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In his book "Mein System," the Russian-born chess theoretician Aron Nimzowitsch offers a plan to conduct a chess game that consists of three actions: restrain, blockade and destroy. There are striking similarities between Nimzowitsch’s chess system and the recent presidential elections in Senegal and Cameroon. Where Nimzowitsch’s tactics were used properly, it led to a successful regime change; whereas where those tactics failed to develop, it led to an unsuccessful campaign for the challengers.

Jocelyn Tchakounte uses the 1926 chess game between Paul Johner (White) and Aron Nimzovitsch (Black) to illustrate the restrain, blockade and destroy concepts of the Nimzovitsch system and shows how those concepts translated in real political life in the cases studied.

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