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Evidence for Main Chator (Selangor)
1 pieces of evidence found.
Id DLP.Evidence.2234
Type Ethnography
Location 3° 4'19.51"N,101°31'6.22"E
Date 1904-01-01 - 1904-12-31
Rules Played on an 8x8 board with pieces with specialized moves. The pieces are as follows, and placed on the outer rank in the following order, starting from the left corner and moving in, with the placement mirrored on the right side (the Mantri is placed to the right of the Rajah): Tor (2): can move any number of spaces orthogonally; Kudah (2): moves in any direction, one space orthogonally with one space forward diagonally, jumping over any intervening pieces; Gajah (2): can move any number of spaces diagonally; Rajah (1): can move one space orthogonally or diagonally; Mantri (1): can move any number of spaces orthogonally or diagonally; Bidah (8), placed in front of the other pieces: can move one space forward, or one space diagonally to capture. A Bidah may move two squares on its first move. Bidahs may capture en passant only when it is blocked from moving forward by another of the opponent's Bidahs; the blocked Bidah has the option in this scenario of capturing with an en passant move, with the option of capturing either of the two Bidahs in question. In addition, a Bidah in its starting position, cannot move forward one or two squares if it is the only Bidah able to capture an opponent's Bidah. If two Bidahs are in their starting position and both can capture the same opponent's Bidah, one of the Bidahs may move forward one square only.
The Rajah, for its first move may move like a Kudah as long as it has never been checked.
Players capture pieces by moving onto a space occupied by an opponent's piece.
Castling occurs by moving the Rajah to the left or the right two squares, regardless of any intervening pieces; the Tor is not moved as part of this move.
Promotion of Bidahs occur when they reach the opposite edge of the board, but only immediately if they reach the Tor's square. If it captures on the square next to the Tor's square, from the square in front of the Tor's square, it must move backward diagonally to the square in front of the Tor's square on a subsequent turn and continue before promotion. A Bidah reaching the Kudah's square must move backward diagonally once, to the right or left, before being promoted; a Bidah reaching the Gajah's square must move backward diagonally right or left two spaces, and a Bidah reaching the Raja or Mantri's square must move backward diagonally three squares before being promoted. Bidah's can be promoted to whatever piece the player wishes.
If the Rajah can be captured on the opponent's next turn, it is in check. The Rajah must not be in check at the end of the player's turn. If this is impossible, it is checkmate and the opponent wins.
If a player is reduced to only their Rajah, it can make the move of any piece.
Content "Malay chess....The board, lob chator or papan chator...is of sixty-four sqaures, but with the squares all of one colour, usually the natural colour of the wood. The squares are marked by cuts in the board, and for some reason which the native himself is unable to explain, two diagonal cuts joining the opposite corners are always present on every Malay chess-board. The pieces, biwah chator, thirtty-two in number....The men are not always of different colours; a daub of lime generally serves to distinguish the white from the coloured...At the commencement of the game the Queen instead of being placed on her own colour, is stationed at the right hand of the King; this probably explains the reason why the board is uncoloured, or that there is no necessity for a coloured board....The King (Raja) moves one squre at a time in any direction. Castling is effected in various ways in different parts of the Malay Peninsula and Straits Settlements; the recognized method in Selangor is to move two squares whether a piece intervenes or not, but not in conjunction with one of the Rooks. This is permitted even if the King is in check. The King may, also before he is checked or moved from his own square, once move or take like a Knight...Toward the end of a game care must be exercised in not capturing all the opponent's pieces, for if the King be left solus the game is practically drawn as he may move just as he pleases, like a King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook or Pawn!...The Queen (Mantri, Minister of State) stands to the right of the King and moves as in the European game; so do the Bishops (Gaja, Elephant), the Knights (Kuda, horse), and the Rooms (Tor or Ter, chariot)...The Pawn (Bidak, from the Arabic) moves one space forward, takes diagonally, and at his [first] move either one or two squares...When a Pawn has reached the eight square on the ROok's file it queens at once; the player has also the option of selecting any other piece. If on reaching R7 a piece on Kt square is en prise and captured on the next move, the Pawn must move back one square diagonally before queening. On reaching the eighth rank of the Knight's file it has to mve back one square diagonally, either to the right or left, before queening; on the Bishop's files two squares, and on the King's or Queen's file three squares. With regard to taking en passant, the following position will illustrate the rule of the Malay game: White Pawns of Kt2 and R3,and Black Pawn on R5. If White moves P—Kt4, PxP en passant or captures the P on R3 as he pleases, but must always move diagonally. If there be no P on R3, then White can move P to Kt4 without being taken en passant; the reason the Malays assign for this rule is that the black pawn not being blocked has the advantage of moving. There are just one or two curious points more about the pawn's moves. Take White Pawn on R2, and black on Kt3, with White to play. P to R3 or R4 is not permitted; P takes P is the only move. Add another White pawn on B2, with White to play. In this instance either of the White Pawns is allowed to take the Black Pawn, or move if he chooses, but to the third square only." Robinson 1904: 6.
Confidence 100
Source Robinson, H. O. 1904. "Malay Chess." The Cheltenham Examiner 27 July, 1904, 6.
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