Are You an Investment Ranker?
Don’t you just love it when it comes to maturation day on a growth investment which grows all the way from launch day to pay day? Even better, imagine if you started with eight investments and all you needed was one to make you rich upon maturing and all others to simply pay their way until traded at times congenial to yourself. Sound to good to be true? Well it isn’t - too good that is.
Consider the heroic but humble Pawn. If any of you have read my previous article “A Few Things to Ponder”, you’ll know I think highly of the little blighters. “They block, advance menacingly, don’t mind being sacrificed, hold down the fort, stand in your opponent’s psychology as an unstoppable wall/blockade that keeps advancing and cannot go backwards, provide support, occupy territory, have many combinations and ultimately will run home to call Mama to the battlefront if sufficiently nurtured.” You may be able to think of some other peculiarities yourself.
Here’s a good exercise. Set up the Chess board with all the relevant pieces on their respective starting positions. Now remove all but the eight little Heroes for Team White (keep the King for both sides of course). Now remove all material for Team Black except Her Majesty the Queen. In your mind, which Team do you think will win? The answer is unsurprising – Black of course. However, White comes considerably close. One extra Piece – say the Queen’s Bishop for example – and White would have it bagged for sure. Here’s how the game progressed.
Notice that, towards the latter third of the game, Her Majesty was very much tied to the same region of the Board until the end. This I think is a good example of the power of the little dudes as they push menacingly forward. With each advance they tend to grow in stature with an ever-increasing threat of being made a Royal Concubine for their King (maybe they’ve always been a bunch of Amazons?!). Hence they tend to confine – in completely wide open space – the activities of their hunters until they finally mature into their long awaited new form – or are traded for a handsome pay-off towards their hopeful destination…and don’t you find the trade-off so useful at the time it happens!
Not only have the little dudes held up the battle plans of your nemesis allowing you to catch up if necessary - but when he finally realizes the future liability in allowing the little blighter to live a moment longer he will throw the nearest thing at it…so make sure you give that little dude an honourable burial will you?! Especially if you win!
The point to the above discussion is this…At their starting positions the little soldiers are in perfect formation, allowing you all the cover you need while you contemplate your enemies demise. Once launched to rank 3 (with respect to the White Team of course but the same concept is just as true for Black) they are great for damage control for say an advancing Knight. Launch one to rank 4 however and you can now begin to take care of your finances in the market of control and presence. At just the perfect moment, you want to advance them a step further to rank five, effectively doubling their capability by forcing your opponent to give you the respect you deserve. You are now perplexing him by what is going through his mind…"should I give him the opportunity to pass me or should I force him to take me?" The pay off is 100% given the extra strategy in your pocket for future presence - or negative gearing - which you need as cover in case of your opponents taxing strategy from here to the end of the day – or is that the fin year?. Alternatively you can cash in and force your opponent to predictably tidy up rank 6, forcing an opening while buying yourself yet another move.
Think of the bonus however in advancing him one rank more…your blighter has been given a new name – Hero! Here Hero is now constantly on the mind of your nemesis, usually because he spells either doom for an important Piece which he so desperately needs to either remain your equal or to retain the ascendancy. On the other hand, this singular advance may spell doom to himself in the space of not too many more moves.
Yet one rank further: Here lies Hero, a great testament to forethought and courage. In his brutal assassination by Queen…hang on what’s this? Queen Nemesis refuses to die an honourable death alongside Hero? “Oh well, say goodbye King Nemesis while this Amazon crowns herself with her long awaited Tiara!"
