Herewith some further information: http://www.anusha.com/makrook.htm

Since there are neither "Queens" nor "Bishops" in MAKRUK - the "Queen" of Makruk moves like the "Vizier" in Arab Chess SHATRANJ, the "Bishop" of MAKRUK moves like the "Silver General" in Japanese SHOGI - , the rhythm of MAKRUK is laid back.

Therefore MAKRUK is closer to Arab SHATRANJ than the modern version of chess that is governed by FIDE. Therefore one can state that Thailand's MAKRUK is that version of chess that is closer to the original version than modern International Chess.

Thailand's chess MAKRUK has preserved the spirit of SHATRANJ, therefore it is like an reenactment of chess history when people battle it out at the board of MAKRUK.

Herewith a feature that underlines the close relationship between Arab SHATRANJ and MAKRUK: http://www.chesscafe.com/text/skitt...

MAKRUK has a prominent supporter: Vladmir Kramnik has been briefed on MAKRUK, and the Former World Champion has concluded that "Makruk is more strategic than International Chess ... ". Kramnik assesses MAKRUK to be "an anticipated endgame of International Chess".

Therefore the performance by Master
Suchart Chaivichit - herewith one more photo that depicts him at his club at Bangkok: http://shaolinchess.de/thailand/Web... - is amazing: being both a Master of Makruk and a gifted player in International Chess.

Therefore International Chess is just a thing for the FARANG in Thailand - and for those (few) native Thai players who are dreaming of an international career. And therefore <Khun SUCHART CHAIVICHIT> is a phenomenon in Thailand - being both the leading player in MAKRUK and a competent player in International Chess as well.

Okay, the Bangkok Chess Club, herewith the website: http://bangkokchess.com , works hard for the ambitious goal to popularize International Chess in Thailand. But even the annual Bangkok Open - the next one will take place from April 13th to April 19th, 2012 at Bangkok - cannot camouflage the fact that this tournament is more or less (the usual exceptions notwithstanding) an event for FARANG-players without any effect on the parallel scene of players of MAKRUK. In fact most of the players of MAKRUK even do not pay any attention to the activities of the Bangkok Chess Club and to its tournaments of International Chess.

For those who would like to know more about the deep-rooted culture of MAKRUK in Thailand, herewith a German-language feature that has been published in two sequels by the Austrian magazine SPIELXPRESS: http://www.spielxpress.com/download... and http://www.spielxpress.com/download...