The name Thai Chess or Makruk is a traditional chess game for Thailand, formerly known as Siamese Chess.
What is Thai Chess?
The name Thai Chess or Makruk is a traditional chess game for Thailand, formerly known as Siamese Chess.
Board Setup
The Thai Chessboard is a board of eight by eight squares with 32 playing pieces in total. Each player starts with a force of 16 playing pieces consisting of eight Pawn (Bia), two Boats (Rua), two Horses (Ma), two Generals (Khon), one Queen (Met)
The Power Of Being King
The King is the most important and weakest piece. The King moves like that of the Western Chess: one space in any direction. The King cannot capture the enemy pieces that are under protection of others. The King does not have the power to castle.
The Presence Of A Queen
Unlike the Western Chess, the Queen is the least powerful of all the major pieces in Thai Chess. She is as valuable as a Promoted Pawn(BiaGai). She may move one square per turn and only diagonally.