The Malay game of apit
This short note by Raja Samusah of Malay College, Kuala Kangsar, describes the rules of the Malay board game sodok apit, illustrated with four diagrams.
Summary
The game is played by two players on a draughtsboard with 16 pieces of equal value arranged in two rows as in chess. Pieces move orthogonally (not diagonally) any number of squares, one at a time in turn. Captures are made by two methods: sodo’, in which a piece is moved into the empty square between two opposing pieces in a straight line to remove both (maximum two pieces per capture), and apit, in which one or more opposing pieces are enclosed on two opposite sides and removed (no upper limit on the number captured). A special rule stipulates that if a player deliberately places their own pieces in an apit position, the opponent cannot capture them until one of the enclosing pieces has been moved away and back (p. 138). A piece enclosed in a corner cannot be taken (p. 139). The article is presented bilingually in English and Malay, with the Malay text expanding slightly on the English description (pp. 138–139).