MALAY CHESS. 



91 



won or saved by doing so. A prejudice against the exchange 

 is very common amongst beginners in Europe. There 

 is, of course, no reason for this, but in Malay chess there is 

 some. The rules as to queening a pawn, and as to the lone king 

 make it so difficult to win a pawn ending that it is seldom 

 advisable for the stronger force to clear the board by exchanges. 



These rules, which make it easier for the weaker force to 

 draw, are to my mind a weak point in the Malay game, which 

 otherwise is probably equal in essentials to our own. It is 

 certainly a pleasant change to play a game in which no open- 

 ings have been analysed, and in which the player has to rely 

 entirely on himself from the very beginning of the game. 



Malays generally open with a fianchetto to avoid exposing 

 the king to an early check. Whether this is the best method 

 of beginning I cannot say. Few Malays are really strong at 

 the game, though a considerable number play respectably. 



The point of most interest with regard to the game is how 

 the special rules which differ from those of other forms of 

 chess, were evolved — whether they are a survival of the form 

 of chess originally taught to the Malays, or whether they have 

 been invented by the Malays themselves. 





Terms commonly used in Malay Chess. 



English 







Malay Derivation according to 

 Wilkinson's Dictionary. 



Chess 







Chator Sanskrit (chaturanga) 



Chessmen 





Buah Chator (Bauh — fruit) 



King 







Eaja Sanskrit 



Queen 







Menteri (Minister) Sanskrit 



Book 







Tir 



Bishop 







Gajah (elephant) Sanskrit 



Knight 







Kuda (horse) 



Pawn 







Bidak Arabic 



Check 







Sah Persian 



R, A. Soc. 



No. 49, 



1907. 





