Sittuyin

How Sittuyin is played

Sittuyin is the chess of Myanmar (Burma). Its pieces move as in Makruk, but the players first place their pieces themselves, and a pawn becomes a met by a move of its own on the two diagonals drawn on the board. The goal is to checkmate the opposing king: to attack it so that no move can save it. An attacked king is in check, and no move may leave your own king attacked.

The pieces

The king (min-gyi) steps one square in any direction. The rook (yahhta, the chariot) moves any number of squares along a rank or file, and the knight (myin, the horse) jumps in an L, two squares one way and one to the side, over whatever stands between. The met (sit-ke, the general) steps one square diagonally. The khon (sin, the elephant) steps one square diagonally in any direction or one square straight forward. The pawn (nè) moves one square forward and captures one square diagonally forward; there is no double step, no en passant and no castling. Only the knight jumps over other pieces, and a piece captures by moving onto an enemy piece.

The setup

Only the pawns start on the board, half of them on the third rank and half on the fourth. The other pieces start in hand: Red places one, then Black, and so on until both hands are empty. A piece goes on any empty square of your own three ranks, a rook only on your back rank, and nothing moves until every piece is placed. Pick a piece in your bar and click a square, or drag it there; “Place the rest” finishes your setup in one of the formations Burmese books show.

Promotion

A pawn becomes a met only while its side has no met, and the promotion is a move of its own: the pawn turns into a met on its square, or steps one square diagonally, backwards too, onto an empty square and turns into a met there. With more than one pawn, only a pawn on one of the marked diagonals in the opponent’s half may promote; your last pawn may promote anywhere. The new met may not attack an enemy piece, and the promotion may not give check. To promote on the pawn’s own square, click the pawn, then its square again.

Winning and draws

Checkmate wins. Stalemate is a draw, and so are the same position three times, 50 moves without a capture or a pawn move, a position in which neither side can mate (a lone met or knight, or a pawn, which can only become a met), and a king with one pawn whose only moves are promotions.

The counting rule

When one side has only its king and no pawn is left on the board, that side counts, and its bar shows the count. The other side must mate within 16 moves with a rook, 44 with a khon or 64 with a knight; if the count passes the limit without a mate, the game is drawn.

Where it comes from

Like chess and Makruk, Sittuyin descends from the Indian chaturanga, which reached Myanmar in the 8th century. Its two diagonals are called sit-ke-myin, the general’s lines, and its sides are red and black, Red placing first. In tournaments a small curtain across the board hides each player’s setup, and some rules forbid stalemating the opponent. This game follows the rules Fairy-Stockfish and pychess play: the pieces are placed in turn and in view, and stalemate is a draw.

More games

Chess and variants

• Chess · Classic chess or Chess960 with a shuffled back rank, against a bot.
• Chess960 · Fischer random chess: the back rank starts in one of 960 setups.
• Antichess · Losing chess: give away all your pieces, captures are compulsory.
• Atomic chess · Every capture is an explosion that clears the pieces around it.
• Crazyhouse · Captured pieces change sides and can be dropped back onto the board.
• Duck chess · After every move you move the duck, which blocks everyone. No check.
• Fog of War · You only see where your pieces can move. Capture the king to win.
• Friendly Chess · Nothing is captured: pieces unite and set off chain reactions.

The chess family

• Chaturanga · India’s ancient chess, the root of the family: take the king to win.
• Shatranj · The medieval ancestor of chess, with a weak ferz and a jumping alfil.
• Makruk · Thai chess: a slow, strategic game with a counting rule.
• Ouk Chatrang · Cambodian chess: Makruk with a leap for the king and the met.
• Xiangqi · Chinese chess: a river, palaces and a cannon that jumps to capture.
• Janggi · Korean chess: no river, palace diagonals and a cannon that always jumps.
• Shogi · Japanese chess: captured pieces return to the board on your side.
• Minishogi · Shogi on a 5 × 5 board: six pieces a side, short and sharp games.

More players

• Chaturaji · India’s four-handed chess: kings can be captured, captures score.
• Four Seasons Chess · Alfonso X’s chess for four from 1283: four seasons, the last king wins.
• Three-player chess · Three armies on a hexagonal board: you against two bots.
• Four-player chess · Four armies on a cross-shaped board: in teams or all against all.
• Eight-player chess · Eight armies on a board of 516 squares: all against all, in pairs or four against four.