The Cardinal Rule: When playing human chess, one's mind should always be in the game. It is the only sport where there are no play periods, no time outs and no end in sight. Even if your needs are met, others are not and they may be prone to move against you if for no other reason than you have done/acquired/achieved more than they.

On Desires:
1) People are always motivated by selfish desires
2) Selfish desires are rarely rational
3) What one desires if often affected or influenced by their environment
4) Therefore, by positioning or altering one's environment, you can change their desires
5) You are a part of a person's environment, therefore, altering your position can change another's environment

On Knowledge:
6) Knowledge is paramount, you must know what one desires in order to alter their will.
7) You must also know what you desire in order to know which way to alter other's wills. If you do not know these things you are playing the game blind and will lose without knowing.

On Perception:
9) Perceptions are 90% the law.
10) If a good deed is perceived to be an injury, then it is an injury.
11) If a bad deed is perceived to be an aid, than it is an aid.
12) Always remember, a diplomat is someone who can tell another to go to Hell in such a way that they think they might enjoy the trip.
13) It pays to be a diplomat.

On War:
14) There is little to be gained from open war, you should avoid it.
15) If an enemy seeks open war, you should smite him/her as quickly as possible and be the first to offer the olive branch. A beaten enemy will jump at any truce offered, no matter how unfair.

On Alliances:
16) Sometimes in order to gain what you need, you must submit to the will of others.
17) There is no dishonor in serving another so long as your own agenda is being met.
18) Every alliance places a strain on all parties involved.
19) Every alliance has a benefit for all parties involved.
20) If the strain should ever exceed the benefit, the alliance should be broken immediately.
21) Unless an alliance is truly mutually beneficial it is prone to betrayal.

On Groups:
22) Groups are a means by which a collection of weak people use their number as a bargaining chip to gain strength.
23) All cohesive groups larger than 12 have a leadership of some kind.
24) To deal with the group, it's best to deal with the leadership directly rather than the individuals that make it up.
25) To keep a group cohesive, the individuals in it must sacrifice their right to judge to the leaders.
26) To split a group up, make the followers question the leader and convince a handful of the sheep that they could be the shepherds. A rebellion will be inevitable.
27) On the whole, powerful people should steer clear of joining cohesive groups. The sacrifice is simply too great.

On Individuals:
28) Everyone is unique in some way; no two people are alike.
29) Therefore, it should never be assumed that you could deal with one person exactly the way you dealt with another, unless it is proven to be true.

On Plans:
30) The best way to understand a person is to understand their desires, then to grasp their problems and opportunities in attaining those desires. This will help you understand their plan.
31) Everyone has a plan, they may not admit it, but everyone is scheming of how to get what they want/need.
32) Everyone has a talent that can be useful and a flaw that can be detrimental. Understanding those will help you see how someone can fit into your own plan.
33) A wise man will see how someone's talent can help them in their current plan, the wisest man will see how they can alter their own plan to make use of another's talent.
34) That's why fluid plans, on the whole, reach their target the quickest.

On Emotions and Beliefs:
35) Never anger those you need help from if avoidable.
36) Never anger someone who has served their purpose if avoidable, they might be necessary later.
37) If you make someone believe they can do something, odds are they will.
38) If you make someone believe they cannot do something, odds are they won't.
39) People will believe what they want to believe, trying to work against that is unwise.

On Friends:
40) If you want to make a friend, whenever possible, give someone the chance to help you, never offer to help them. People would much rather be a creditor than a debtor.
41) However, be prepared to repay the debt someday. Do not gripe when the time comes.
42) Never, for any reason, stab a friend in the back. It only creates an undesirable open war and makes the acquisition of future friends more difficult.
43) If you do not desire friends, that is your decision, but realize the weaker position it puts you in.
44) However, weaker position aside, the lack of friends or dependants can make your playing field much more simple to navigate.
45) If you do desire to keep friends, keep only as many as you can maintain and trust.
46) A friendship without maintenance or trust only creates a wild card in situations where certainty is essential to survival.

On Enemies:
47) Everyone has enemies, accept the fact that you have them and always will have them now.
48) Don't shy away from making enemies. Just make sure they are weaker than yourselves and either have nothing to offer you or are more beneficial to you as an opponent (IE: any enemy of my enemy is a friend of mine).
49) If a battle with an enemy becomes too draining, seek peace, even at the cost of pride.
50) Make your peace complete and total, do not leave open doors for future hostilities.

