Many business leaders think in terms of first principles, where they control their own means of production, eliminating dependence on external suppliers.Managers need to anticipate the future and think a few moves ahead, just like in the game of chess. This includes investing in Research and Development, being able to forecast what the future may hold.

The First Principles

The chess board, made up of 64 squares, has a middle area that if a chess player dominates using forward thinking and strategic skills, he can restrict the opponents moves, and control the maximum pieces in the game.Similarly business leaders can limit the options of their competition by asserting leverage or control over certain resources, prices or land. Several big players of the oil industry have deployed this chess strategy to gain unfair advantages.

Seizing The Middle

Much like Chess, seizing the middle in any business requires taking control of as much as possible, so that every change is anticipated and winning action can be taken easily. Apart from Oil barons, this strategy was heavily deployed by Hollywood studios.The Golden Age Of Hollywood, the 1920s to the 1960s, had many movie studios owning and controlling every aspect of movies, from production to distribution and screening. They had strict long-term contracts with Hollywood stars and owned the movie halls that showed the flicks.

Seizing The Middle In Hollywood

The game of chess helps build strategic thinking, a must-have skill in business. 
It is a game of kings that goes back 4500 years under various names and rules, reflecting and teaching important business skills that have remained timeless.

Chess And Strategic Thinking

To control the game, one tries to control as much of the board as possible. At the outset, using your pieces to seize the middle of the playing field is a great strategy, because it gives you the widest possible vantage point from which to control the movement of the other pieces. Both Rockefeller and the studio system in Hollywood employed this strategy successfully, allowing them to anticipate change and maneuver effectively for decades.

Chess And Strategic Thinking

Seizing The Middle: Chess Strategy in Business

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