Makruk

Makruk, also known as Thai chess, is a traditional strategy board game with unique rules and pieces that set it apart from international chess. Played on an 8x8 board, it includes pieces such as the king, queen, and various pawns, each with its own distinct movement. The goal is to achieve checkmate against the opponent's king, emphasizing tactical skill and long-term strategic thinking, which has made it a beloved pastime in Thailand.

Key Features of Makruk:

Play Against AI: Test your skills against artificial intelligence with multiple difficulty levels, from Easy to Expert.

Daily Challenge: Take on a unique challenge every day to sharpen your abilities.

Global Leaderboard: Compete with players around the world and rise through the ranks.

Share Your Games: Share your most impressive moves and game highlights with friends and family.

Undo & Save/Load: Undo accidental moves and save your game progress to continue playing anytime.

Timer Based Game: Experience thrilling timed matches that add extra excitement.

Makruk (Thai: หมากรุก; rtgs: Mak Ruk;), or Thai chess, is a board game descended from the 6th-century Indian game chaturanga or a closely related variant, making it one of the closest living relatives to the common ancestor of all chess-type games.

Approximately two million people in Thailand can play Makruk, while around 5,000 are familiar with international chess.

According to former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik, Makruk is more strategically complex than international chess. Every move must be carefully planned, as the gameplay resembles an extended endgame scenario in international chess.

Rules

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The Pawn

(called เบี้ย bia, a cowry shell once used as currency) Moves and captures similarly to a pawn in international chess, but it cannot advance two squares on its first move, so the en passant rule does not apply. A pawn that reaches the sixth rank is automatically promoted to a queen (met).

The Queen

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

The Bishop

(called โคน khon, meaning nobleman or mask) Moves one square diagonally in any direction or one square straight forward, resembling the silver general in shogi.

The Knight

(called ม้า ma, horse) Moves exactly like a knight in international chess: two squares in one direction and then one square perpendicularly. It can jump over other pieces.

The Rook

(called เรือ ruea, boat) Moves like a rook in international chess: any number of squares horizontally or vertically.

The King

Moves one square in any direction, like the king in international chess. In its initial move, it also has the option to make a knight-like jump (known as Ses), though this special move is no longer commonly practiced in Thailand. The game ends when the king is placed in checkmate.

What's New

Bug fixes and performance improvements.