Chess has long been considered a fitting metaphor for geopolitical strategy, and the dominance of Brics nations in the activity indeed parallels the rising geopolitical influence of the bloc.
Russian moves in Syria, China’s en passant capture of Afghanistan and the Brics’ recent expansion into the “centre of the board” in the Middle East illustrate why these nations are the grandmasters of chess and international relations.
Russia
Russia remains a dominant force in the chess world, with Russians winning both titles at last year’s Rapid and Blitz championships, making a clean sweep of the podium in the rapid time control before Ian Nepomniachtchi shared the blitz title with Norwegian Magnus Carlsen.
Since 1948 three-quarters of all World Chess Champions have been from the Soviet Union or Russia, with Norway, India, the US and China the only other nations to produce champions. This dominance of chess has bled into Russia’s approach to geopolitics, allowing the Kremlin to compete with countries such as China and the US on the global stage.
Russia’s intervention in the Syrian war was a prophylactic move akin to a chess player anticipating an opponent’s strategy and pre-emptively countering it. By propping up the Assad regime, Russia prevented the US from orchestrating Bashar al-Assad’s removal, allowing Moscow to retain a naval presence in the Mediterranean and some political influence in the Middle East.
Now that Assad has been ousted, a game within a game is unfolding in Syria and, despite claiming a perceived victory, Washington has been lured onto a vulnerable square. Turkey and the US now face the prospect of their respective proxies going to war with each other over control of Syria’s northeastern oilfields, while Israel invades from the south, undermining the new Turkish-backed jihadist government.
Ultimately, despite the perception of Assad’s fall as a geopolitical defeat for Russia, Syria has become an intractable problem for the West to solve, while Russia still has its naval base at Tartus. The Russians have always been experts in tactical withdrawals, famously using retreat to their advantage by overextending their enemy while retaining materiel.
In contrast to Russia’s calculated moves in Syria, the US overextended itself in Afghanistan, a classic blunder in chess where players push their pieces too far, leaving them vulnerable to attack. After two decades of military engagement, the US finally withdrew its troops in 2021, in effect abandoning a square that had long been a focal point of its strategy in Central Asia.
China
The US withdrawal from Afghanistan created a power vacuum that China was quick to exploit, moving in to establish economic ties with the Taliban government. This move can be compared to en passant pawn capture, the only move in chess where the capturing piece lands on a different square from the piece it removes. This is similar to how China has gained access to Afghanistan’s rich mineral wealth without incurring the same costs as the US.
With respect to chess itself, China has also enjoyed recent success — in 2023 Ding Liren became China’s first World Chess Champion. Ding’s hard-fought win against Russian Grandmaster Nepomniachtchi occurred less than eight weeks after Beijing had been able to mediate the Iran-Saudi Arabia normalisation deal, a diplomatic coup that highlighted China’s expanding role as a global peacemaker.
China, traditionally seen as a nation focused primarily on internal development, has recently increased its focus on global diplomacy. By investing substantial resources in infrastructure, technology and international alliances, China is executing a masterful long-term plan, much like a grandmaster meticulously preparing for future success.
With China producing top-tier chess players and enhancing its geopolitical influence, Beijing is clearly playing the long game, on the chessboard and in international affairs.
Iran
In chess, controlling the centre is crucial for success, and in geopolitics the Middle East, lying at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, occupies this strategic position. The recent inclusion of several Middle Eastern nations within Brics will increase the group’s influence in a region that has struggled to maximise its economic potential in an era of Western interventionism.
The expansion of the Brics bloc to include the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia and Iran takes on additional significance when viewed in this context. These countries would prefer economic development to warfare, and Brics membership offers access to partners that can help mitigate the effects of sanctions while providing increased trade opportunities as well as security co-operation.
A great example is the relationship between China and Iran. The two countries recently began using a new railway line, which opened up an overland trade route between them. It has given Iran the power to close the Strait of Hormuz while being able to export oil to China and forced US President Donald Trump to seek a diplomatic off-ramp to the 12-day war.
Chess originated in Persia, and modern-day Iran remains a significant geopolitical player. Iran can help Brics countries such as India and China secure access to much-needed energy resources while developing new trade routes and alternatives to the Western-dominated global financial system. The Brics countries are already trading oil in local currencies, and Iran remains a regional power despite US sanctions and Western efforts to overthrow its government.
India
India has emerged as a chess superpower and a key player in global geopolitics. Inspired by legendary World Champion Viswanathan Anand, the country’s chess scene is producing a generation of exceptional young grandmasters, such as Arjun Erigaisi, R Praggnanandhaa and the newly crowned and youngest world champion, 19-year-old Gukesh Dommaraju.
Coinciding with the emergence of these prodigious chess talents, New Delhi has sought to balance relationships with competing powers while pursuing its own national interests. This approach mirrors the flexibility required in chess, where players must attack and defend while adjusting their strategies based on the evolving dynamics of the game.
India, like its young grandmasters, has shown great skill in calculating how much material it can capture from each side without compromising its strategic position. This is how India became one of the largest importers of Russian oil while gaining access to advanced US weapons systems.
As such, the US found itself in “zugzwang”, a chess position where every possible move a player can make leaves them in a worse position. The US trade deficit with India is in digital services and is largely unaffected by the tariffs, giving India the upper hand. New Delhi was never going to compromise on energy security or risk upsetting its farmers through a free trade agreement with Washington. The US has been forced to make a move (impose tariffs) that worsened its position.
Last year’s Chess World Championship was held in Singapore, and was once again contested by two Brics nations, with India and China battling it out for the most prestigious prize in the sport. In the background, Brics countries such as Russia, China, Iran and India play a larger game, with far greater consequences, on the global chessboard.
- Shubitz is an independent Brics analyst.
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