Here it comes.

That`s a cartoonist view, courtesy of Carlos Latuff.

Great cartoonist, imho.

Games of chess, and political brinkmanship normally end in a win, a loss, or a draw.

Here from the "Times Online", is an unusually incisive view of the "bigger game" (Click ~~~.)

Could there be a possibility that the Times senses a need to "raise a cap to the winner."

One senses that the american pawns have fallen, the knights and castles have been surrounded or captured, bishops rendered worthless..

The game is over for the "Imperial court of usurious capitalism", and that given the ideologicgal standpoint of the Russian leadership, perhaps for once in the chequered history of the apes on this planet, food, shelter and education are about to become somewhat more important than profit, religion and warfare.

Regretfully, the team behind Bush are quite capable of destroying the board and pieces in a violent tantrum.

So they might yet spark off another conflagration, with Iran being the likely target... and probably the last move they will ever make. Putin still has most of his pieces intact, as does his second and neighbour, Mr Hu. The option and range of counter moves, are in their favour..
Peace.