Malay Magic _ Being an introduction to the - Walter William Skeat

(Perpustakaan Sri Jauhari) #1

he is checked or moved from his own square, move once, like a knight, either to
left or right, and he may also, if he has not moved or been checked, move once
over two vacant squares instead of one.” The following are the names of the
pieces:—



  1. Raja, the King.

  2. Mĕntri (“Minister”), the Queen.

  3. Têr or Tor, the Castle.

  4. Gajah (“Elephant”), the Bishop.

  5. Kuda (“Horse”), the Knight.

  6. Bidak, the Pawns.^172


Main chongkak, again, is a game played with a board (papan chongkak)
consisting of a boat-shaped block.


In the top of this block (where the boat’s deck would be) are sunk a double row
of holes, the rows containing eight holes each, and two more holes are added,
one at each end. Each of the eight holes (in both rows) is filled at starting with
eight buah gorek (the buah gorek being the fruit of a common tree, also called
kĕlichi in Malacca). There are usually two players who pick the buah gorek out
of the holes in turn, and deposit them in the next hole according to certain fixed
rules of numerical combination, a solitary buah gorek, wherever it is found,
being put back and compelled to recommence its journey down the board.


A similar game is, I believe, known in many parts of the East, and was formerly
much played even by Malay slaves, who used to make the double row of holes in
the ground when no board was obtainable.


The Malay game of Draughts (main dam) is played, I believe, in exactly the
same manner as the English game. Backgammon (main tabal), on the other
hand, is played in two different ways.


The “Tiger” Game (main rimau), or “Tiger and Goat” Game (main rimau
kambing), is a game which has a distinct resemblance to our own “fox and
goose,” there being usually four tigers to a dozen of the goats.

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