Chess is often used...
...as a metaphor for some strategic competition or war or whatever. Sometimes it is appropriate; sometimes not. I remember one James Bond movie where it was a central theme--but the pieces were not set up correctly. Who knows. Maybe that fact itself was part of the metaphor. After all, real life does not often follow the rules. Anyway, in chess history, there has long been a tension between two schools of thought. 1) There are laws to chess that, much like gravity, need to be understood and applied properly in order to succeed--to play objectively as well as one can. 2) The opponent is as much a part of the game as any piece. To succeed--i.e, to win--one must put the opponent in situations they find uncomfortable. The famous Bobby Fischer famously said: "I don't believe in psychology. I believe in good moves." The less famous, but no less brilliant, Mikhail Tal, explained: "My task is to lead my opponent into the jungle. His j...