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(Note: This is not intended to be a complete description of
Makruk.
This page is intended to be a brief introduction to Makruk for people playing
in the
Variant
Tournament
to be held September 28, 2008, at the
Carrel Chess Club
in Canton, Michigan. For complete information about Makruk, follow the links at the
bottom of this page.)
In
Thailand, the traditional form of Chess is
known as Makruk. Makruk uses a board
and pieces similar to standard Chess. It can be played with Western Chess pieces and board.
In setting up the pieces, the differences are obvious, because in Makruk, the
pawns are set on the third row. The
only other difference in setup is that the white king and queen are switched
from standard Chess.
While the board and equipment are similar to Chess, there is significant
difference in play. The bishops move
only one square diagonally, or one square forward.(This is the move of the Silver
General in Shogi.) The queen may
move only one step diagonally, making it a very weak piece, and it is usually
used in a defensive role, staying near the king. The pawns do not have to reach the back rank to promote. They promote when they reach the
enemy’s third row, where the enemy pawns started. However, they promote only to queen, which is a relatively weak piece.As a result, a Makruk game may have
many queens on the board at the same time.
Compared to Chess, Makruk has much slower moving pieces. Only the rook can move great
distances, with the queens and bishops limited to one square at a time. This requires players to plan moves
farther in advance to have maximum effect.
The Cambodian variant of Chess is known as Ouk Chatrang, and is almost identical
to Makruk. The only difference is
that the queen and king have optional first moves that are different from their
standard moves.
More information: (If there is a resource for Makruk you would like to see
listed here, email dave@gamesinmichigan.com.)
Wikipedia:Makruk
Chessvariants.org: Makruk
Play Online (human opponents): I am not aware of an online server for
playing Makruk. I saw an ad that said the playchess.com supported Ouk
Chatrang, but I was not able to verify that.
Computer Play -Makruk is supported by the .Zillions of Games
program in the full (paid) version. I have not played against it, so I
cannot say what the quality of play is.