Chess: The Sixty Four Stratagems

I like to play chess; rather, I like to imagine playing chess, without pieces. Not manoeuvring physical pieces with my hands or viewing them as a section of material, instead I try and picture the pieces as levels of society, groups of individuals binding together to fight a common enemy; a collection of like-minded ideas.

The Pawns are the peons; Knights are soldiers etc. Each piece with ideas that are effected by restrictions, usually the pieces collective beliefs, or its environment.

Chess is classically and most beautifully a strategic battle of confliction, a proposed agreement to start and finish a war between two opponents. The prize being, of course, satisfaction for the ego. War is the soup and its ingredients are affections of the ego, aiding in the desire for a war to begin.

Greed for power, lust for revenge, pride to defend.