Launching and running a startup isn’t unlike playing a high-stakes game of chess. At first glance, the two may seem worlds apart—one is a centuries-old strategic board game, the other, a chaotic journey into innovation and entrepreneurship. But look closer, and you’ll find uncanny parallels in structure, roles, priorities, and tactics. In both games, each “piece” has a unique role. Every move counts. The goal isn’t always to attack, but to position, protect, evolve, and eventually win.
In this article, we’ll reimagine the startup journey through the lens of chess—mapping each piece on the board to a critical function, role, or activity within a startup. Whether you’re a founder, investor, or simply startup-curious, this metaphorical framework will offer a fresh perspective on how to think about building and scaling a company.
Table of Contents
The King – Idea & core innovation
In chess, the King is the most important piece. The entire game is built around protecting it. Similarly, in a startup, the core idea, intellectual property (IP), or the innovation at the heart of the business is the King. It may not be the most mobile or visible part of your business day-to-day, but everything—product, team, revenue, investment—revolves around it.
Lose focus on the central idea, or build without clarity around the value it brings, and your entire structure collapses.
Example:
Think about Slack. It started as an internal messaging tool for a failed gaming startup. But the core innovation—real-time, channel-based communication—became the King, around which the company pivoted and built an entirely new business.
“Your idea is your King. It doesn’t need to move (change) fast, but it must never fall.”
The Queen – Sales
The Queen is the most powerful and versatile piece on the board. She can move in any direction, across multiple squares, and often turns the tide of the game. In the startup world, that power belongs to Sales.
Sales is the engine that brings in revenue, validates the market, attracts investors, and drives growth. Without sales, even the best idea remains just that—an idea.
A strong sales team knows when to go aggressive (outbound), when to hang back (account management), and how to pivot between channels and markets. Sales is not just about closing deals—it’s about building relationships and generating momentum.
Example:
Salesforce didn’t just build a CRM; they sold the idea of SaaS when it was still unfamiliar. Their Queen (sales execution) was aggressive, persistent, and precise.
“Your Queen doesn’t just protect the King. She opens the battlefield for conquest.”
The Knight – Marketing
The Knight is unique. It moves in L-shaped, non-linear patterns, and it’s the only piece that can jump over others. That’s marketing for you—especially in early-stage startups.
Marketing often isn’t about brute force or straight-line growth. It’s about guerrilla tactics, creativity, positioning, and branding. It creates demand where none exists. It introduces new ideas and tells stories that capture attention. Knights work best when the board is cluttered—just like marketing shines in crowded, competitive markets.
Example:
Remember Dollar Shave Club’s viral launch video? That was the Knight in action—clever, disruptive, unexpected. It didn’t follow the traditional route but leapt over the noise and grabbed consumer attention.
“Marketing doesn’t follow the rules of movement. It bends them.”
The Bishop – Customer Experience & Community
Bishops operate diagonally—quietly cutting across the board with long-term influence. In startups, this reflects the role of customer success, support, and community building.
These aren’t the flashiest functions, but they offer depth, reach, and strategic positioning. They handle churn, improve retention, and turn customers into advocates. Just as a well-placed bishop can dominate key diagonals, a solid community or support system can significantly increase customer lifetime value (CLV).
Example:
Notion and Figma both invested heavily in building user communities and resource hubs early on. These communities became evangelists, drastically reducing CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) and building loyalty.
“Bishops don’t charge forward—they win through presence and long-range influence.”
The Rook – Operations, Infrastructure & Finance
Rooks are the castles of the board. They move straight, predictably, and powerfully. That’s the equivalent of your backend systems—finance, legal, compliance, infrastructure, HR, and operations.
They don’t dazzle, but without them, you can’t scale.
Rooks support long-range execution, protect your base, and provide the structure necessary for growth. You can’t expect a Queen (sales) or Knight (marketing) to perform without strong operational rails.
Example:
Amazon’s real superpower isn’t just Prime or pricing—it’s its unmatched operational infrastructure. Warehousing, logistics, financial forecasting, and supply chain are the Rooks of its empire.
“Rooks don’t dance. They build roads—and kingdoms.”
The Pawns – Early Team, MVP features, & the hustle
Pawns are often overlooked, but they form the front lines. They execute daily, take calculated risks, and when played right, can transform into powerful assets (promotion).
In a startup, pawns represent:
- Your early hires—hungry, generalist, adaptable
- Your MVP features—basic, unpolished, but functional
- The daily grind—prospecting, testing, customer interviews, cold emails
Pawns advance one step at a time—but with each move, they claim territory, build structure, and open pathways. But keep in mind, the end game for each pawn is that they can turn into queens, an invaluable asset to the organization.
Example:
In the early days of Airbnb, the founders went door-to-door photographing hosts’ apartments. That was pawn-level hustle. Unscalable. Unsexy. But essential.
“Every unicorn starts as a pawn willing to move first.”
The Chessboard – Market Landscape
Finally, the chessboard itself represents your market—the terrain where all of this unfolds. Like in chess, the rules of the board don’t change—but your positioning, timing, and reading of the landscape determines the outcome.
Knowing your market—competitors, pricing dynamics, customer segments, regulation—is what allows your pieces to function effectively.
“You can’t win on a board you don’t understand.”
Closing thoughts: Building your Startup like a Grandmaster
Just as a chess grandmaster doesn’t react to every move but plays with foresight, sacrifice, and endgames in mind, founders too must operate with clarity, strategy, and adaptability.
Every piece has its purpose.
- Protect the King (your idea)
- Unleash your Queen (sales)
- Deploy the Knight (marketing) with flair
- Place your Bishops (customer success) strategically
- Build castles with Rooks (operations)
- Let your Pawns hustle and promote
You won’t win every game, but with the right opening strategy, mid-game resilience, and end-game focus—you might just build your checkmate. Are you positioning your startup pieces strategically, or just moving at random? It’s time to play like a grandmaster.
