Background: The continued Russian ''Special Operation in Donetsk'' or otherwise known as ''The Russian Invasion Of Ukraine'', depending on whose side you are on, , has elicited thousands of reactions across the world, most especially in The US and European Nations, not leaving out our very own Nairaland war specialists and strategists! There have been overwhelmingly united voices against Russia in what the West now regard as ''War Crime''. If you clicked, opened and you are still reading this piece, it means you know the story already, or I assume you did. This Wikipedia Article captures it more precisely with every detail needed. Feel free to read on.
For those of you who are in the know, let's address the topic at hand!

Chess is an abstract strategy game and involves no hidden information. It is played on a square chessboard with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. At the start, each player (one controlling the white pieces, the other controlling the black pieces) controls sixteen pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns. The object of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king, whereby the king is under immediate attack (in check) and there is no way for it to escape.

Wikipedia

Chess is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide. And it is mostly regarded as an elite game that boosts man's psychology during warfare, negotiations, deep calculations, and advanced diplomatic strategies. For Epic or classical movie lovers, you would've/must have seen a chessboard very prominently placed on the war strategy table in such movies like Game Of Thrones, Pompeo, even Hercules, and more.

The game is like a model or simulation of an actual war. In the game of chess, players must take into account numerous factors such as the value of the pieces on the board, control of the center and centralization, the pawn structure, and the king's safety.

I have bolded two key factors above and those will form the bulk of this article; Value of the pieces and king's safety. I know you are almost growing very impatient now, asking how this relates to the special operation in Donetsk or if you like, the war in Ukraine! Just chill, we are almost there now.

First, let's look at the Value of the Piece and how that affects the overall flow of the game or determines the winner.

Usually, pawns are considered worth one point and that makes them less valuable in the entire board. Knights and bishops about three points each, rooks about five points, and queens about nine points. The king is more valuable than all of the other pieces combined since its checkmate loses the game.
It is important to note that the value attached to each piece on paper becomes entirely different from its value when faced with an unprecedented threat and forms the basis of my article.

Putin or Russia (going forward, I will be using both interchangeably, so take note), consider Ukraine as ''The Queen'' in the ongoing game of chess ( pardon my lack of empathy for the ''lives lost in Ukraine'' for regarding it as a game instead of WAR, I'm just trying to make a point here). As mentioned above, the queen is the second most important piece on the board, next to the king. Putin sees the Ukrainian alliance with the West as an immediate threat to the king, Russia. Therefore, in order to protect the king(Russia), Putin believes that he must first secure the queen(Ukraine). Putin has demonstrated the value of the queen to his chessboard by committing hundreds of millions of dollars in ammunition and strategy towards securing her from the West.

But does the West see Ukraine as a Queen?

Here, comrades lie the best strategy employed by the US and the West by extension in this Game of Thrones. After the fall of the Soviet Union which succeeded the end of the Cold War, the US started the expansion of NATO into the Baltic region, securing membership of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which were former Soviet republics. In the same swoop, the former Warsaw Pact: Bulgaria, Romania and Slovakia and former Yugoslavia: Slovenia, were ''captured'' by the US, sorry, NATO. Those countries are mostly neighbours of Russia and their memberships in NATO means that the US can bring weapons and artillery close to Russia borders, a situation that threatens the hell out of Russia, thus Putin's insistence that her queen must not fall into the hands of her arch-enemy, the US.

The mistake (my opinion) that Putin made was to portray Ukraine as too valuable a piece to lose. The West harped on that obsession and still does up until this moment.

But How Do The West Value Ukraine In This Game?

While Ukraine is a Queen, and very valuable to Russia, the country is just a pawn to the US and the West. We have established that the pawn is the least valuable piece. The West made it appear as they would kill for Ukraine. Before Russia's operation or invasion, the US, the EU, and NATO issued a lot of threats and vowed that there would be adverse consequences, should Russia dared to enter Ukraine. The West knew Putin does not take threats lightly. They knew that Putin is a proud man and one who abhors intimidation, so they constantly granted press releases and made Ukraine look like a queen. These ''hysterics'' as Russia has now come to recognise upped the value of Ukraine to Russia.

Eventually, Russia called their bluff, or so he thinks. Then first was the US president, Joe Biden who emphatically stressed that US forces “are not and will not be engaged in a conflict with Russia in Ukraine,” Surprised? Don't be! Here is what NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said ''NATO has no troops inside Ukraine and has no plans to send any into the country''

Russia was tricked into believing that Ukraine was the end game, rather, Russia is!

Russia left the king exposed, fighting to secure a supposed queen, who in reality is just a pawn to the West. Now the king is in check ( under serious attack). And as a rule in the game of chess, when the king is in check, you must abandon all other pieces to save the king, that is if you want to stand a chance of winning. Because if you don't, then CHECKMATE!

