Makruk: Thai Chess

Category: 2 Player, Multiplayer Plays: 41 Rating:

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2-players 158 2players 46 board game 37 boardgame 28 boardgames 24 chess 10 Multiplayer game 40

How to Play

Game Overview

Makruk is basically Thai chess, and I picked it up thinking it'd be just a reskin of western chess. It's not. The board looks the same, an 8x8 grid, but the pieces move completely differently. Your queen, called the Met, only moves one square diagonally -- so it's more like a slow, defensive piece than a powerhouse. The bishop moves one square diagonally or one forward, which is weird at first but makes you think differently about positioning. Pawns start on the third rank, so the action kicks off quicker than you'd expect. Visually, it's clean and minimal -- think wood tones and simple icons, not flashy. The vibe is patient; you're not blitzing out moves. Every decision feels heavier because your pieces are slower and less flexible. I found myself planning several moves ahead just to maneuver a rook into place. Who'd get hooked? People who like chess but want something fresh -- maybe you're tired of memorizing openings and want a game where raw positional sense matters more. Also anyone who enjoys abstract strategy games like Shogi or Xiangqi. It's methodical, not flashy. The AI is decent, and playing against a friend locally is where it shines -- you can talk trash while you're both scratching your heads over a trapped bishop.

About Makruk: Thai Chess

So you open Makruk and you're looking at a chessboard that looks almost like the one you know, but nothing feels right at first. The pieces are laid out differently -- the queen and king are swapped, and pawns start on the third rank instead of the second. It's disorienting in a good way because right away you're forced to think differently. You click and drag pieces, or tap on mobile, and that's the basic loop: pick a piece, see its legal moves highlighted (or not, if you turn that off in settings), then commit.

The real meat is in the piece movement quirks. The queen, called Met, only moves one square diagonally. That feels incredibly weak until you realize it's actually a defensive linchpin -- you use it to plug gaps rather than attack. The bishop, or Khon, moves one square diagonally OR one square forward straight, which makes it weirdly versatile but also easy to trap. And the horse, Ma, moves like a knight but without jumping -- it can be blocked if something sits on the intermediate square. That changes everything about positioning. You can't just fork pieces carelessly; you have to clear paths first.

Difficulty ramps up when the AI starts exploiting these limitations. Beginner mode just shuffles pieces around, but on Medium it starts setting up traps with the Met and Khon that look harmless for three moves and then suddenly you're losing a rook. Hard mode feels like playing a human who's been studying this for years -- it waits, it constricts your space, then strikes. There's no castling, so king safety is always a constant worry. You'll find yourself pushing pawns to the sixth rank just to get a queen (called a Met after promotion), but that's risky because pawns can't promote to anything else.

The satisfying moments come when you outmaneuver someone using the Bishop's weird forward-step move to deliver a check the opponent didn't see coming, or when you sacrifice a Rook to open a diagonal for your Met that only moves one square at a time -- it's slow but decisive. Online multiplayer has a timer option, and local play is great for teaching friends who think they know chess. There's no upgrade system or levels -- it's just pure variant chess with a single mode and adjustable AI strength. That's fine because the depth is in the game itself, not in fluff. You'll lose a lot before you start winning, and that's the point.

Tips & Tricks

I''ve lost more games than I''d like to admit before figuring out that the queen''s weakness is a huge deal. Since she only moves one square diagonally, she''s not the powerhouse you''re used to--she''s more like a glorified pawn that can retreat. Keep her back until the board clears up, or she''ll just get trapped. The bishop''s weird movement tripped me up for a while. It moves one square diagonally or one forward, which means it''s great for controlling the center but useless on the flanks if you can''t get it angled right. You''ll want to keep bishops active early, not stuck on the rim. Pawns starting on the third rank change everything. Don''t rush them--they''re your only way to promote to a queen, but reaching the sixth rank is tough. I''ve blundered by pushing pawns too fast, leaving holes the opponent''s horse exploits. Speaking of the horse, it moves without leaping, so you can block it with a pawn. That''s saved my king more than once. Castling isn''t an option, so king safety relies on a solid pawn shield and careful rook placement. I lost a match because I forgot about stalemate--it''s a draw here, not a win, so don''t get cocky with a king hunt. Another thing: rooks are your best friends because they move like in chess, but the board''s slow pace means you need to open lines for them. I wish I''d known to use the bishop to pin enemy pieces earlier--it''s subtle but game-winning.