Makruk, also known as Thai chess, is a traditional board game deeply rooted in Thai culture. Similar to international chess, Makruk is played on an 8x8 board and features familiar pieces such as the king, queen, and pawns, but with distinct movement rules and strategic depth. The primary goal remains the same: to checkmate your opponent's king. With its emphasis on tactical thinking and long-term planning, Makruk continues to be a beloved pastime in Thailand.

Key Features of Makruk:

AI Opponents: Test your skills against AI players of varying difficulty levels, from Easy to Expert.

Daily Challenges: Take on a new challenge every day to sharpen your gameplay and stay engaged.

Global Leaderboard: Compete with players around the world and strive for a top spot on the global rankings.

Game Sharing: Share your most impressive games and moves with friends and family for discussion and review.

Undo & Save/Load Functionality: Correct mistakes with the undo feature, and save your progress to continue your game at any time.

Timer-Based Gameplay: Add intensity to your matches with optional time limits, increasing the challenge and excitement.

Makruk (Thai: หมากรุก; RTGS: Mak Ruk) traces its origins back to the 6th-century Indian game of Chaturanga or a closely related variant. As a direct descendant of one of chess’s earliest ancestors, Makruk holds historical significance and retains many characteristics of early chess-like games. It is estimated that about two million Thais are familiar with Makruk, compared to only around 5,000 who play international chess.

Former world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik has noted that Makruk Thai exhibits a more strategic nature than modern international chess. He explained that due to its structure, Makruk resembles an extended endgame phase found in chess, requiring meticulous planning and foresight.

Rules of Makruk

The Pawn

Known as เบี้ย (bia, meaning cowry shell), the pawn moves and captures like its counterpart in Western chess, but with key differences. It cannot move two squares on its first move and thus cannot be captured en passant. Upon reaching the sixth rank, it always promotes to a queen (med).

The Queen

Referred to as เม็ด (met), the queen is the weakest piece in Makruk. It moves only one square diagonally in any direction—similar to the fers in Shatranj or the cat sword in Dai Shogi.

The Bishop

Known as โคน (khon, meaning nobleman or mask), the bishop moves either one square diagonally or one square straight forward—comparable to the silver general in Shogi.

The Knight

Called ม้า (ma, meaning horse), this piece moves exactly like the knight in international chess: two squares in one direction followed by one square perpendicular to that, jumping over other pieces.

The Rook

Named เรือ (ruea, meaning boat), the rook moves identically to the rook in Western chess—any number of squares vertically or horizontally.

The King

The Ang moves exactly like a king in international chess—one square in any direction. On its first move, it may optionally perform a Ses (knight-like jump), although this special rule is no longer used in modern Thai play. The game ends when a player's king is checkmated.

What's New

• Bug fixes implemented for improved gameplay stability and performance.