Shatar

Shatar (Mongolian Chess)

The traditional chess of Mongolia. Distinguished from Western chess by its mate restrictions, obligatory opening, and the rule that bare king is a draw.

Setup

Board: Standard 8×8.

Starting position: Standard chess arrangement. Pieces use Mongolian names: Noyon (King), Bers (Queen), Teme (Rook), Mori (Knight), Teme-tse (Bishop), Khuu (Pawn).

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Pieces

All pieces move as in standard chess. The Bers (Queen) is sometimes described as a combined Rook-Fers in older sources, but the modern tournament form uses full Queen movement.

Rules

• Check exists and is named by the checking piece: shak (Queen or Rook), dug (Bishop), tsod (Pawn). Announcing check is customary.
• The Knight’s check also counts as shak. Sources disagree on this point (traditional rules may have excluded it), but modern tournament practice and Fairy-Stockfish’s implementation include knight checks as valid shak. This implementation follows the modern rule.
• The opening two moves are obligatory: 1. d2-d4 d7-d5.
• The King may not castle.
• No en passant.
• Promotion works as in standard chess.

Win Condition

Checkmate, called mat, subject to the restrictions below.

Valid mate. A mate counts only if it is delivered by a shak, or if it concludes a series of checks that included at least one shak.

Niol (invalid mate). A mate delivered without satisfying that condition, for example by a Bishop or Pawn alone, or at the end of a sequence containing only dug and tsod checks, does not win. The game is a draw.

The Knight may not deliver mate. A position where only the Knight gives check and there is no legal escape is a draw (niol), not checkmate.

Robado (bare king). A player reduced to a bare King does not lose. The game is a draw.

Strategy

The mate restrictions make Shatar deeply strategic. You cannot simply checkmate with minor pieces; the final blow must involve the Queen or Rook (or follow a sequence that did). This makes heavy pieces more valuable than in standard chess and creates unique endgame theory where bare king is drawn despite material advantage.

Attribution

Traditional Mongolian chess. Sources: Wikipedia (Shatar); chessvariants.org (Shatar — Mongolian Chess); history.chess.free.fr (Mongolian Chess). Public domain.