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Makruk (Thai Chess) Strategy and Tips

Here is how to think about winning at Makruk (Thai Chess), split into short lessons. Each one reads on its own, and each one comes with a real position: press Try it on the board and you play the move yourself.

Develop your Rueas

Lesson 1

A Ruea works along clear rows and columns. At the start, Bias stand in front of it. Advance a Bia to open its file, or move the Ruea sideways onto another open file. Before capturing, check whether a Ma or Khon can take your Ruea on its destination.

In this exercise an opposing piece stands on the same file with a clear path between them. Select the Ruea and capture it. A Ruea cannot cross an occupied square, so opening the path comes first.

In the ending, restrict the opposing Khun one line at a time. Reducing its next destinations can be more useful than another check. Bring your own Khun closer to cover squares the Ruea cannot cover alone.

Advance Bias together

Lesson 2

Bias move forward and capture diagonally forward. A friendly Bia placed diagonally behind another can recapture if the front one is taken. Bias standing beside each other on the same rank do not directly defend one another. Look for diagonal connections when deciding which to advance first.

In this exercise, move the white Bia onto its promotion rank. White promotes on rank six and Black on rank three. Promotion is automatic: the Bia becomes a Bia Ngai and moves one square diagonally, including backward.

Promoting the last Bia may enable counting. Check the strip before doing it. Compare promotion that protects a friendly piece with promotion that also captures an opponent.

Coordinate your Khons

Lesson 3

A Khon moves one square diagonally in all four directions or one square directly forward. It can retreat diagonally, but not directly backward or sideways. Before advancing, check whether the square you may need to return to lies diagonally behind it. A Khon and a Bia can defend one another through overlapping diagonal attacks.

This exercise moves a Khon directly forward. It takes several moves to travel far, so develop it early and avoid leaving it in a Ruea’s path. Check for Ma jumps as well.

Against a lone Khun, two Khons give a candidate count limit of twenty-two, and one gives forty-four. Other pieces may impose a shorter limit; use the strip’s displayed limit.

Guard the Khun with a Met

Lesson 4

A Met moves one square diagonally. Use its short reach to protect squares near your Khun rather than expecting it to control a whole row. A Met beside the Khun may protect a useful future destination; check that its attacks do not merely point off the board.

In this exercise, advance the Met diagonally. Choose a square where a friendly piece can recapture if the Met is taken. Since diagonal steps preserve square colour, a Met always travels on its starting colour. Coordinate with your Khun or Ruea when the opposing Khun uses the other colour.

A promoted Bia moves the same way, but keeps a ring identifying its origin. Use the name badge or piece information to confirm its movement.

Bias control when counting starts

Lesson 5

Counting cannot start while an unpromoted Bia remains. Taking or promoting the last Bia can change the strip. If both players still have pieces besides their Khuns, the player with fewer pieces may use the board count. Equal material does not enable a new board count.

This exercise uses the declaration setting. With no Bias and fewer pieces, press Start counting. The button does not consume a turn. Your moves advance the number, limiting the stronger player’s time to mate. The declaring player may also stop a board count.

The default starts counting automatically when its conditions apply. With no unpromoted Bias, a lone Khun gets a piece count: automatically by default, or by its own declaration in declaration mode. Check both players’ material before promoting the last Bia.

Use the count limit

Lesson 6

With no unpromoted Bias, a lone Khun gets the piece count. The stronger side’s material determines the limit: two Rueas eight, one Ruea sixteen, two Khons twenty-two, two Mas thirty-two, one Khon forty-four, and one Ma or only Mets sixty-four. Use the smallest applicable limit.

Start at the total number of pieces on the board. Two Rueas, a Ma and a Khun against a Khun means five pieces, leaving three counting moves toward eight. After the counting Khun reaches the limit, the attacker still has its final move and wins if that move is mate. Losing material later does not change the limit.

This exercise mates with a Ruea while watching the strip. The attacker restricts escapes; the defender tries to keep central destinations open.

Try it on the board

Pick a lesson and the board starts from that position. Start over as often as you like.

Now put it to work

Play with friendsLearn how to play (3 min)

Last updated 2026-10-07 · Run by Qdan, Inc.