Comparison

Rek vs Thai Chess Duel

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Rek

Engage in a strategic two-player board game based on ancient Cambodian traditions. Capture your opponent's King through unique 'Rek' moves or by trapping their units. Explore different playstyles, including the challenging 'Min Rek Chanh' mode.

Highlights
  • Two-player board game
  • Ancient Khmer strategy
  • Capture opponent's King
  • Unique 'Rek' capture mechanic
  • Two distinct playstyles
  • Strategic planning required
Features
Read full description

Rek is popular Ancient Khmer Board Game played by two people on the board of 8X8 squares. The Cambodian transitive verb “Rek” means ‘carry on one’s shoulder a pole at each end of which is a container, bundle or object. It was pointed out that the game was popular among military troops. Today, it is also played by Cambodian women. Objective The object of the game is to “capture” instead of checkmate the opponent’s King. All units may be captured in two ways : 1- when they are “Rek” by an enemy unit in the analogy that they are the containers carried away by that enemy unit. This later way of capture actually bears the name of the game. 2- when they are tightly surrounded or trapped by the enemy units and thus have no legal move. It also has two different forces of 32 units in total . Each side starts with a force of 16 units: One King and 15 Men. All the Men have the same value and physical shape. And they all, including the Kings, move like the Boat or Rook. Another Style of Play​ (Taunt enemry to Rek) The Rek also has its own special style of play. It is named “Min Rek Chanh” (Not Rek Lose if opponent taunt). The object of the game is still the same, capturing the opponent’s King. But, there is only one legal way to capture the enemy units, including the King: “Rek” them two at a time. The Kings may not move at all, not even a square. They are “palace kings”! Other setting features and opening setup are the same as those of the regular Rek. The unique characteristic of this style of play is that a player’s order of Rek to the other must be honored, otherwise the latter loses and the game is over. So, strategic and deliberate sacrifices are the mind set behind winning the game. Usually the game is over when one player orders a “right” series of the opponent’s consecutive moves to ‘Rek’ his units which ultimately will lead to the capture or Rek of the opponent’s King in return. BUT, if he orders the wrong series of the opponent’s moves, he ends up losing his force without any desirable consequence. Thus the game demands a long-term and coherent strategic planning to get the right orders of move. In this kind of play, you are in a more dangerous situation for preserving too many own units, but if you do not have enough of them to design your scheme of making a right series of the opponent’s moves, it is not good either.

About

Thai Chess Duel

Learn, train, and play Makruk, the traditional Thai board game. Compete against friends or players worldwide with adjustable rules and customizable pieces. Offers online and local multiplayer options.

Highlights
  • Online and local multiplayer
  • AI opponent
  • Adjustable match time
  • Customizable pieces and board
  • In-game chat
  • Friend invitations
Features
Read full description

Makruk (หมากรุก) or Thai Chess, is a board game that descended from the 6th-century Indian game of chaturanga or a close relative thereof, and therefore related to chess. It is regarded as the most similar living game to this common ancestor of all chess variants. Makruk is similar to chess played in Cambodia's which called "Ok" or "Ouk Chatrang". Thai Chess Duel allow player to know how to play Makruk, training and playing with friend or people around the world. Game Features: Playing online or same phone or with AI. Counting rules system. Adjustable match time or play side. Changeable chess pieces and board. In game chat. Inviting friend to play with. Support English and Thai languages.

Screenshots

Rek1 screens
Thai Chess Duel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Rek at none against Thai Chess Duel's 2. Rek also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 33%) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Thai Chess Duel's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, ratings volume and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Thai Chess Duel sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Rek asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for Rek against 4.0 for Thai Chess Duel. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4 and 7 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Rek's written reviews are positive against 33% of Thai Chess Duel's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Rek ships an update every 3 weeks, Thai Chess Duel every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Rek versus Thai Chess Duel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRekThai Chess Duel
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (4 ratings)4.0 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews — better33.3% of reviews
Number of ratings47 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB88 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNora KySuksan Chaiwattanapong

Customer experience

Rek

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative25.0%

Thai Chess Duel

All ratings7 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral17.6%
Negative49.0%

In-app purchases

None

Rek

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Thai Chess Duel

One-time2
  • 7 Gems$1.99
  • 40 Gems$9.99

Questions

Is Rek free?
Rek is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Thai Chess Duel free?
Thai Chess Duel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Rek or Thai Chess Duel?
Rek and Thai Chess Duel are both rated 4.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4 and 7 ratings respectively.
Do Rek or Thai Chess Duel have ads?
Rek shows ads; Thai Chess Duel does not.
Which is updated more often, Rek or Thai Chess Duel?
Rek ships an update every 3 weeks, and Thai Chess Duel every 2 months. Most recently, Rek was updated on October 21, 2026 and Thai Chess Duel on October 24, 2026.

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