On The Goals:
51) The goal of human chess is to fulfill your desires.
52) If you can help others fulfill theirs at the same time, so much the better.
53) As soon as you attain one desire, another will take it's place.
54) That is why the game of human chess is never-ending.
55) That is why even the best players get beat.
56) and that is what makes the game as entertaining as it is…

The Trump Rule:
57) Like in life itself, every rule in human chess has an exception. Always be on the lookout for these exceptions so you can play them with confidence. The thing that separates the great chess players from the simply good ones is the ability to spot the exceptions and ride them to victory.

But when he told me about a curse he had thrown and how he put his victim in the hospital with it, I interrupted him. "Aren't you afraid that will come back on you?" I asked. "Don't bad deeds come back to haunt you?"

He sneered at me as if I had insulted him and said, "Dear son, if you are ever to practice magic you must learn one thing and learn it now. That good and evil are just like right and wrong, they're ideas that are as individual as fingerprints. Hardly a deed done in the world has been evil because the doer has always thought it just. Never throw a curse you believe to be unjust and it will never come back to haunt you."

With that he turned and walked away.

Many years passed, I grew older and wiser. I went to college and even got engaged to a wonderful woman. However, a blonde girl with too much energy and too little brains kept trying to come between my love and me. Even after subtle and not-so-subtle hints she continued to pursue me with greater and more irritating vigor.
One day, she wouldn't leave me alone and wouldn't even listen to what I had to say. I stormed home, remembered the warlock's advice and threw my curse. I threw it without remorse, regret or caution for I was in the right and there was no room for such things.

The next day, the girl fell ill with a mysterious lung ailment and was forced to miss most of the rest of the semester. She found herself very far behind and failed most of her courses. Rumor spread that she was even thinking about dropping out.

Soon thereafter I saw the warlock again. He somehow remembered me and asked me how I was doing. I told him, "I threw a curse just as you said. Because of it, a beautiful, friendly and sociable girl fell ill, missed class and may have to drop out of college. But I was within my right, I knew it then and I know it now. It has not come back to haunt me and I don't fear it will."

The warlock smiled and said, "My son, you are well on your way." With that, he turned and walked away from me, never to speak to me again.

I looked at her oddly for a second and then put on the best poker face I could and said,"You desire three things, before you sleep you will get two," and abruptly walked off.

Several days later I saw her again, this time in the cafeteria. I sat down next to her and asked her if that horrible day had improved. Her face lit up and she began to explain.

"When I woke up that morning, my car was dead and I had to get a friend to take me to class. Then after my first class, my boyfriend came up to me and said he wanted to see other people and to top it off, at the last minute, I checked my history syllabus and saw I had a test that evening. Then I saw you."

Judging from the smile on her face I could tell things must have improved and I told her to go on.

"Well, after I spoke with you, I hit the books and didn't let up until class started. I wound up acing the test effortlessly. Then, when I got back home, I decided to take a chance and call my boyfriend. By the time we got off the phone, he was in tears over how stupid he had acted and didn't know what had overcome him. I was angry but decided to forgive him, he's been very good to me for nearly a year now and I didn't want to let cold feet break us up."

"I'm glad it got better," I said.

"Yes, and your prediction came true. I desired three, my car, my boyfriend and my 'A'. I got two of them. But how did you know?"

"Know what?" I asked.

"That I wanted three things."

"Because everyone wants three things," I said.

"But then how did you know that I would only get two?"

"Because everybody only gets only two, just good enough to cut it, but not perfect," I said. "It was the safest prediction I had ever made."

It came from a well-dressed gentleman who was eating a large meal over in the corner of the room. I waved at him pathetically and got in line. However, I quickly learned I had left my wallet at home along with my money.

With nothing better to do, I walked over to the man and sat down with him. He was a freelance journalist and wanted to do a story on my essay and that he needed to ask me some questions. I told him I'd agree as long as he got me a slice of cake and a tea. He smiled and without a word made the purchase.

After getting my name and other information he checked his notes and said, "First off, I need some clarification. In your essay, you make a passing reference to something called 'Human Chess,' what is that exactly?"

