Ouk Chaktrang (Cambodian Chess)
Ouk Chaktrang (Cambodian Chess) — starting position
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Ouk Chaktrang is the traditional chess of Cambodia. It belongs to the Makruk family — the Southeast Asian branch of chess descended from Indian Chaturanga — and is the closest living relative of the medieval game that spread from India across Asia. Modern rules are codified by the Asian Chess Federation and the Cambodian Chess Federation.
Pieces
| Khmer name | Piece | Movement |
|---|---|---|
| Sdech (ស្តេច) | King | 1 square in any direction. Special first move: if the King has not yet moved, it may instead jump as a Knight (once only, provided the King is not in check). |
| Neang/Met (នាង) | Queen | 1 square diagonally, OR 1 square straight forward. |
| Koul (គោល) | Bishop | 1 square diagonally, OR leaps exactly 2 squares diagonally (can jump over an intervening piece). |
| Ses (សេះ) | Knight | Standard L-shape: 2 squares orthogonally then 1 square perpendicularly. Jumps over intervening pieces. |
| Touk (តឺក) | Rook | Slides any number of squares orthogonally. |
| Trey (ត្រី) | Pawn | Moves 1 square straight forward. Captures 1 square diagonally forward. No double first move. Promotes on reaching rank 6. |
Starting Position
Identical to Makruk. Pawns begin on ranks 3 (White) and 6 (Black), not rank 2/7.
8 ♜ ♞ ♝ ♛ ♚ ♝ ♞ ♜
7 . . . . . . . .
6 ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟ ♟
5 . . . . . . . .
4 . . . . . . . .
3 ♙ ♙ ♙ ♙ ♙ ♙ ♙ ♙
2 . . . . . . . .
1 ♖ ♘ ♗ ♛ ♔ ♗ ♘ ♖
a b c d e f g h
Neang (Queen) begins beside the Sdech (King): White’s Neang on d1 (to King’s left from White’s perspective), Black’s Neang on e8.
Pawn Promotion
A Trey reaching rank 6 (for White) or rank 3 (for Black) promotes immediately to a Neang. There is no choice — promotion to Neang is the only option.
King’s First Move
On the Sdech’s very first move of the game, if it has not previously moved, the player may instead move the King as a Knight (the standard L-shape jump). This privilege is lost permanently after the King moves or after the King is in check.
Koul Movement Detail
The Koul (Bishop) may move either:
- 1 square diagonally (standard ferz-style step), OR
- Exactly 2 squares diagonally, leaping over any piece on the intermediate square.
It cannot slide any further — it is not a long-range diagonal slider like the FIDE Bishop.
Check and Checkmate
A player whose King is in check must resolve the check on the next move. Checkmate — where the King is in check and no legal move resolves it — ends the game; the checkmated player loses.
Stalemate
Stalemate (player has no legal move but is not in check) is a loss for the stalemated player, not a draw.
Counting Rules (Draw Mechanism)
When one player has no remaining Pawns, the opponent must deliver checkmate within a set number of moves or the game is drawn:
| Opponent’s dominant piece | Moves allowed |
|---|---|
| Rooks only | 8 moves |
| Bishops and/or Knights only | 16 moves |
| Neang only | 22 moves |
The count begins the moment the last Pawn is captured. If the count expires without checkmate, the game is drawn. The count resets if a piece is captured during the countdown.
Differences from Makruk
| Feature | Makruk (Thai) | Ouk Chaktrang (Cambodian) |
|---|---|---|
| Koul/Bishop | 1 step diagonally only | 1 step or 2-square diagonal leap |
| King’s first move | No special rule | May jump as Knight once |
| Counting rules | Makruk counting system | Streamlined system above |
Attribution
Traditional Cambodian game. Modern competitive rules codified by the Asian Chess Federation. Fully public domain.