Makruk Thai Chess - Free Online Game

What is Makruk Thai Chess?

Makruk Thai Chess is a captivating board game that hails from Thailand. It is closely related to the ancient Indian game of Chaturanga, which is considered the forebear of modern chess. In Thailand, Makruk is more beloved than its classical chess counterpart.

How to Play Makruk Thai Chess

The Makruk board is an 8x8 grid, much like in classical chess. The setup is generally similar, with a few key differences: the white queen starts on e1, and the white king on d1 (with each king positioned to the left of his queen, as seen from the player's perspective). Pawns are positioned on the third rank for white and the sixth for black.

Moves of the Pieces:

• King: Moves one square horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. No castling is allowed.
• Queen: Moves diagonally by one square.
• Rook: Moves horizontally or vertically as far as there are no pieces in its path.
• Elephant: Moves diagonally by one square in any direction or one square forward vertically.
• Knight: Moves in an "L" shape: two squares vertically and then one square horizontally, or vice versa.
• Pawn: Moves one square forward vertically and captures diagonally forward. Pawns can become a queen by reaching the sixth rank.

Victory Conditions:

The objective of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king. A draw can occur through a "pat" situation.