I leaned back and said, "Human Chess is the art of manipulating human beings to meet your needs and desires."

"So basically it's forcing people to do what you want them to?"
I scoffed and leaned in, "Hardly, forcing people is one of the poorest moves in the game. It's best to alter other's wills so they match your own. If you convince the sheep it's better off shorn, he'll smile as you take the razor to him."

"So, you in trick people into doing what you want them to?"
I looked at my empty plate and then over to his tray. I motioned over to his corn and rice and asked, "Do you mind?" He nodded and I sank my fork in.

"As you were saying," he said.

"Tricking people is worse, tricks are eventually discovered. You have to position the world around people carefully and use words gingerly. Most people don't know what they want and are waiting for direction. Others do know what they want and they can be dealt with by trades and deals."

"It can't be that simple," he interrupted, "you can't honestly manipulate people that easily!"

"People are soulless creatures by nature. They seek television, advertising, bosses, wives, anything that can tell them what to do. Most men are either slaves by choice or ignorance. Either way, I win."

I glanced down at my bowls and asked if I could have the last of his turkey cutlets. He once again nodded and moved it to what was the rice bowl and began to eat hungrily.

"So what you mean is that you can manipulate the masses through suggestion and trades?"

"I don't waste my time with the masses, I focus on people. A person has value, talent and even a sense of intelligence. People are stupid and emotional. One man can do more than a thousand when given a purpose. That's all I provide, purpose."

With that he slammed his hands down on the table and exclaimed, "I'm never going to understand this or you! I'm giving up before I get a headache!"

I got up, took one more bite and said, "But can I say one more thing?"

"Very well," he said with a sigh.

I tossed the fork onto his plate and said, "Checkmate."

"Thank you," she said, "would you mind helping me carry them to class?"

"Where are you going?" I asked

"To the business building."

It was then I got my first good luck at her. She had a very petite frame with long flowing blonde hair and a perfect complexion. She could have been a model easily.

"Sorry, I can't," I responded bluntly.

A look of shock came over her and she paused for a second before speaking up and saying, "Why not?"

I pointed to the west and said, "I'm going to the science building, we are but crossing paths in the opposite direction."

I started to walk away and she started to walk with me, "Are you sure? These books are really heavy."

She was exaggerating, her load, while heavy, was manageable. If anything, she needed a book bag, not me.

"Yes, I'm sure."

I continued toward my class and she sprinted after me. After about 100 feet I looked back and said, "You're not used to being told no are you?"

She lowered her gaze and said, "Most guys trip over themselves to help me. Why not you?"

"Walk with me and I'll tell you." I let her catch up and we continued. "I'm sure most guys find you very attractive I said, but you're just not my type. I've never cared for the idea of the American standard of beauty. "

"What do you mean?"

I glanced back over at her, "You obviously work out and diet to maintain your figure. I'm sure most guys enjoy that, but I've always gone for healthier looking women. The two things I find most attractive in a woman are curves and personality. You seem to be short on both."

"I have personality," she exclaimed, "you just don't know me!"

"If you had personality you wouldn't be asking strange guys to carry your books. People with personality like to do things for themselves."

She got quiet. I started to feel bad about railing on her so hard. I realized I was letting my foul mood get the better half of me. "So you don't find me attractive at all," she said.

By this time we were right outside of my class. I turned and looked at her again and said, "Well, you do have a very pretty smile and very nice eyes. I never said you were hard on the eyes. Just about anyone would feel blessed to have you around."

She shook her hips lightly, put a slink in her voice and said, "So you do admit to being interested in me after all?"

I paused to kick myself for being generous. I quickly regrouped and said, "No, but you've admitted to being interested in me."

Once again shock came over her face, "How so?"

"Because we're at my class and yours is a full eight blocks in the other direction." I paused to point in the direction of the business building. "And you're still carrying your books."

I walked inside the building and never saw her again.

"Excuse me" she said, "can I talk to you for a moment?"

I took a sideways glance at her. She was of medium height and build, with long dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. She wore plain clothing and did little to attract my attention by her appearance but I was intrigued by her bravado and motioned for her to sit down.

She threw her book bag down on the table and sat across from me. "I only have a few minutes before class but I have a question for you. You do a lot of talking about emotions and how they can work for or against you, but you don't seem to feel many of your own. You always look so… well… neutral."

