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About Harayá
Harayá is an imaginative reconstruction, not a historical claim. Chess reached the Philippine archipelago with the Spanish after 1521. This simulator reimagines the game through pre-colonial Filipino material culture and society.
The pieces are drawn from the world of the barangay: the Datu and Rajah lead as kings; the Lakambini or Dayang moves as queen; the Babaylan is the bishop who walks between realms; the swift Karakoa warship is the rook; the elite Bagani is the knight; and the Timawa and Mandirigma foot soldiers fill the ranks as pawns.
The board is set in an open-air pavilion by the water at dusk: carved hardwood, woven banig, bamboo and nipa, torchlight, and the sea beyond. Every rule of chess — castling, en passant, promotion, checkmate, stalemate, draw by repetition or fifty moves — is honored.
Sound, camera, and interaction were authored for mouse, keyboard, and touch.