Sittuyin Rules

Three Things to Remember First

First, the game does not start with a normal first move. White deploys the eight non-pawn pieces on White’s half, Black deploys after that, and only then does White make the first move. Rooks must go on the back rank, and the other pieces may not use it.

Second, both the general and the elephant are short-range pieces. The general moves one square diagonally. The elephant moves one square diagonally, or one square straight forward, and it does not jump.

Third, pawns do not promote on the back rank. They promote only on the big X in the opponent’s half, and only if you do not already have a general on the board. If a pawn walks past those squares, it cannot come back and promote later.

Who deploys, who moves first

White pawns start on a3–d3 and e4–h4, and Black mirrors that shape on the far side. White places every remaining piece first, then Black. Rooks must sit on the back rank; the other pieces stay on your half and cannot use that rank. A Black rook may not face White’s king on the same file unless a non-pawn stands between them. After both sides finish deploying, White moves first. There is no castling.

The easiest deployment mistakes to catch early are these: only rooks may use the back rank, and Black may not place a rook so it stares straight at White’s king across an open file. Once you rule those out, the remaining squares are your legal choices.

How the pieces move

White and Black use the same movement rules. The quickest way to sort the pieces is by range: king, general, and elephant all move one square; the rook slides; the knight jumps; and the pawn always moves straight ahead but captures diagonally.

White and Black pieces move by the same rules; only the color differs. Use the glyph to recognize the piece, the short line for direction, and the fuller note for range and blocking rules.

Pawns and promotion

A pawn steps one square forward and captures one square diagonally. There is no double step and no en passant. The part most people misremember is promotion: it does not happen on the back rank. Promotion to a general is only on the far-side diagonals of the big X, and only if you have no general left. Spending a turn to convert a pawn already on that square counts as the move. If the pawn walks past those squares, it cannot promote later.

Two details matter here. First, promotion is not automatic when a pawn reaches the square; you have to spend that move on the conversion. Second, if you already have a general on the board, a pawn sitting on a promotion square still may not turn into another one.

How a game is won

Checkmate wins. A move that leaves the opponent with no legal reply and not in check is illegal. If that is the only remaining move, the game is a draw. In other words, this game recognizes checkmate, not a win by forcing stalemate.

That means you do not get to play a stalemating move first and claim the result after the fact. If the move would create stalemate instead of mate, the move itself is not legal.

What changes by mode

AI games include hints, undo, and replay, which makes them the easiest place to learn the rules as you go. You can also choose White or Black there if you want to practice one side of the deployment. Pass-and-play shares one device and does not hint for either side. Online rooms sync accepted moves and do not offer hints or undo.

Questions