"I feel emotions as strongly if not stronger than you. But unlike most people I rule them rather than them ruling me. Just because you can't see it doesn't mean I don't feel all the things you do."

"Well, everyone I've talked to who's met you mentioned how spiteful you are. What about love? Do you feel that."

I arched an eyebrow at her a little bit annoyed at the question, "I feel love. I just save it for those who are worthy of it. Anything given too freely loses value."

"I just don't see how a creature so filled with hate can know what love is."

"One's capacity to love is defined by his capacity for hate. The two define each other the same as pain defines pleasure. How would you know what love is if you have nothing to compare it to?"

She retreated back into her seat, beaten. But before she drew a full breath she spoke up again. "So tell me, is there any love in your life?"

"You mean romance?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Not at this time. I haven't found the right person."

"How will you know when you do?" she asked.

"Because she will be my equal."

"How will you know that?"

"Because she will be able to beat me."

She paused a moment before responding, "Don't you mean equal you?"

"No, beat me."

"But wouldn't that make her your superior?"

"Only if I couldn't beat her."

Once again she leaned back, "I'm confused."

"If all someone can manage to do is equal you, then they are still your inferior having a few lucky rounds here and there. But if someone can beat you, and you in turn beat them, then you have an equal."

"But what if you tie someone all the time?"

"That's a statistical impossibility. Someone has to win at some point, it's the way nature works," I said.

She leaned in close for her final assault, "But what if, what if, you could go your entire life and every time you crossed swords with someone it was a perfect draw?"

"If we defy nature and play your game, then life would be exactly like this conversation, a time-limit draw."

She sat back down in her chair, "huh?"

I motioned at my wrist, "You're ten minutes late for class, you'd better get moving."

She glanced quickly at her watch and a look of panic came over her face. She hurriedly threw her books over her shoulder and took off leaving me to finish my meal.

As she was leaving I called out, "Better luck next time!" but I realized I had a worthy opponent on my hands…

I was about to leave when I noticed the tail of a red dress disappearing into the other room. Since everyone was dressed semi-formal she stood out from the crowd. I stuck my head around the corner and caught a glimpse of her face. She was a beautiful creature, with flowing amber hair and a wonderful smile.

I wanted some information so I asked a friend of mine if he knew her. He gave me a name, Jennifer, but could provide me little else. I decided to and I watch her out of the corner of my eye.

In about an hour of casual observation between idle chatter, I made several key observations. She had been a dancer at some point, I could tell by the way she walked and carried her weight. Judging from the way she spoke, it was apparent she was not only well versed in English literature but also at least fairly fluent in Spanish. Lastly, and most importantly, I could tell by the way she was darting from conversation to conversation that she was just as miserable was at this party as I.

When she stepped outside into the garden area I decided now was as a good time to talk to her. I broke off my current conversation and hurried outside and walked up beside her.

"Well, this is a perfectly miserable time," I said casually.

"Yes it is," she replied calmly.

"So tell me something, do you prefer Shakespeare's comedies or tragedies?"

She spun around to face me. "How did you know I read so much Shakespeare?"

I grinned slightly, "I overheard you quoting Othello earlier, very nicely I might add."

"Well, thank you," she said.

"So which is it?" I asked again.

"Well, I like the comedies for light reading but his tragedies are best for serious study."

"So you study him seriously?" I asked.

"I study many things seriously."

"Like dance I assume."

"Well, that was a long time ago, but yes, I did and still do it as a hobby. But how did you know that?"

"It was just an observation," I replied.

"Well, did you happen to observe anything else?"

"Not much, just that you were intelligent, interesting and just as miserable at this party as I am."

"Anything else?"

I was a little bit confused, "No."

"Then you missed the most important observation you could about me."

I got a sinking feeling in my stomach, she spun on her heels a way from me and looked over her shoulder. When she glanced at me, it all came together, I saw beneath the make-up and flowing red dress. It all added up but before I could speak she said, "Better luck next time!"

It was the girl from the outdoor café.

She began to walk away but before she could take a step I lightly grabbed her wrist and she spun around to face me. Our eyes met for a second and suddenly they became the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. I couldn't bring words up but I managed a huge smile and then began to laugh at myself. She started laughing and we found ourselves needing to take a seat to catch our breath. Once we recovered, we started talking, but this time as friends.

