I do not think the "chicken" analogy precisely fits the Cuban missile crisis. The players (President Kennedy and Soviet Premier Khrushchev) are not acting simultaneously, they are rather acting alternatively in sequence with each player basing his next move upon what his adversary did last. The missile crisis is in that respect like the game of chess. In the game of chess, aggressive moves can give you a forceful initiative that gives you chances to win even if you are materially behind. This was the situation that Khrushchev found himself in and may explain why he was willing to take such a huge risk trying to get these missile sites operational before the United States found out. There was a very important aspect of the missile crisis which resemble the strategic decisions made in poker a lot more than the decisions made at the chessboard. Chess you see, is a game of perfect information. Both players can see the entire chess board upon every move and nothing is hidden. Poker, by contrast, is a game of imperfect information. Neither player knows the exact strength of the other players cards. Every player must gauge the strength of his hand based upon how strongly or weakly the other