Board and setup
An 8×8 board without alternating colours; its two long diagonals are promotion lines. Only pawns start on the board: Red on a3–d3 and e4–h4, Black on a5–d5 and e6–h6. Red goes first.
Traditional / SITTUYIN
Sittuyin
Set up your army, then play: pawns promote on the diagonals.
Also known as: Burmese Chess
Burmese chess: only pawns start on the board, you set up the rest yourself, and pawns promote on the diagonals.
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SITTUYINABOUT THE GAME
About the game
Sittuyin, or Burmese chess, is a direct offspring of the Indian game chaturanga, which reached Myanmar in the 8th century, so it belongs to the same family as chess and shogi. Its name can be translated as a representation of the four arms of an army: chariots, elephants, cavalry and infantry.
The game opens with only pawns on the board; the players then take turns setting up the rest of their pieces themselves, so no two games start alike. The two corner-to-corner diagonals are promotion lines. In Myanmar it has largely been overshadowed by international chess, though it remains popular in the northwestern regions.
Reference：en.wikipedia.org ↗
Rules
Sittuyin — How to play
Youzai Board Game Club — The server implementation governs play here; tournament and other site rules may differ.
Making a move
The players take turns placing one piece at a time — king, general, two elephants, two horses and two chariots — on empty squares of their first three ranks; chariots only on the back rank. Then Red makes the first move. King: one step any way. General: one step diagonally. Elephant: one step diagonally or straight forward. Horse: like a knight. Chariot: any distance orthogonally. Pawn: one step forward, captures one step diagonally forward.
Winning and draws
Checkmate the opposing king to win.
Rules on this site
When your general has been captured, a pawn standing on a diagonal square in the enemy half may spend a move to become a general, in place or one diagonal step onto an empty square; it may not capture, and the new general may not attack any enemy piece. With only one pawn left it may promote anywhere. Site rules: stalemate, bare kings, 100 plies without a capture or pawn move, and threefold repetition are draws.
Helpful examples
- Setup goes one piece at a time, so you can watch your opponent’s formation before choosing yours.
- The general only steps one square diagonally, far weaker than a chess queen; only after it is captured can a pawn on the diagonals promote to replace it.
- The elephant can retreat diagonally and step straight forward, making it a good king guard; chariots must start on the back rank, so plan which files they will use.
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
Only pawns start on the 8×8 board: Red on a3–d3 and e4–h4, Black on a5–d5 and e6–h6. Checkmate the opposing king to win. Red goes first.
Placing pieces
The other eight pieces — king, general, two elephants, two horses, two chariots — start in hand. Red first, the players take turns placing one piece on an empty square of their first three ranks; chariots only on the back rank. When all are placed, Red makes the first move.
How pieces move
King: one step in any direction. General: one step diagonally. Elephant: one step diagonally or straight forward. Horse: like a knight, jumping over pieces. Chariot: any distance orthogonally.
Pawns and promotion
Pawns move one step forward and capture one step diagonally forward; they do not promote on the last rank. Once your general has been captured, a pawn on a diagonal square in the enemy half may spend a move to become a general, in place or one diagonal step onto an empty square. It may not capture, and the new general may not attack any enemy piece. With a single pawn left it may promote anywhere.
Checkmate and draws
Checkmate wins. Site rules: stalemate, bare kings, 100 plies without a capture or pawn move, and threefold repetition are draws.
Beginner strategy
Put your king on the second rank near the centre with the general beside it and horses behind the pawns; see which side your opponent’s chariots take before placing yours.
General rules reference：en.wikipedia.org ↗