A Pawn's Journey
Mr. Cohen gestured toward the chessboard. "Imagine the pawns as your people. Peasants, Soldiers, Workers, Artisans, Teachers. They form the foundation of any state."
"The Rooks," he continued, "represent merchants, financiers, and traders. They influence the battlefield through wealth and commerce, moving horizontally and vertically, signifying how trade and investment reach across every layer of a society."
"The knights are your military and intelligence forces. Unpredictable. Striking where least expected."
"The Bishops symbolize culture and belief. Artists, philosophers, priests, teachers and even the press. They shape minds rather than conquer land, which is why they move diagonally and are best countered by opposing bishops, the queen, or sometimes pawns with proper support."
"And the Queen," he said softly, "is your most often considered the most powerful agent. A strategist, a diplomat, the Ace in your deck or perhaps even family. She moves diagonally, vertically, and horizontally, acting where the king cannot. She or He can invest, influence, buy off, or neutralize any target deemed necessary."
"So what does the king do?" Adrian asked.
"The One in Power or the King rules," Mr. Cohen replied. "But he does not act directly. He commands through others. His power lies in Survival, Order, management and Strategy, not dominance."
Adrian frowned. "And the pawns?"
"Support, Sacrifice and Potential," Mr. Cohen said simply, pausing for a moment, he continued,
"A Pawn can provide support to another piece, which can be another pawn or another piece like the Queen herself or a knight. Any pawn that reaches the end may become something greater and coincidently, they are the ones who are exploited and sacrificed the most. "
He then grabbed a black pawn on the board, and elaborated further,
"Notice how they advance straight, yet capture diagonally. Pawns cannot directly influence opposing pieces, but they exert soft power through culture, pressure, support and positioning. Sometimes, a single pawn supporting a queen, bishop, or even another pawn makes capturing that piece require a sacrifice. This signifies belief or support of one pawn to another piece on the board. Furthermore when the same pawns reach end game, they can become anything, a queen, a Rook, a Knight or a Bishop "
_____ _____ ____
Everyone is born a pawn. It does not matter how, where, or when you are born.
But when you inevitably die—
will you die as a pawn,
or as something greater?
Will you try again?
Will you flip the board?
Before you do, understand this:
no matter how many times you try,
no matter how powerful you become,
you are always a pawn
in someone else’s game.
