Play Free Sittuyin Online
Play Sittuyin Against AI
Sittuyin is Burmese chess. The opening is not preset like chess: the pawns already stand in a staggered line, and you place the rest of the army on your own half. This page uses an 8×8 board, lets you play against multiple AI levels, and keeps hints, undo, and replay all in one place.
How a Game Works
Sittuyin is part of the Southeast Asian chess family. It is related to Makruk and older Persian chess traditions, but it is not just a reskin. The key difference is sit-tee: you deploy first, then you play.
Rooks, knights, and the king move in ways that will feel familiar from chess. The general moves one square diagonally. The elephant moves one square diagonally, or one square straight forward. Pawns never get a double step. To promote to a general, a pawn has to reach the far-side diagonal, and you cannot already have a general on the board.
Read the pawn line first
White pawns start on a3–d3 and e4–h4, while Black mirrors that shape on the far side. Rooks must go on the back rank. The other pieces stay on your half and cannot use that rank. White deploys first, Black follows, and then White makes the first move.
A Black rook may not face White’s king on the same file unless a non-pawn piece stands between them. Only after deployment ends does the game move into normal alternating turns.
Keep the general and elephant close
The general moves one square diagonally. The elephant moves one square diagonally, or one square straight forward. It is not the two-square leaping piece from older Persian chess.
Pawns move one square straight ahead and capture one square diagonally. The only promotion squares are on the big X in the opponent’s half. If you have no general on the board, a pawn already sitting on a promotion square may turn into one, and that conversion counts as your move.
What you can use in AI play
The sidebar lets you choose from multiple AI levels. You can play as White and deploy first, or take Black and deploy second. Hints use the same search as the level you selected.
If you misplay a move, undo it. After the game, you can replay the whole thing and copy the move list. The record stays in this browser only.
8×8Square board
Sit-teeOpening phase
GeneralOne square diagonal
ElephantDiagonal or forward
Common questions
How does a game start on this board?
Only the pawns are on the board at the start. White’s pawns stand on a3–d3 and e4–h4, and Black mirrors that shape on the far side. You place the other eight pieces on your own half: rooks go on the back rank, and the rest of the army stays off that rank. White deploys first, Black deploys next, and then White makes the first move. That phase is sit-tee, and it counts as part of the game.
Which AI level does the hint follow?
The hint uses the level currently selected in the sidebar, with the same search behind it. A gentler level gives a gentler hint. Raise the level, and it reads further. Before you open it, decide whether the move is about deployment, the center, or a promotion you are waiting on.
My pawn is on a promotion square. Why can’t it become a general?
Each side may have only one general on the board at a time. While yours is still there, a pawn on the big X in the opponent’s half cannot turn into a second one. After the general is captured, you can spend that move on the promotion. Promotion happens on those diagonal squares. Reaching the back rank does not promote the pawn, and a pawn that walks past the promotion squares cannot come back later.
Do I have to put the king in the center and the rooks on the wings?
No. Rooks must sit on the back rank. The other pieces stay on your half and cannot use that rank. A Black rook also may not face White’s king on the same file unless a non-pawn stands between them. After those limits, the remaining squares are yours to choose. Seeing how the general, the elephant, and pawn promotion work matters more than copying one fixed setup.
How should I use hints, undo, and replay without just copying the answer?
Pick a square or a deployment yourself first, and say what you want that move to do. Then open the hint and compare. Undo takes you back to the fork so you can try another idea. Replay is for finding the move where the center or a promotion started to slip, rather than only watching the final checkmate. You can copy the move list and look at it after you leave the page.
Can I play without an account or an app?
Yes. Open the page on a phone or computer and make a move. There is no account, email, or password. Adding the site to your home screen is optional, and a full game works without installing anything.
Can I choose to play White or Black?
Against the AI, yes. As White you deploy first and then make the first move. As Black the AI deploys and moves first. Switching color after the game has started begins a new game, and the pieces already on the board do not stay. In an online room you pick your color when you create it. Two players on one device do not choose colors: White deploys and moves first, and you take turns.
If I close the page, is this game still there?
Games against the AI, and games on one shared device, stay in this browser. The two modes keep separate records. Close the page and open it again, and you can usually pick up the last game. Clearing this site’s data usually removes those unfinished games. An online room is kept with the room itself. If the connection drops, opening the room again usually brings you back to the same game.
If I invite a friend online, can I undo and use hints the way I can here?
No. Once an online room accepts a move, that move is sent to the other player. There is no hint and no undo. Checkmate ends the game. A move that would leave the opponent with no legal reply, while the king is not in check, is illegal. If the connection drops, opening the page again usually brings you back to the same room.
How is two players on one device different from playing the AI?
Two people share one device and take turns face to face. You do not need a network connection, and neither side gets a hint. Undo and replay stay available, so you can stop and talk through a move. White deploys first, Black follows, and then White makes the first move. The board stays 8×8, on this one set of rules.
