Makruk

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Makruk is how Chaturanga evolved in Southeast Asia, and is the closest extant game to the original.

  • The King moves like in Chess.
  • The Queen moves one square diagonally.
  • The Bishop moves one square diagonally or one square forward, like in Shogi.
  • The Knight moves like in Chess.
  • The Rook moves like in Chess.
  • The Pawn starts on the third rank, moves one square forward, captures one square diagonally, and Queens on the sixth rank.

Once all Pawns are promoted or captured, checkmate must be achieved within sixty-four moves or the game is a draw. Once all one side's pieces save the King are captured, the game is drawn if checkmate is not achieved within a certain number of moves:

  • If there are two rooks left: 8 moves
  • If there is one rook left: 16 moves
  • If there are no rooks left, but there are two bishops: 22 moves
  • If there are no rooks or bishops left, but there are two knights: 32 moves
  • If there are no rooks left, but there is one bishop: 44 moves
  • Otherwise: 64 moves

See also Chess, Sittuyin, Xiangqi, Janggi, and Shogi.

Tropes used in Makruk include: