Well the title says it all. If McCain and Obama were chess pieces which pieces would they be and why? I was thinking about this today as I was doing yard work. Each candidate has a core set of beliefs and a set of malleable assertions that seem to change over time. They are both positioning to win this election and each has his set of “rules” he follows to the finnish. Chess pieces also have rules, yet they are all individually capable of the same thing… winning the game.
**Obama: Knight ** - Able to execute complex moves, instrumental in the application of main strategies, self-aware of his importance to the success of the outcome, but understanding of the important role other pieces play in it
McCain: Pawn - Ready, willing, and somewhat eager to sacrifice himself to advance the tactics of a strategy, without necessarily being involved in their development
I immediately thought of Obama as a bishop, but I think it’s a false association because he’s tall and thin. Personality-wise, he’d be more of a knight. Knights have a proscribed pattern on the chessboard, but the way they move can seem to come at you totally out of nowhere. Then there is the obvious symbolism, the championing of a cause.
I think I would make McCain the bishop because he is wizened and to some degree represents religious interests. He can also cover a vast amount of territory very quickly.
Obama as a bishop somehow jives with me. Bishop often wins the game when I am playing for some reason, and they usually come out of nowhere quickly and accurately. I dunno, just fits.
McCain I see as a rook because he’s sort of like a crooked straight line. If that makes sense. And I don’t mean crooked as criminal…
Obama = Knight. Sort of the unorthodox piece, takes some thought to use it well but can be powerful in the right hands.
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McCain = Rook**. Has a couple of tricks (like castling) which you can talk up but is largely a predictable piece in its movements.
Rooks don’t move crookedly–they move straight across or forward/backward. It’s knights that do the two up and one over (or vice versa) move.
I think Obama=knight for me because knights can jump over other pieces, they are very nimble and adroit.
I see McCain as rook because they make solid, straightforward moves, but are limited by their parameters.
I don’t know chess well enough to really make much of a stab, but pawn is the first thing that came to mind for McCain as well. He just feels kind of interchangeable to me. Obama would be some kind of flashy piece…not a king (too vulnerable), but something with a lot of personality.
