How to maximize the return on your pieces
Chess players must keep in mind the symbiotic nature of the three opening goals (controlling the center, castling, and developing their fighting pieces). If the start of the game includes appropriating the heart of the board without castling, the powerless king will sit vulnerably in the center, staring at the opponent’s venomous queen or rook. Similarly, if a player quickly castles without simultaneously seizing terrain in the middle of the board, his king may have temporary protection, but no pawns to capture any terrain (thus leaving the heart of the board available for the opponent to capture). And if a player fails to promote his fighting pieces into the fray, he’ll have no offensive team to win the game.
Apply these three core chess strategies to your finances
At the end of the opening stage of the game, you should see three things:
(1) Both sides in a vigorous battle for the center,
(2) the kings tucked neatly away near the corners, and
(3) the bishops and knights actively placed and aiming at the middle of the board, poised to fight.
In financial terms, you could compare this to having (1) organized and consolidated your accounts, (2) invested your core assets defensively, and (3) selected parts of your portfolio to place in aggressive investments. Given the importance of all three parts, don’t fixate on only one.
Follow all of these strategies in the opening of your financial game.
