Communicating the Soft Power of Thailand’s Cultural Heritage through Traditional Sport (Thai Chess)

Abstract

This study interpreted communication, soft power, art, culture, and traditional sport regarding Thai chess, also called “Makruk.” The objectives are 1. To study soft power in Thai chess. 2. To understand soft power's role and communication style on the Thai chess board. 3. To study trends or possibilities in the sport of Thai chess as a soft power, a kind of power. The research is mixed methods. From a sample of 543 people, research tools include questionnaires, interviews, and a study of historical documents. Evaluation with computer programs for social research found the answers to the question asking for places or sources people who are interested in chess know about chess, as follows: Thai people under 18 years old and 19–29-year-olds know about chess from school, accounting for 47.89%. And 38.70%, aged 30-49 years, know from movies/movies. They account for 25.00% of those aged 50-59 years, known from family members. Accounting for 15.03 percent, those aged 60 and over are knowledgeable about Thai chess from their school days. Additionally, 6.13 percent of people of all age groups love Thai chess as it is a traditional sport. Thai chess has a long history of being a soft-power game and began to be competed around 1952. For objective 2, the study found that age does not have a significant effect on the facial expressions, gestures, and emotions of the opponent. The results were significant at the 0.05 level, with a p-value greater than 0.05, indicating nonverbal communication. Additionally, the players' personalities were found to communicate their traits. 3) Thai chess should be promoted because it has its own unique identity. It's a sport that reflects the strategy of organizing troops for war. It cleverly simulates battlefield situations on the board and also highlights the role of soft power in arts, culture, and traditions.