Deploy your army behind staggered pawns, then play Burmese chess with its special promotion rule.
Pawns are already placed in two staggered rows. Players alternate placing their eight reserve pieces, one per turn, on empty squares in their own first three ranks; rooks must be on the back rank. Traditionally one side places all its pieces before the other; ChessPlayX uses alternate placement. Normal movement begins after deployment.
King, rook and knight move as in chess. The elephant steps diagonally or forward; the general (met) steps diagonally, one square. Pawns advance one square and capture diagonally. Captured pieces do not return to the reserve.
Checkmate wins. On ChessPlayX stalemate is a draw; traditional Burmese rules instead forbid stalemating the opponent. A player left with only king and one pawn whose only legal moves are promotions may claim a draw. A draw may also be claimed after 50 moves by each side without a capture or pawn move, or on threefold repetition, and a position where neither side can checkmate is drawn automatically. Counting: when one side has only its king and no pawns remain, the attacker must mate within 16 moves with a rook, otherwise 44 with an elephant, otherwise 64 with a knight. If the count runs out, the game is drawn.
With no general remaining, a pawn on a promotion diagonal may become a general; a player's sole remaining pawn may do so anywhere. Promotion spends a turn in place or moving one diagonal step, and may neither capture nor attack an enemy piece. There is no castling or pawn double step.
Board setup, special rules and winning conditions for Sittuyin.
During deployment, select a reserve rook and then an empty back-rank square. During play, to promote an eligible pawn in place, select the pawn and then select its own square again.
Sittuyin is the traditional chess of Myanmar (Burma), played on an 8×8 board. Players deploy their own pieces before moving. Pawns start in staggered rows, and players take turns placing their other eight pieces within their own first three ranks, with rooks on the back rank. The elephant and general step one square. A pawn can become a general only when you have none left. Checkmate wins.
The pawns start pre-placed in two staggered rows. Players then take turns placing one reserve piece at a time on empty squares of their own first three ranks, with rooks only on the back rank. Normal moves begin once all 16 pieces are placed, and captured pieces never return.
Only when you have no general left. A pawn on one of your promotion diagonals, or your last remaining pawn anywhere, can become a general by spending a turn, either in place or with one diagonal step. The new general may not capture or attack an enemy piece.
On ChessPlayX, stalemate ends the game as a draw, although traditional Burmese rules forbid stalemating the opponent. A player left with only the king and one pawn, whose only legal moves are promotions, may also claim a draw.
Share one device for a local game, or choose the friend option above to create an online room and send its invitation. Online games need an internet connection. Local games are saved in this browser.
Play Sittuyin on one deviceSittuyin. Read the setup, legal moves, special rules and end conditions before starting. The guide describes the variant used on ChessPlayX, including differences from other versions where relevant.
Read the Sittuyin rulesChoose AI mode to practice at your own pace. Start with a lower difficulty while learning the moves, then increase it when you can spot threats and plan your replies.