Supachai Panitchpakdi es director general de la Organizaci?n Mundial de Comercio (OMC), uno de los organismos globalizadores m?s poderosos. Curiosamente, a pesar del importante cargo y respeto social que se le supone, este se?or no ha dudado en declararse en una entrevista a USA Today como un ferviente apasionado del ajedrez, escogiendo entre los 5 libros que se llevar?a a una isla desierta uno sobre las mejores partidas de Petrosian.
?Petrosian's Best Games of Chess 1946-1963 by Peter H. Clarke.
Tigran Petrosian, the 1963 world chess champion from Armenia, «was not a great champion in the eyes of normal chess players,» Supachai says. But «He's one of my idols in chess because I play chess according to his strategy. It's a very thick book with about 500 games. I can read that book forever.» (Related excerpts: What is Supachai Panitchpakdi reading?)
It's easy to trace the parallels between chess and negotiating strategies ? trying to think five moves ahead of your opponent, trading castles for pawns, all played with a measure of calculated patience. In trade negotiations, «bullying tactics are for the Stone Age,» says Supachai, a Buddhist.
Pero peor es el caso de quien resume esta entrevista en The Chess Drum, un profesor de Universidad al que no le duelen prendas en reconocer que ha usado el ajedrez como m?todo didactico en un curso sobre Estrategia Empresarial.