Opening Moves

Some like to start offensively

And send their soldiers in

To break the lines aggressively

And sacrifice themselves to win,

While others wait, contentedly,

To build a strong position.

Both ways, they say, are possible,

So make your opening decision.

For me, I find preferable

The latter, though, admittedly,

The former holds its own appeal

To flame toward fortune instantly.

But I will turn a slower wheel

And flow, like water, patiently,

Until the time seems right

Perhaps to press for peace without a fight.

 

There are a lot of standard "openings" in chess, where both sides make a certain set of moves to start off the game. My sense is that these opening ideas are on a spectrum, ranging from very aggressive, where you might sacrifice something to try to attack and apply pressure more quickly, to slower and more positional, where you build up a solid, well-defended structure of pieces. The slower, less aggressive varieties tend to feel more comfortable for me. Of course, I think these ways of starting the game have parallels to the ways in which we approach life.