Surakarta
The classic Javanese board game against a ladder of six animal rivals. Pieces step one point at a time, but they capture only by riding the coloured loops around the board, so a piece far away can strike from behind.
Play nowHow to play
Controls
TapKeyboard←→↑↓ Space H- Tap one of your gold pieces, then tap a ring to step or a rival piece at the end of a glowing loop path to capture.
- Keys: arrows, Space, H for a hint.
About the game
Surakarta is a two-player strategy game named after the old royal city in Central Java. The board is a six-by-six grid, and its inner and outer lines are joined at the corners by big circular loops. Every piece moves just one step, in any of eight directions, onto an empty point.
Capturing is where it gets wild. A piece slides along one of the coloured circuits, swings around at least one corner loop, and keeps going until it meets the first piece in its way. If that piece belongs to the rival, it is captured. Because the loops bend the lines back on themselves, a piece on the far side of the board can hit one that looked perfectly safe, and the open lanes of both circuits become the real battlefield. You face six animal rivals over twenty-four levels, from small starts with open loops to the full twelve-a-side game against a rival that reads four moves ahead.
Free to play in your browser. No download, no sign-up. Works on phones, tablets and computers. Your progress is saved on this device.
