My Crypto Chess board:

Let's face it. There's a war going on between fiat/metals and crypto. We all must still deal with fiat, and metal is influenced by fiat to some degree, and is not convenient as a currency.

I like to think of it as a big chess game, with fiat and metals on one side, and crypto on the other. Some will perhaps disagree (and I WANT differing opinions on this!) but the way I set up my "chess board" is listed below:

(Note: I must stress that I have nothing against precious metals. I own some, but because they are so influenced by fiat, and because they are inconvenient for trading in spite of being a good store of value, I place them on that "other" side of the board.)

1. The King: Bitcoin-- No surprise here. Like the king on a chessboard, BTC is slow to adapt, limited to "one square" because of differing of opinions and resistance to change within the community. It is, however, THE KING. If the king falls, the game is over. By that I mean if Bitcoin fails, the "fiat community" loses faith in adopting the new tech, and other crypto's fall or rise with it. (Translation: buy, hold, maybe even mine if you're wiling to risk it)

2. The Queen: Dash--I know, I know! I was supposed to put Etherium in this spot, but let me explain. Dash has lightning fast consensus. It is a well-oiled machine. Dash wants to give the privacy-lovers their due, but more importantly, they want to put "digital cash" in the palms of what are now fiat users, people who look at you confused when you use words like "private key" and "QR code" will be their customer base.

Dash is the lady who will rush across the board to solve a problem no one else seems interested in solving. This is powerful. She seeks to be the "Apple/IPod" to Bitcoin's "Microsoft", and assuming their "evolution" project and smart marketing strategies pay off, I think we just might see her coronation around 2018. (Translation: buy, hold, maybe mine)

3. The Rook: Etherium-- Etherium is an exceedingly powerful instrument for digital contracts. It is moving strong in value. Yet it violates one of the fundamentals of economics, the law of supply and demand and in that sense has a weakness similar to fiat. They can do a lot, but they don't watch their corners well. Still, good to have a rook on your side to protect the king, help the queen, and go in for the kill when the market is hot. (Translation: buy, hold, but don't go overboard and make it the bulk of the portafolio)

4. The Knights, and the Bishops-- I would knight Steemit, and/or dress it in robes if so preferred. Monero would also get knighted for its valiance in protecting privacy. Ripple is showing promise too, but Ripple and his ilk have sided with fiat in some ways, and there are those who want that system to crash altogether. I hope for peace of course.

Steemit is unique. I think I would make it a priest, as it seems concerned about quality content, helping others, and noble ideas such as that. Monero is more of a street-smart fighter, very stealthy. (Translation: Steemit, as an aspiring content creator, earn and hold. Monero can be CPU mined, so what's not to lose?)

5. The Pawns-- Now don't be offended if I put your favorite in this category! A pawn is a noble subject indeed! A pawn played right is a Queen in time. I would view many of the penny and sub-penny coins in this area. Bytecoin and Siacoin are two that seem to be taking the right positions, and advancing towards the enemies' furthest flanks quite well, but of course there are others.

The power of pawns is in their numbers, their "esprit de corp" and their willingness to be sacrificed (Translation: LOTS of them can be purchased inexpensively, and if they pop, use them the strengthen the King--buy BTC--or make them Queens--buy Dash. Be willing to sacrifice/sell them when they pop, but don't sell all, who knows?)

There are three key maneuvers also quite useful in this game:

I. CASTLE MOVE: This is where you CASTLE your most precious assets. How? Use a TREZOR or some similar device! So that you are, as they say, the "King of your own castle" (Translation: Trezor the bulk of your BTC, Dash & Etherium)

II. EN Passant: This is where a pawn makes a bold, diagonal move "in passing" it's opponent. (Translation: be daring with inexpensive coins, trade them more frequently, buy in volume when low. Bytecoin can be CPU mined, so again, what's not to lose? Small cap altcoins are the place to take reasonable risks, and get creative.)

III CHECK your opponent While this should be a "no brainer" I mention it because it deserves explanation (& I hope I'm not stretching the chess analogy too far). This means to see the weaknesses of the opponent (mainly fiat) and go in for the kill. Anytime there's a Cyprus, a Greece, a global bailout, etc. be quick to catch the wave. Anytime you hear of real innovation in a given coin, ditto.

Look, I'm no Bobby Fisher, and my advice here is purely for your amusement. Seek the advice of professionals before betting the farm; but I'd love to hear YOUR OPINIONS on this...who would be your "King" or "Queen" in this game? I'm curious. Perhaps Steem would be your King or Queen--tell me why. I've been buying BTC for years, but haven't taken the greater risks until recently.

Please comment, upvote, etc. and thanks in advance for everything!
(note: coming soon: I will attempt to explain my "Crypto Monopoly" strategy!)