When a situation gets complicated, such as in Putin's war on Ukraine, some analysts might observe that one side is playing chess while the other side is playing checkers.  If one really wants to emphasize how outmatched one side is, an analyst might say the other side is playing three-dimensional chess.  Regular old two-dimensional chess is complicated enough, and when playing it at the grandmaster level, it can be labyrinthine.

The game of chess is rather like war.  For one thing, chess involves strategy and tactics.  Given that, perhaps we can learn something about the war in Ukraine and its mastermind Vlad Putin from the former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, who grew up in the old Soviet Union.

On April 20, Business Insider ran Cheryl Teh's "Russian chess grandmaster and Putin critic Garry Kasparov has outlined the 'right conditions' for Putin to be overthrown in a 'palace coup.'"  

Garry Kasparov, a famed chess grandmaster and vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has outlined the conditions necessary for the Russian leader to be overthrown…

"First, the Russian public and Russian elite, they have to recognize the war is lost," he said. "The bad news coming from Ukraine will inspire more people to rise because economic hardship will increase.

"So, military defeat in Ukraine, social-economic revolt, and then you will have conditions, the right conditions, for a palace coup," Kasparov added. "Because many of Putin's inner circle will be looking for a scapegoat and it's always a dictator who should be blamed for all the failures."…

"For a dictator for life, losing a war, it's devastating," Kasparov said. "It's a matter of political survival and in many cases, of physical survival. That's why he has to pretend he is winning the war."

Kasparov is a longtime critic of Putin and an interesting and serious guy.  He also seems a fairly "normal" guy, especially when compared to America's chess champ, Bobby Fischer.

(It was interesting to read Kasparov's use of "inner circle," a term I used a few days ago here at American Thinker.  A cyber-friend, and an excellent writer, emailed me that my article was "entirely wrongheaded."  Maybe so, but at least it's short.  And I do recommend the video link.)

Jon N. Hall of ULTRACON OPINION is a programmer from Kansas City.

Image: Owen Williams — The Kasparov Agency.