Page:Journal of the Straits Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (IA journalof495019071908roya).pdf/117

 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.