A year later she would become my fiancé.

The first guest was the local sanitation manager. He took Barry’s abuse for a full hour being called everything from “our highest paid garbage man” to “the head stinker in the county.” I knew then that I had a fight on my hands.

After the sanitation manager left the studio, I was waved in. I sat in the chair opposite of Barry and waited for them to return from commercial. Once they did, Barry didn’t waste a second before tearing into me.

“Now we’re here with that famous warlock that everyone has been talking about. Now, I have to tell you, sitting here across from him, I just see a skinny kid in black. By the way how old are you son?”

“20,” I replied.

“The big two-zero well congratulations kid. But I asked you here to day to tell me why, on earth, do you call yourself a warlock.”

“Because I make the impossible possible…”

He interrupted, “Oooooh, big man, making the impossible possible. So tell me, can you walk through walls? Levitate beautiful girls? Speak in strange tongues? Turn water into wine?”

“No, I can’t.”

“So what the hell can you do that’s impossible?”

I was very irate, “Why don’t you ask that reporter who wrote the column on me?”

He leaned back in his chair, “Yeah, I have to admit kid, you made a fool out of that reporter. But let me tell ya something, I’m not that dumb, you can’t make a fool out of me.”

“I think you’re doing a fine job of that yourself.”

“What did you say?” he asked leaning into me.

“I think you heard me just fine.”

“Why you little punk I oughta…”

I got out of my chair and stood in the center of the room, “Why don’t you?”

He looked around the studio for a second, unable to believe what was happening. Dr. Scream chimed in, “Yeah boss, kick his butt!”

He stood up but leaned into the mic first, “Kid, I’m twice your size, now sit down and no one gets hurt.”

“So you’re scared,” I had to speak up so the mic could hear me.

“No, I just don’t want to go to jail for a little punk like you.”

“I assure you, you won’t go to jail. Now, if you’re not scared of me, prove it.”

He placed his headset upon the table, and began to walk toward me. “Want me to hold him for ya boss?” Dr. Scream injected.

Barry glanced over at him and said, “Naw, just keep your seat, I’ll handle him.”

He raised his right hand and took a swing. Quickly, with my left hand, I grabbed his arm and dug my fingers into a pressure point between the bones in the wrist and gave a twist. This dropped him to his knees at which point, with my free hand, I dug two fingers into the soft spot between the collarbone and the neck.

It was all too easy.

He moved his right arm to try to break free. I applied more pressure on both points causing him to let out a scream so loud it red lined all of the meters in the studio. He was trapped.

I spoke up, “For those of you listening at home, I currently have Barry trapped in a combination wrist lock/neck pinch. He is kneeling in front of me powerless to get out. I could kill him if I wanted, but he’s not worth going to jail for.”

“Dammit you idiot! Help me!” he cried out.

Dr. Scream looked at him and shrugged his shoulders, “Sorry boss, you told me to stay here.”

I looked down at Barry. “Now didn’t you say that I would never be able to make a fool of you?” He nodded and I applied more pressure, “then say it out loud so your listeners can hear.”

“YES!”

“Do you feel like a fool right now?”

“YES!”

I let him go and shoved him to the floor. “Well, there I go, making the impossible possible once again. Any questions?”

He looked up at me and wiped his nose with his sleeve, “Get the hell out of my studio!”

I made my way to the door pausing only a second to look over my shoulder at him and say, “That’s where I wanted to be in the first place.”

I had gotten maybe halfway through the book when I heard footsteps coming my way. I glanced up and saw a pack of athletes making their way from the gym and immediately returned to my book. They were snickering amongst themselves and motioning to me, but I thought nothing of it.

However, one of them, the biggest in the group, decided to make his way over to me, apparently on a dare.

"Yo, if it ain't that Warlock, the new big man on campus. You don't look so big to me though."

I didn't even look up to acknowledge his existence. I just checked the index of the book and skipped ahead to a more interesting section. He looked up at his friends and shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatcha reading?" he asked.

Once again I didn't relent. He wasn't worth it. I just read faster and focused more intensely on the words.

