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A board game from Myanmar
ကျားကွက်
Myanmar checkers: twelve tigers a side on a pink and white board. Learn the moves, then try to beat the tiger.
ကျားကွက် (kyar kwet, “tiger squares”) is checkers as it’s played in Myanmar. Most players use the Spanish rules: tigers move forward, capturing is compulsory, and a crowned tiger flies across the board.
Why it’s in my portfolio
When I work, it feels like playing ကျားကွက်. Every project is a board: I read where things stand, think a few moves ahead and plan before I touch a piece. Figma, Framer and Claude are my pieces, but knowing which one to move, and when, is the strategy. That’s the part I care about: not just using tools, but thinking through the game.
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You are green and move first
Play the tiger
01
Tap one of your green tigers, then a dot to move it.
02
Tigers move one square diagonally forward.
03
Jump an enemy tiger to capture it. If you can capture, you must.
04
Reach the far row to be crowned. Kings fly any distance.
05
Take every tiger, or leave the other side no move, to win.
Easy makes mistakes on purpose. Hard thinks for about a second a move.
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Six things to know
How to play
01
Twelve tigers each
Only the pink squares are used. Each player sets 12 tigers on the pink squares of the three rows nearest them. Green moves first.
02
One step forward
On your turn, move one tiger one square diagonally forward onto an empty pink square. Ordinary tigers can’t move backwards.
03
Jump to capture (စား)
If an enemy tiger is diagonally in front of yours and the square behind it is empty, jump over it and take it off the board. Capturing is compulsory.
04
Keep jumping, take the most
If you land where you can jump again, keep going in the same turn. When you have a choice of captures, you must play the one that takes the most tigers.
05
Crowned on the far row (ကင်း)
A tiger that ends its move on the far row becomes a king. Players mark it by stacking a second tiger on top.
06
The flying king
A king moves any distance diagonally, forwards or backwards. It can capture a tiger far away and land on any empty square beyond it.
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Win, lose or draw
Winning
You win when the other side has no tigers left, or none of them can move.
Draw
When neither side can force a win and the kings just go back and forth, it’s a draw. Here, 25 king moves each without a capture ends the game.
The old house rule
In the traditional game, if you miss a capture, your opponent may take away the tiger that should have jumped. This game simply makes you capture.