Mastering the Chessboard: How to Protect Yourself While Engaging with Your Enemy

Tyger raises her arms triumphantly, wearing black boxing gloves, a rhinestone-studded cowboy hat, and a tank top with Hebrew text. She smiles brightly against a backdrop of blue skies, water, and greenery, exuding strength and confidence.

There comes a moment in every warrior’s journey when they realize—walking away is not always an option. Sometimes, the enemy stands at the gate, refusing to relent. Sometimes, you are still in the ring.

And so, the battle continues.

This is not about surrender. This is not about becoming like them. This is about strategy, energy, and survival.

If you want to protect yourself without losing your power, you must learn how to play the game—not as a pawn, but as the Queen.

Because the Queen does not run. She chooses her battles. She fortifies her defenses. She does not let her enemy control the board.

If you want to know the path to true power, it begins here—with The Four Stages of Facing the Enemy.

Stage One: Denial—Convincing Yourself They Will Change

You tell yourself, “Surely, they don’t mean it.” You rationalize. You fill in the gaps of their behavior with your own kindness because the truth is too painful to accept.

You still believe there is a way out without conflict. That if you just explain yourself one more time, they will see the light. That reason will win.

But reason does not work on those who thrive in chaos.

And wake up, you must.

You cannot change them. You cannot expect fairness from those who have already decided that their victory comes from your suffering.

Once you accept that truth, you stop wasting your energy trying to convince them to be better.

And that is the first act of power.

Stage Two: Anger—Recognizing the Chessboard

Eventually, something cracks. You see the truth:

They are not playing the same game you are.

You are playing for resolution. They are playing for domination.

You are playing for justice. They are playing for control.

At this moment, you realize: The enemy does not want peace. They want your energy. They want to see you react, defend, justify.

But the Queen does not waste her movements on petty attacks.

You do not play their game. You play yours.

You engage only when necessary. You protect your pieces. You watch for patterns, and you set your own terms.

When you step onto the chessboard with full awareness, you no longer respond emotionally—you respond strategically.

Stage Three: The Bargaining Phase—The Illusion of Control

This is where people struggle the most.

This is where you tell yourself that if you say the right thing, if you prove your case, you can control the outcome.

But control is an illusion.

Pharaoh did not let go of power out of reason. He let go when he had no other choice.

And your enemy will not back down simply because it is the right thing to do.

At this stage, you must ask yourself:Why am I still standing here? Why am I still giving my time, my energy, my life to someone who has shown me who they are?

This is where you shift your focus. Not on changing them, but on strengthening yourself.

The Queen does not plead. She does not bargain. She does not chase.

She fortifies.

Stage Four: Protection—Becoming the Queen

There is a reason the Queen is the most powerful piece on the board.

She moves with precision. She does not waste energy. She does not react—she calculates.

A pawn moves in one direction. A pawn plays by the rules of others.

But a Queen? She moves where she pleases.

And when she sees a battle must be fought?She fights smart. She fights strong. She fights on her terms.

This is where you become untouchable.Not because you are avoiding the battle, but because you no longer allow the battle to define you.

Because you finally understood that your power was never in their hands to begin with.

The Shield and the Sword: Protecting Yourself Without Becoming Your Enemy

One of the greatest cosmic truths is this:

You do not have to destroy your enemy to win. You only have to refuse to be destroyed.

Your enemy—the one who has spent years trying to manipulate, dominate, and ensnare you—is already trapped in their own cycle of control, fear, and desperation.

They feed off your reaction. They thrive on your pain.

They want you angry because anger makes you impulsive.They want you desperate because desperation makes you weak.They want you distracted because distraction makes you lose sight of your true power.

So what do you do?

You become unshakable.

You step forward when you must, but never when they demand it.You speak when it serves you, but never to justify yourself to them.You strike only when necessary, but when you do—it is decisive.

Because control is their prison.But strategy is your freedom.

The Final Step: The Ritual of the Unbreakable Self

If you feel forced into battle with a toxic person, do this:

1          Write their name on a piece of paper. See their energy as something separate from you.

2          Draw a circle around your name. This is your boundary. This is your fortress.

3          Say aloud:"I protect my energy. I protect my peace. I stand firm in my power. You hold no control over me."

4          Crumble the paper in your hands. Feel its weight diminish. Cut it into pieces, scattering them into the wind, releasing their influence from your energy and reclaiming your own.

5          Stand tall. Because you are no longer fighting for survival. You are fighting for dominion over yourself.

Because once you accept the lesson, you never have to learn it again.

Go forward. Be powerful. Be untouchable.

Because the Queen does not react.

She rules.