Board and setup
An 8×8 board. White moves first; the Khun starts on d1 and the Met on e1, with pawns on the third and sixth ranks.
Traditional / MAKRUK
Makruk
Thai chess: pawns promote on reaching the sixth rank.
Also known as: Thai Chess
Thailand’s cousin of chess, with its own endgame counting rules.
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MAKRUKABOUT THE GAME
About the game
Makruk is believed to descend from the 6th-century Indian game chaturanga or a close relative, which makes it a cousin of chess. Essentially the same game is played in Cambodia under the name ouk or ouk chatrang.
The Thai piece names have meanings: Khun is “lord”, Met “seed”, Khon “nobleman”, Ma “horse”, Ruea “boat” and Bia “cowrie shell”.
Reference：en.wikipedia.org ↗
Rules
Makruk — How to play
Youzai Board Game Club — The server implementation governs play here; tournament and other site rules may differ.
Making a move
Khun: one step any way. Met: one step diagonally. Khon: one step diagonally or straight forward. Ma: like a knight. Ruea: like a rook. Bia: one step forward, captures diagonally forward, promotes on the sixth rank.
Winning and draws
Checkmate the opposing Khun to win; stalemate is a draw.
Rules on this site
Once no pawns remain, this site counts automatically: a lone Khun counts from the number of pieces plus one up to a limit set by the stronger side (two Ruea 8 … one Ma 64); otherwise the limit is 64. Bare kings and threefold repetition are also draws.
Helpful examples
- The Met and promoted pawns move only one diagonal step, so mates usually need a Ruea or Ma.
- The Khon has five directions: four diagonals plus straight forward.
- In pawnless endings watch the count on the page; the stronger side must mate before the limit.
Complete beginner guide
From setup to the end of the game
Read these steps in order to complete your first game. This guide combines public rules with this site’s server implementation; where versions differ, this site’s ruling applies.
Goal and setup
Checkmate the opposing Khun. White moves first; the back rank is Ruea, Ma, Khon, Khun, Met, Khon, Ma, Ruea, with pawns on the third rank.
Khun, Met and Khon
The Khun moves one step in any direction; the Met one step diagonally; the Khon one step diagonally or straight forward.
Ma and Ruea
The Ma moves like a knight and may jump; the Ruea moves any distance orthogonally.
Pawns and promotion
A Bia moves one step forward and captures one step diagonally forward, with no double step. It always promotes on its sixth rank and then moves like a Met.
Mate, stalemate and counting
Checkmate wins and stalemate draws. After the last pawn, counting starts: against a lone Khun the limit depends on the stronger side (two Ruea 8 … one Ma 64), otherwise 64. Reaching the limit without mate is a draw.
Beginner strategy
Hold the centre with pawns and Khon, open lines for the Ruea early, and in pawnless endings mate before the count runs out.
General rules reference：en.wikipedia.org ↗