, queen, and various pawns, each with distinct movement patterns. The ultimate goal is to checkmate your opponent's king, a challenge that demands both tactical finesse and strategic foresight. This game has a significant following in Thailand, renowned for its depth and complexity.
Features of Makruk:
- Play Against AIs: Hone your skills by taking on artificial intelligence opponents, adjustable from Easy to Expert levels.
- Daily Challenge: Engage with a fresh challenge every day to keep your skills sharp and your gameplay exciting.
- Global Leaderboard: Compete with players from around the world, striving to climb the ranks and prove your mastery.
- Share Your Games: Showcase your best strategies and moves by sharing them with friends and family.
- Undo & Save/Load: Correct any missteps with the undo feature, and save your game to resume playing later at your convenience.
- Timer Based Game: Elevate the thrill with timed matches, adding a layer of urgency and excitement to your gameplay.
Makruk, known in Thai as หมากรุก (Mak Ruk), traces its roots to the 6th-century Indian game of chaturanga or a similar precursor, making it a direct relative of modern chess. It is often cited as the closest living relative to the ancient game from which all chess variants evolved.
In Thailand, an estimated two million people can play Makruk, while only about 5,000 can play international chess, highlighting its popularity and cultural significance. Notably, former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik has praised Makruk for its strategic depth, suggesting it requires meticulous planning akin to the endgame phase of international chess.
Rules:
The Pawn (เบี้ย, bia): Similar to international chess pawns, Makruk pawns move and capture forward one square at a time. Unlike their international counterparts, they cannot advance two squares on their initial move and thus are not subject to en passant capture. Upon reaching the sixth rank, a pawn is automatically promoted to a queen (med).
The Queen (เม็ด, met): The weakest piece in Makruk, the queen moves one square diagonally in any direction, akin to the fers in shatranj or the cat sword in dai shogi.
The Bishop (โคน, khon): The bishop moves one square diagonally or one square forward, mirroring the movement of the silver general in shogi.
The Knight (ม้า, ma): Like the knight in Western chess, the Makruk knight moves in an L-shape: two squares in one direction and one square perpendicular to that. It can jump over other pieces.
The Rook (เรือ, ruea): The rook moves any number of squares horizontally or vertically, just as in Western chess.
The King (Ang): Moves one square in any direction, similar to the king in international chess. Traditionally, the king was allowed a special move called Ses, akin to a knight's jump, on its first move, though this is no longer practiced in Thailand. The game concludes with the checkmate of the king.
What's New:
- Bug fixes have been implemented to enhance gameplay and user experience.