Pootin is a learner -

It's game over for Putin

Just like Ukraine is the pawn meaning it can be sacrificed easily for world Peace

Putin na cruise

I laugh Putin puppet here on nairaland that says Russia will outshined USA

Like who born Russia when it comes to war? Can they withstand the grievances of USA if they want to unleashed it on them.

fourboys:
It's game over for Putin

Seriously, he can't successfully fight the war in two fronts at the same time. He has to pick his priority.

Biafran4life:
Just like Ukraine is the pawn meaning it can be sacrificed easily for world Peace

Of course! Only Russia sees it as do or die

fourboys:
It's game over for Putin

I doubt.
Putin is still playing his Knight piece.

Ukraine exposing the king...Russian so far has lost a rook

This is the best analysis of the entire game. The West are not even interested in Ukraine...their target is Russian image in the World and her economy and they have achieved that.

They are not even taking Ukraine's application to join serious.

@ op you too much well calculated.

MadamVanessa:



I laugh Putin puppet here on nairaland that says Russia will outshined USA

Like who born Russia when it comes to war? Can they withstand the grievances of USA if they want to unleashed it on them.

Who ever that is saying it, is simply daft lol

What does USA stand to loose?

The economy of russia is already in comatose.

Sanctions and ban from all nook and cranny

Your analysis is flawed... You failed to include China, North korea and those middle east countries (iran and iraq) which are great allies of Russia. Vladmir putin visited China before this invasion saga...
If you read more intelligent analysis on the web you discover that China and that North korea are reserves, waiting and observing how the west (u.s.a and NATO) handles Russia before making their own moves...
The game does'nt end with Russia...

North Korea has taken great advantage of this distraction to develop their nuclear program and test more missiles...
while we are distracted by Russia, North korea and China are busy preparing themselves...

Seun give this man a bottle of orijin in my name with your money...

MadamVanessa:



I laugh Putin puppet here on nairaland that says Russia will outshined USA

Like who born Russia when it comes to war? Can they withstand the grievances of USA if they want to unleashed it on them.

They are actually smart or cunning, but you cannot beat a combined team of US and European nations at once.

TheWolfen:


I doubt.
Putin is still playing his Knight piece.

Yeah, playing his Knight at the expense of the King, how wise!!!

ruggedtimi:
Ukraine exposing the king...Russian so far has lost a rook

Very smart! And that would be Germany.

You see Germany were vertical with US and also horizontal with Russia, mainly because of their reliance on Russian gas. They are the only nation holding the SWIFT ban but that has changed now. Germany has been forced to change a very old policy of not allowing her weapons into conflict infested regions. They are also sending 1,500 anti aircraft and other weapons to Ukraine.

The best way to put it is that Russia has lost a rock!

Faber:
This is the best analysis of the entire game. The West are not even interested in Ukraine...their target is Russian image in the World and her economy and they have achieved that.

They are not even taking Ukraine's application to join serious.

They set a trap and my guy, Putin fell right into it.

Danjikanbauchi:
@ op you too much well calculated.

Thanks!

EasternActivist:


Who ever that is saying it, is simply daft lol

What does USA stand to loose?

The economy of russia is already in comatose.

Sanctions and ban from all nook and cranny

They wanted to bather Russian image and that is done. US or NATO will never fight Russia and that is same in the opposite direction, because you can't fire a nuclear warhead from you country without also destroying yourself.

The want to destroy Russian economy and render them useless. Russia will be painted in debts and struggling to wriggle out of that, which will give US ample time to move weapons all over the world. At the end of it all, it boils down to who has the most influence.

XXXXTENTACION:
Your analysis is flawed... You failed to include China, North korea and those middle east countries (iran and iraq) which are great allies of Russia. Vladmir putin visited China before this invasion saga...
If you read more intelligent analysis on the web you discover that China and that North korea are reserves, waiting and observing how the west (u.s.a and NATO) handles Russia before making their own moves...
The game does'nt end with Russia...

North Korea has taken great advantage of this distraction to develop their nuclear program and test more missiles...
while we are distracted by Russia, North korea and China are busy preparing themselves...

Lol! China will ask in Eminem's words, why be a king when you can be God?

The whole world is not playing this one chessboard Sir. It is championship and we could very much say that China has made it to the finals and waiting for winner between US and Russia. China hates anything that tempers with her economic strength. Why do you think they have been pampering Taiwan and now, Hong Kong?

Why will China join a Russian war when they can easily allow Russia to be depleted, thus make them rely on them for loans? I laugh those who still have not seen through China's gimmicks. They prefer to leave you hang dry and bail you out with loans that would drown you forever and that is exactly what would happen to Russian relationship with China, more of Master-Slave from now onward.

The Asians want a piece of the pie (Western Economy) that is why UAE abstained from the vote at the UN, because of their heavy reliance on tourism and Russian oligarchs spend a lot in Dubai. What does China stand to gain from a battered Russia now? Lol.

It's funny how people think that China will joepadise their opportunity of remaining a world best economy by coming to Russia's rescue. When China's biggest market is Europe!

Fbisshit:
Seun give this man a bottle of orijin in my name with your money...

Seun and Mynd44 no go do am o, them be aka gum!