Assembly Required.

Why the safest move is often the one that costs you the most.

Mikhail Tal was the most feared chess player of his generation. Not because he was the most accurate—he made plenty of mistakes. And not because he calculated the deepest—computers would later show that many of his moves were flawed and needlessly reckless. Tal was feared because he sacrificed pieces other players would never dare to lose.

In 1960, playing for the World Championship, Tal sacrificed his queen for what looked like nothing. His opponent, the methodical reigning champion Mikhail Botvinnik, stared at the board for forty-seven minutes, trying to understand the trap.

There was no trap. Tal had given up his queen because he sensed it would create beautiful chaos. And in that chaos, he found ways to win that no computer could calculate.

Vladislav Zubok said of him, "Every game for him was as inimitable and invaluable as a poem."

Many agencies play chess like Botvinnik: methodical and safe, predictably calculating every move to minimize risk. They would never sacrifice the queen. The queen, in agency terms, is the safe choice. The proven strategy. The approach that worked for the last client, and the client before that.

"Let’s do what [successful brand] did."

"This format always performs well."

"Our research shows consumers respond to this message."

And honestly, there’s nothing wrong with that, per se. Most of the time, it is the right call. Hell, we play that opening move eight times out of ten because it is the right call.

But the safe choice rarely creates breakthrough work. It creates competent work. Predictable work. And yes, forgettable work. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice the queen.

Tal lost games because of his sacrifices. But he won more than he lost. And the games he won were unforgettable.

Your brand doesn’t need partners who protect every piece. You need partners bold enough to sacrifice the obvious move for the beautiful one. We don’t play not to lose. We play to create something worth remembering.