Play Shatranj Against AI
Play Shatranj, the ancestor of modern chess, against multiple AI levels on an 8×8 board. The ferz steps one diagonal, the alfil leaps two, and pawns never take a double step. Hints match the level you picked, and you can undo and replay on this page.
How a Game Works
Shatranj is not modern chess. There is no castling, no double pawn step, and promotion is to a ferz only. White moves first on an 8×8 board.
The older Indian game Chaturanga sits behind it. Here you play the usual Shatranj rules: stalemate wins, and a bare king wins unless the opponent can bare your king on the next move. Hints follow the AI level you picked.
Start with the board and the first move
The board is 8×8. White moves first. Rooks, knights, and the king will feel familiar; the pieces you have to relearn are the ferz, the alfil, and the pawn.
Do not expect a two-square pawn lunge. There is no en passant and no extra space to steal on move one.
A short ferz, a leaping alfil
The ferz steps one square diagonally. The alfil leaps two squares diagonally and is not blocked by the square in between, but it stays on its own color complex.
Pawns step one square and capture one diagonally. On the last rank they become a ferz. The king has to walk to safety on its own.
What you can use against the AI
The sidebar has multiple AI levels. Sit as White and move first, or take Black. Hints use the same search as the level you picked.
Undo a mistake, replay the finished game, and copy the move list. The record stays in this browser.
8×8Square board
WhiteMoves first
FerzOne diagonal
AlfilLeaps two
