The Jake Peavy negotiations, like most negotiations, could rightly be described as a chess match. But if the twists and turns of this seemingly endless saga were represented on a chess board, what would it look like? Here are the respective chess positions that the Braves, Cubs and Yankees have found themselves in.

Earlier this month, the Braves were attempting to work out a trade with the Padres involving Jake Peavy. The centerpiece of the Braves’ offer was their heralded shortstop, Yunel Escobar. However, Peavy decided the Braves would be considerably weaker without Escobar, and he didn’t want to be traded to a weaker team. So, remarkably, the Braves lost out on Peavy for the time being because they offered more. In other words, the Braves-Padres negotiations reached stalemate.

Chess analogy: It’s Black’s turn to move here.

Black can move its Pawn up and promote it to a Queen…

but that would end the game in a stalemate, since White would have nowhere to move. Instead, Black should promote the Pawn to a Rook. The Rook, of course, is less powerful than the Queen (just as an offer without Escobar would have been less powerful), but it would avoid stalemate, and allow for checkmate in the next move.

Now, let’s take a look at the Cubs. After a long period of back-and-forth, the Cubs finally decided that the Padres were asking too much for Peavy, so they gave up on him.

Chess analogy: Take a look at this board.

This is from this year’s World Chess Championship between Kramnik and Anand. To the untrained eye, neither side seems to have much of an advantage, right? Black has one more Pawn than White, but interestingly, Black decided he had had enough, and resigned the match at this point. The reasons are a bit complicated to explain, but after studying the board for a while, it becomes clear that Black is doomed here.

Casual fans often grow frustrated when they see their teams shy away from blockbuster deals. Plenty of Cubs fans surely thought that Peavy was worth a handful of minor leaguers, but it was a series of seemingly unimportant details that led the Cubs to give up on the deal. Just as these chess Grandmasters had seen countless chess scenarios and knew how this match would play out, the Cubs seemed to recognize that further negotiations would simply have been a waste of time and energy.

The Yankees have also been spoken in the same breath as Peavy lately. This simple fact is amazing, given that they already grabbed what was arguably the offseason’s top prize in CC Sabathia. However, in doing so, did they miss their chance with Peavy? Did the Sabathia negotiation process tie them up while other teams furthered the conversation with the Padres?

Chess analogy: Just as the Yankees and their deep pockets can sometimes be the most maddening force in baseball, the Knight can at times be the most maddening piece in chess.

The most frustrating Knight threat of all is the fork, shown here. The Knight is threatening both Rooks, and Black has no way to capture the Knight. However, the Knight has to make a choice. He can take one Rook or the other, but obviously not both. Chess, like life, is all about tempo. Imagine the two rooks as Sabathia and Peavy. While the Yankees were nailing down Sabathia, Peavy’s piece was developing and moving elsewhere, and if the Yankees are going to bid for Peavy, they’ll have to start from scratch.

Tune in next time, when I compare interleague baseball to Hungry Hungry Hippos!