Board Thread:Lore Discussion/@comment-97.81.240.58-20130603234626/@comment-24590102-20140404055949

"All warfare is based on deception." (Sun Tzu, Art of War, 1:18) - as are all politics! :^)

But, more to the point, Sun Tzu characterises a good general as one who is able to negotiate a victory without shedding blood. An example I've heard of which might fit this requirement is that of Frederick II did when he took Jerusalem. Planning, preparation and victory through negotiation; all classic Art of War if what I've heard about it is accurate. However, getting into the side of war, where things go badly and blood must be drawn, even the strategy and tactics are a matter of political savvy as you must alter your enemy's perception of reality (just as politicians and lawyers try to do to their adversaries). The key, in warfare, is to deceive your enemy as to where your troops are, what their morale is and what formation you are using to counter your enemies moves.

It works the same way in Chess. If you know the openings, you can quite reliably squeeze just about any non-tournament player into defeat with straighforward jurisprudence of the game. But if you wish to defeat any of the regular tournament players, you must know the openings well enough to be able to use the appearance of one opening to disguise another or convince your opponent you have made a mistake when using a non-jurisprudent response to set up a fork, pin, discovery or other position/tesuji which offers you a decisive advantage. This is, very much, about developing a tactical or strategic advantage by manipulating perception - which is political rather than technical.