He leaned in close and whispered in my ear, "Now, what could be so damn interesting that you can't even look up from it to see my pretty face huh?"

"It's a book," I replied, "I know you haven't read any but I thought you'd at least be able to identify what one is."

It took a second for the insult to work its way through all the layers of his mind. He stepped back and I could hear his friends snickering at him. He cocked back as if to punch me and I decided not to take a chance. I don't know if he really meant to hit me, but I wasn't about to find out.

With a sharp thrust of my right hand I dug two fingers into his Adam's Apple knocking the wind out of him. With the same fingers I pressed into the soft spot of his shoulder dropping him to his knees and from there I placed one finger on the gap in the front of the collar bone.

"Make one move outside of falling backward and I shove this finger into your throat and kill you immediately," I said.

He was gasping for air desperately and with an awkward motion fell as straight back as he could. He rolled around in the grass for a second getting his breath back. His friends, still stunned from my initial strike didn't even make a move to help him.

When he finally got his breath back, he stood up, doubled over and between gasps asked, "Ok, ok, ok, no need to get violent," he let out a sharp groan, "I just wanted to know what you were reading."

Without a word I flipped the book over and showed him the cover, it read Pressure Point Tactics of the Far East.

While the novelty of the show wore off almost immediately, the people, in particular the patrons became endlessly fascinating. The two of us began pointing out people we found interesting and keeping an eye on the various dramas taking place that night.

After about an hour someone approached our table and without warning sat down across from us. "I didn't expect to see you here," he said, "This really doesn't look like your kind of place."

I saw his face briefly when a spotlight passed over us, it was the reporter from whom I had stolen a lunch. The look in his eyes told the truth, like a shark, he smelled blood in the water and was looking to attack.

"I'm in a lot of places you'd never expect to see me. Every ghost has a few unusual haunts."

"Well, are you at least enjoying the show?"

I looked around the room briefly, "The people are fascinating. If that's what you're asking."

"So you're trying to tell me you're not watching the girls," he said.

"Not in about the past 45 minutes."

"Then what in the Hell are you doing here?"

"Getting stories, yourself?" I asked.

"I'm a reporter, I'm doing some work for the paper. You on the other hand, are of full of it. There aren't any stories here for you."

"Really?" I asked. "What makes you think that?"

"Look around you. Two-dimensional women, guys foaming at the mouth half drunk and all the scum in between. I'd say it's the making of a seedy crime story, not the type of thing you'd write," he said.

I could read the headline already, "Warlock caught in local strip club with fiancé in tow." Throw in a few sordid lies and you'd have the makings of a great scandal. I had to act fast.

"Strip away the dancers and the terrible lighting and what do you have? You have people who are under an extreme situation who don't think they're being watched. All around you have people responding to their base instincts like no one else was in the room. Where else are you going to get that?"

He thought about it for a minute, "I don't know."

I pointed to one guy near the stage, "You see that guy over there. I overhead a waitress say that he's been here since three this afternoon at that same table. He's been ordering one drink every hour on the hour and he's so regular the waitresses have it ready before he asks. He's watching his money very carefully."

He looked over his shoulder at the man, "Why do you figure he's doing that?"

"I didn't know either at first, but something caught my eye in the light. He's wearing a wedding band. Now, if there's not a story there, then where is there one?"

"I see," he slipped into deep thought for a second.

"Then there's her over at the bar," I motioned in the general direction. "She used to be a stripper here. You can tell by her bag that bears the club name and the fact she hasn't paid for a drink all night. But she's not dancing tonight and won't for a while because of that knee brace. Looks like she banged it up pretty good. But not a single guy has paid her any attention all night and she's been sulking over that since I got here."

"Wow, good eyes."

"So tell me, what story are you working on Mr. Reporter?"

He whipped around in his chair to face me, "Um, I'm doing a report on new laws that affect local strip clubs."

"Does it really take four hours in a club to ask about new laws?"

"What do you mean? I just got here!"

I glanced down at his hands, "Really, the stamp on the back of your hand reads 'Happy Hour' and I believe that ended at six."

His eyes opened wide and he stammered for words, "I-I-I've gotta go, I'll chat with you later."

He got up to walk away but I called him out, "Hey, you didn't tell me if you were enjoying the show."

He just scowled at me and walked off. The headline never appeared.