Students of strategy watched Magnus Carlsen with interest as he banged his fist on the table, shaking the pieces on the chess board, as he accepted defeat to Dommaraju Gukesh in Stavanger, Norway, on Sunday. Carlsen's fist-bang reminded us of the great Sun Tzu saying: 'If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight, even though the ruler forbid it.' Obviously, the Norwegian was never sure of victory before he started the game, thereby making the cardinal mistake of playing it. But for cannier onlookers - like us - it was a reminder of another option before someone facing imminent defeat: instead of banging the table, overturn the board.
There comes a time when one stares into the abyss - an abyss filled with smug opponents, inevitable failure and lingering regret of ever agreeing to play in the first place. And that is precisely the moment when the only reasonable move left is to flip the board. Whether the board be of chess, carrom or life. It's the last bastion of dignity, the Hail Mary of strategy, the nuclear option of childhood - and adulthood, depending on your level of maturity. By OT-ing the board, no one can definitively prove you were losing. Second, it introduces an exciting new element - chaos - which levels the playing field. Third, it forces a philosophical reckoning: if a game has no outcome, did it even happen?
