Have you ever been in this position? You don’t like where you are, but everywhere you can see to move next doesn’t feel right either.
In chess, this is called a stalemate.
It happened in a game my son and I were playing today, and I can’t stop thinking about it. The game doesn’t end; it just suddenly can’t be played anymore.
Specifically, stalemate is “a situation … where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check and has no legal move. Stalemate results in a draw.” (Wikipedia, obvi.)
It’s a win-win. Or a lose-lose.
The interpretation is entirely subjective. (And apparently, there is passionate debate in the chess world over who – the person in the inferior or superior position – is truly the loser.)
You can tie yourself in knots over what should have happened, or who really won, or who would have won. Or…you can just start a new game. (Which is what we did.)
And it made me think of how, in business, you can get these weird little moments.
When the market shifts or something changes in the world. When an innovation pops up, a trend runs out, or a big player folds or dominates. And you find yourself suddenly caught out.
Like a cartoon character who just realized they’re running on air out past the cliff edge.
You can get frantic and flail. You can try to course-correct, to worry over the woulds and shoulds.
Or…you can just start a new game.
Your move,
James
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The black king can’t move anywhere, but it’s not in check. |
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