Engineering strategy is more similar to poker than to chess
Disclosure, I’m not a chess nor poker professional!
It is common to see people referencing chess as an analogy to strategy.
Chess is a game of both strategy and tactics, and mastering it involves a deep understanding of the game principles. Successful chess players combine strategic insight with tactical prowess, adapt to their opponent's moves, and exhibit strong board awareness.
Here's an overview of chess strategy from a general point of view:
Opening Principles: Control the center, develop your pieces, and ensure king safety.
Center Control: Dominate central squares for piece mobility.
Piece Development: Develop knights and bishops efficiently.
King Safety: Safeguard the king, often by castling early.
Tactical Awareness: Recognize and exploit tactical opportunities.
Strategy and Positional Play: Plan long-term, consider pawn structure and piece activity.
Piece Coordination: Make pieces work together effectively.
Endgame Strategy: Master endgame concepts like king activity and pawn promotion.
Time Management: Use your time wisely to avoid time pressure.
Pattern Recognition: Learn from common patterns and openings.
It has several desirable properties:
You start with the same possibilities of winning.
You have the full information of the game. You see the whole board, where the pieces are located, and the possible moves by both parts.
You can get better at the game by practicing a lot and learning from others.
Your chances of winning depend “entirely” on you. You can study the grandmaster games, their books, best starting, mid, and end game patterns.
And here is the thing, you can make the best move or a blunder, and you know it just by making your move. You don’t need to wait for your opponent to move to quantify how good your move has been.
On the other side, we have Poker.
Poker is a game of skill and strategy that involves making the best decisions based on incomplete information. A successful player combines a deep understanding of strategic elements with a keen awareness of the psychological and emotional aspects of the game.
Here's an overview of poker strategy from a general point of view:
Starting Hands: Begin by selecting strong starting hands to increase your chances of winning.
Position Awareness: Your table position matters; play tighter in early positions and looser in late positions.
Table Image: Be mindful of the image you project, and use it to your advantage.
Betting and Betting Patterns: Vary bet sizes and use timing tells for decision-making.
Bluffing: Employ strategic bluffs to represent strong hands when you have a weak one.
Reading Opponents: Observe opponents' behavior and betting patterns to make informed decisions.
Pot Odds and Implied Odds: Calculate odds to decide whether to call, raise, or fold.
Table Position: Use position to your advantage by playing more aggressively in later positions.
Bankroll Management: Manage your bankroll wisely to avoid significant losses.
Adaptability: Adjust your strategy based on your opponents and game dynamics.
Patience and Discipline: Avoid impulsive decisions and maintain emotional control.
Psychological Awareness: Understand the psychological aspects of the game for better decision-making.
At the beginning of my career, I thought that a company strategy was like chess, if we have all the information we have a winning strategy.
Re-read the poker and chess strategy and tactics from a business point of view. Which one do you think will work better in your context? A game that assumes full information, or the one that works with impartial information continuously adapts to the environment?
It took me a while to recognize that the mental model I had about strategy wasn’t the best, and it created dynamics to make the reality fit into that model.
After adopting a poker strategy mindset, things got more relaxed.