Latvia's magician defies prediction.

I love chess. Unfortunately, I'm a bit of a hack. When I make a move, I get carried away by my emotions. I don't plan my strategy in advance. I confuse myself. My games bear no resemblance to those of a master.

Wanting to correct my weaknesses, I studied the great chess players of the 20th century. That's where I encountered Mikhail Tal. The Latvian genius with wide-open eyes who never let go of his cigarette. A legendary attacking player.

Three world chess champions became legends. Capablanca and Fischer threatened opponents with their exceptional technique. Tari, however, plunged his foes into terror by making them unable to foresee even the next move on the board.

Talli was far removed from "correctness." He was irrational, bold, and audacious. Post-match analysis often declared, "His moves lack logical justification. Defeat was inevitable." Yet the actual result was the opposite. Talli was winning.

He takes risks and makes unpredictable moves. To seize the initiative—the lead in chess terms—he calmly sacrifices pieces. Because when the enemy holds the initiative, all you can do is avoid attack.

Tari's approach isn't just fascinating as chess. It's a rich learning resource for creative professionals. That brave, constantly challenging, innovative attitude is what we need too.

Let's apply chess thinking to marketing and advertising strategy. What does it mean to be outmaneuvered by competitors? It means consumers first recall their brand and feel compelled to buy it. We struggle to get our brand message through to consumers. Until we regain the initiative, we creatives will agonize over our next move, enduring days of headaches.

There is one consolation: the opponent we're battling isn't a heavy-smoking, fearless Latvian wizard. We might just be able to turn this around.