Makruk

Makruk, also known as Thai chess, is a traditional strategy game that shares similarities with chess but boasts unique rules and pieces. Played on an 8x8 board, the game features pieces such as the king, queen, and various pawns, each with distinct movement patterns. The ultimate goal is to checkmate the opponent's king, requiring a blend of tactical skill and strategic planning that has made Makruk a beloved pastime in Thailand.

Features of Makruk:

• Play Against AIs: Sharpen your skills by challenging artificial intelligences at different difficulty levels, ranging from Easy to Expert.
• Daily Challenge: Engage with a new challenge each day to test and improve your gameplay.
• Global Leaderboard: Compete with players around the world and strive to climb the rankings.
• Share Your Games: Showcase your best moves and strategies by sharing games with friends and family.
• Undo & Save/Load: Correct any missteps with the undo feature and save your game to continue playing at your convenience.
• Timer Based Game: Heighten the excitement and challenge with timed gameplay.

Makruk, or Thai chess (Thai: หมากรุก; rtgs: Mak Ruk), is a board game that descends from the 6th-century Indian game of chaturanga or a close relative thereof, and is thus related to chess. It is often considered the most similar living game to this common ancestor of all chess variants.

In Thailand, approximately two million people can play Makruk, in contrast to the 5,000 who can play international chess. According to former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik, Makruk Thai is more strategic than international chess, demanding meticulous planning, akin to the anticipated endgame of International Chess.

Rules

The Pawn

(called เบี้ย bia, a cowry shell, formerly used for money) The pawn moves and captures like a pawn in international chess, but it cannot move two steps on its first move and, therefore, cannot be captured en passant. A pawn that reaches the sixth rank is always promoted to a queen (med).

The Queen

(called เม็ด met), the weakest piece, moves one step diagonally in any direction, similar to the fers in shatranj or a cat sword in dai shogi.

The Bishop

(called โคน khon, nobleman or mask) can move one step diagonally in any direction or one step forward, similar to the silver general in shogi.

The Knight

(called ม้า ma, horse) moves like a knight in Western chess: two steps in one direction followed by one step perpendicular to that movement, jumping over any pieces in its path.

The Rook

(called เรือ ruea, boat) moves like a rook in Western chess: any number of steps horizontally or vertically.

The King (Ang)

moves like a king in international chess – one step in any direction. It is allowed to make a Ses (knight jump) at its first move, although this special move is no longer used in Thailand. The game ends when the king is checkmated.

What's New

• Bug fixed.

Makruk Screenshots