Football is Chess Played With Rhinos



"Nothing mysterious about football. It's just chess played with rhinos." - Charles Coe


Football is Chess Played With Rhinos

Position is everything, yet it is raw power that is appreciated.
Specialists prove their worth to the herd, as only they can,
despite being massive specimens and heavily, clumsily plated.
As leader I know my crews position, down to the very last man.
My dominance requires each of them for my own protection.
Some to obstruct, some to chase, and some to keep me secure.
I need some to advance in the desired direction,
Sacrifices must be made, so that victory we ensure.

We keep you out of our space, working to invade your own,
progress made with both feint and brutish, open aggression.
After I have ascended to a mighty and precarious throne,
life has now become obsessed with continued possession.
Crash, and repeat, my forces throw themselves at yours,
knights outrunning, slipping defenses, finding position,
bishops defining both method and temper of our wars.
Victory is
 assured to the superior tactician.

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©2017 Christopher Reilley

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Comments

  1. Lillian here...love that you posted this to OLN today. Such an interesting quotation...and then you've written to it to a T as the saying goes. I can see the rhinos and the football team in the first stanza....and then the shift to chess is so well done in the second stanza. All in the perception, right?

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  2. I love the way you describe football as a balance between the physical power and the tactics...

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