Makruk, also known as Thai Chess, is the traditional chess of Thailand and one of the closest living relatives of the ancient game of chaturanga from which all chess variants descend. Two armies of sixteen pieces face off across an 8x8 board, each trying to checkmate the enemy king, the Khun. Its short-range pieces, pawns that start on the third rank and promote to a counsellor, and the diagonal-stepping Met give Makruk a slower, more maneuvering feel than international chess, rewarding patient positional play.
How to Play Makruk: Learn the Rules
Makruk, also known as Thai Chess, is the traditional chess of Thailand and one of the closest living relatives of the ancient game of chaturanga from which all chess variants descend. Two armies of sixteen pieces face off across an 8x8 board, each trying to checkmate the enemy king, the Khun. Its short-range pieces, pawns that start on the third rank and promote to a counsellor, and the diagonal-stepping Met give Makruk a slower, more maneuvering feel than international chess, rewarding patient positional play.
Objective
The goal of Makruk is to checkmate the opposing king, the Khun: to attack it so that it cannot escape capture on the next move. If the player to move has no legal move but is not in check, the game is a draw by stalemate, just as in international chess. White moves first, and players then alternate turns.
Setup
Makruk is played on the same 8x8 board as chess. Each side has one Khun (king), one Met (queen or counsellor), two Khon (a silver-general type piece), two Ma (knights), two Ruea (rooks or boats), and eight Bia (pawns). The back rank runs Ruea, Ma, Khon, then the king and counsellor, then Khon, Ma, Ruea. White places its Khun on the d-file and its Met on the e-file, while Black mirrors with the Met on d and the Khun on e, so each king faces the enemy counsellor. Crucially, the Bia pawns start already advanced on the third rank rather than the second.
Gameplay
Every piece moves in its own way. The Khun moves one square in any direction, like a chess king, but there is no castling. The Met moves exactly one square diagonally. The Khon moves one square straight forward or one square in any of the four diagonal directions, giving it five possible destinations. The Ma moves like a chess knight, and the Ruea moves any distance in a straight line like a rook. The Bia moves one square straight forward and captures one square diagonally forward, with no initial double step and no en passant. When a Bia reaches the sixth rank it promotes to a Met.
Winning
You win by delivering checkmate to the enemy Khun. When your king is attacked you are in check and must answer it at once. Because most pieces move only one square at a time, attacks build slowly and defense is resilient, so many games are decided in the endgame. If neither side can force a win the game is drawn, for example by stalemate, by repetition, or under the traditional counting rules that limit how long a lone king can be hunted.
Objective
The goal of Makruk is to checkmate the opposing king, the Khun: to attack it so that it cannot escape capture on the next move. If the player to move has no legal move but is not in check, the game is a draw by stalemate, just as in international chess. White moves first, and players then alternate turns.
Setup
Makruk is played on the same 8x8 board as chess. Each side has one Khun (king), one Met (queen or counsellor), two Khon (a silver-general type piece), two Ma (knights), two Ruea (rooks or boats), and eight Bia (pawns). The back rank runs Ruea, Ma, Khon, then the king and counsellor, then Khon, Ma, Ruea. White places its Khun on the d-file and its Met on the e-file, while Black mirrors with the Met on d and the Khun on e, so each king faces the enemy counsellor. Crucially, the Bia pawns start already advanced on the third rank rather than the second.
Gameplay
Every piece moves in its own way. The Khun moves one square in any direction, like a chess king, but there is no castling. The Met moves exactly one square diagonally. The Khon moves one square straight forward or one square in any of the four diagonal directions, giving it five possible destinations. The Ma moves like a chess knight, and the Ruea moves any distance in a straight line like a rook. The Bia moves one square straight forward and captures one square diagonally forward, with no initial double step and no en passant. When a Bia reaches the sixth rank it promotes to a Met.
Winning
You win by delivering checkmate to the enemy Khun. When your king is attacked you are in check and must answer it at once. Because most pieces move only one square at a time, attacks build slowly and defense is resilient, so many games are decided in the endgame. If neither side can force a win the game is drawn, for example by stalemate, by repetition, or under the traditional counting rules that limit how long a lone king can be hunted.
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