Makruk Rules - How to Play Thai Chess
Learn the moves of the khun, met, khon, rua, ma, and bia, then see how sixth-rank promotion and no castling shape the game.
The board and the aim
Makruk is Thailand's classical chess game. It is played on an 8×8 board, with White moving first and sixteen pieces per side: one khun, one met, two khon, two ma, two rua, and eight bia. Checkmate the opposing khun to win. The board may look familiar, but Makruk's short-range met, forward-moving khon, and advanced bia make its positions develop differently from Western chess.
Khun, met, and khon
The khun moves one square in any direction and may never remain in check. The met is a short-range piece: it moves one square diagonally, no more. A khon moves one square diagonally or one square straight forward toward the other side of the board. That forward option is important: it gives the khon a way to press through a blocked diagonal.
Rua, ma, and bia
Rua travel any number of clear squares along ranks or files, while ma make the familiar L-shaped jump. Bia move one square forward and capture one square diagonally forward. A bia has no two-square first move, and Makruk has no en passant. Because bia begin on the third rank, the centre becomes contested quickly.
Promotion and king safety
A bia that reaches the sixth rank promotes automatically to a met; promotion is not a choice of piece. Castling does not exist, so the khun cannot use a rook move to escape an open file. Develop the nearby pieces, avoid loosening the bia shield without a reason, and take open lines toward either khun seriously.
Check and the end of the game
When the khun is in check, the reply must remove the attack: move the khun, capture the attacking piece, or block the line when that is possible. You cannot make a move that leaves your own khun in check. Checkmate wins; stalemate, threefold repetition, and certain insufficient-material positions are drawn on this board.
Makruk rules FAQ
- How does Makruk differ from Western chess?
- Bia begin farther forward, there is no double pawn move or castling, the met moves only one square diagonally, and the khon can also step straight forward. A bia promotes only to a met on the sixth rank.
- What does a bia become on promotion?
- It becomes a met automatically when it reaches the sixth rank. You do not choose a rua, ma, or khon instead.
- Can the khun castle in Makruk?
- No. Makruk has no castling, so king safety comes from piece development, a sound bia shield, and control of the files around the khun.
- Do the rua and ma move like rooks and knights?
- Yes. A rua slides along clear ranks and files, and a ma jumps in an L shape. The met, khon, and bia promotion rule are the main movement differences to learn first.
- Is stalemate a draw in this version of Makruk?
- Yes. A stalemate is drawn, as are threefold repetition and certain positions with too little material to force a win.
Practice Makruk
Open a board and test the distinctive moves: give the met one diagonal step, use a khon's forward step, then guide a bia toward the sixth rank to see its automatic promotion.