Makruk, also known as Thai chess, is a captivating strategy game that shares similarities with traditional chess but boasts its own set of unique rules and pieces. Played on an 8x8 board, the game includes pieces such as the king, queen, and various pawns, each with distinct movement patterns. The ultimate goal is to checkmate your opponent's king, requiring a keen sense of tactical skill and strategic planning, making Makruk a beloved pastime in Thailand.
Features of Makruk:
- Play Against AIs: Hone your skills by challenging artificial intelligence opponents ranging from Easy to Expert levels.
- Daily Challenge: Keep your game sharp with a new challenge presented every day.
- Global Leaderboard: Compete on a worldwide stage and strive to climb the ranks against players from across the globe.
- Share Your Games: Showcase your best moves and strategies by sharing them with friends and family.
- Undo & Save/Load: Correct any missteps with the undo feature and save your progress to resume your game later.
- Timer-Based Game: Add an extra thrill to your matches with timed gameplay options.
Makruk, known in Thai as หมากรุก (rtgs: Mak Ruk), is a board game that traces its origins back to the 6th-century Indian game of chaturanga or a similar precursor. As a descendant of this ancient game, Makruk shares a lineage with various forms of chess worldwide and is considered the closest living relative to the original chaturanga. An impressive two million Thais are proficient in playing Makruk, while only about 5,000 can play international chess.
According to former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik, Makruk Thai is more strategically demanding than international chess. Players must approach their moves with meticulous planning, akin to navigating the anticipated endgame of international chess.
Rules:
The Pawn (เบี้ย bia, a cowry shell, historically used as currency) moves and captures similarly to a pawn in international chess but cannot advance two squares on its first move and, thus, cannot be captured en passant. Upon reaching the sixth rank, a pawn is promoted to a queen (med).
The Queen (เม็ด met), the game's weakest piece, moves one square diagonally, similar to the fers in shatranj or a cat sword in dai shogi.
The Bishop (โคน khon, nobleman or mask) can move one square diagonally or one square forward, resembling the movement of a silver general in shogi.
The Knight (ม้า ma, horse) moves exactly like a knight in Western chess, jumping two squares in one direction and then one square perpendicularly, over any intervening pieces.
The Rook (เรือ ruea, boat) mirrors the movement of a rook in Western chess, able to move any number of squares horizontally or vertically.
The King (Ang) moves like a king in international chess, one square in any direction. It can also perform a special move called Ses (a knight jump) on its first move, though this is no longer practiced in Thailand. The game concludes when the opponent's king is checkmated.
What's New:
- Bug fixes to enhance your gaming experience.
