THE ART OF WAR

Experts say, that there is a large difference between the games of chess and the game of Go. Both are war games. Chess means killing the opposing king, with all means (and causalities) possible. All parts represent powers, except the queen (remember Troy!), on the battlefield. The game originates from India and we changed the elephants into towers. Go is trying to conquer as much territory as possible, with a minimum of resources (the stones you place on the board. Go is a game of subtle strategy. The famous Chinese warrior Sun Tzu would not have like chess. His way of winning a battle was by means of deception and surprise. He wrote a book about it called “The Art of War” in which he formulates the essentials. He cared for his man, by not putting their lives at stake, unnecessarily. He studies his opponents well and intelligence is a strategic tool. He only attacks when the circumstances are right and the enemy can be deceived and confused. Sun Tzu warned his readers to avoid frontal attacks, to choose the battlefield and never to fight uphill.

During the Vietnam war, the North Vietnamese followed Sun Tzu's rules. They engaged the Us-troops shortly before disappearing into the jungle or into the notorious tunnel system. During the Tet-offensive, that started on December 31,1968, the North-Vietnamese and Vietcong launched a coordinated attack all over South-Vietnam. The Americans were completely taken by surprise. On the other hand, general Westmoreland used chess-tactics. The battle at “Hamburger Hill” is only one example. The North-Vietnamese had occupied a hilltop of little strategic advantage. They had no air force or heavy artillery. Sun Tzu would have ignored them, but Westmoreland chose otherwise. Wave after wave of US-infantery stormed the hill. Many casualties and when they finally reached the top, the enemy had disappeared. After a short while, High Command decided to retreat.