Play Makruk Online Free

About Makruk

Makruk is Thailand's classical chess game. It uses an 8×8 board, but its familiar-looking armies do not behave like Western chess: bia begin on the third rank, the met is a one-square diagonal piece, and a khon can step diagonally or one square forward. With no castling or double pawn move, early king safety and patient piece placement matter from the first moves.

The board handles the Thai rules while you play, including checks, legal moves, and automatic promotion when a bia reaches the sixth rank. Test ideas against four AI levels, take turns on one device, or send an online-room link to a friend. Undo and hints are available for practice without changing the position's rules.

How to play Makruk

White moves first. Players alternate one move at a time, and the goal is to checkmate the enemy khun (king).

1. The khun moves one square in any direction, like a chess king. It must escape check immediately by moving, blocking, or capturing the attacker.
2. The met is a short-range piece that steps one square diagonally. The khon steps one square diagonally or one square straight forward relative to its side.
3. Rooks (rua) and knights (ma) move as in Western chess. Bia pawns advance one square forward and capture one square diagonally forward — never two squares, and never en passant.
4. When a bia reaches its own sixth rank, it promotes to a met. There is no choice of piece and no castling at any point in the game.
5. Checkmate wins. Stalemate and certain drawn material or repetition positions end the game without a winner.

Makruk strategy tips

• Keep the met near the action: its one-square diagonal move is strongest in crowded positions, not from the edge of the board.
• Use a khon's forward step to add pressure where a diagonal alone would not reach.
• Bring a rua to an open file early; a khun cannot castle away from a file that opens too soon.
• Advance bia with support. A sixth-rank promotion threat can decide the game, but an isolated pawn can expose your own khun.
• If you know chess, begin by watching the met, khon, and bia closely; the familiar board can otherwise hide the important differences.

Makruk FAQ

How is makruk different from Western chess?

Bia start farther forward, there is no double step or castling, the met moves only one square diagonally, and the khon combines diagonal steps with a one-square forward step. A bia promotes only to a met on the sixth rank.

What does a bia promote into?

Only a met. When your bia reaches the sixth rank from your side of the board, it becomes a met automatically; there is no choice of another piece.

Can I castle in makruk?

No. There is no castling. Keep the khun safe by developing pieces and leaving a modest pawn shield instead of tucking behind a rook.

Can I play makruk online with a friend here?

Yes. Open a room from this page, send the invite link, and your friend joins the same live board from any browser. Moves sync in real time without an account or download.

Is makruk hard to learn if I already know chess?

The shared 8×8 board helps, but do not rely on Western opening habits. Learn the met and khon first, then watch for sixth-rank bia promotion; the easy AI and undo make those differences easier to absorb.

Does this site enforce the Thai rules automatically?

Yes. Illegal moves are rejected, checks are highlighted, bia promote only to met on the sixth rank, and draw conditions such as repetition are handled by the engine.

Where do the piece shapes come from?

The piece SVGs are from Fulmene's open set (GitHub: Fulmene/makruk-pieces-image), used under CC BY-SA 4.0. The license note is at /makruk-pieces/LICENSE.txt; About and Terms also credit the author.

Games like Makruk

ChessWestern chess on the same 8×8 grid, with a long-range queen and castling.XiangqiChinese chess with a river, palace, and cannons.JanggiKorean chess: no river, palace X-lines, and legal bikjang.ShogiJapanese chess where captures return as drops.