Step 5: 2. Middle Situations

3. Responses and Execution > 2. Situation Response >2. Identify Situation > 2. Middle Situations

Which of the following best describes your competitive situation?

1. Both my competitors and I are making progress but using different paths.
   6.4.4 Open Situations

   6.4.4 Open Situations

   "You can use some terrain to advance easily.
   Others can advance along with you.
   This is open terrain."
   Sun Tzu's The Art of War 11:1:18-20

   Situation: 

   The challenge in an open situation is finding the best way to utilize a given opportunity. The open situation puts us in a contest where the best methods for winning the contest are uncertain because they depend upon the as-yet-unknown potential of the ground. We are forced to choose among alternative routes with the clear probability of choosing the wrong such path.
2. All competitors are converging on the same area but no one has established dominance.
   6.4.5 Intersecting Situations

   6.4.5 Intersecting Situations

   "Everyone shares access to a given area.
   The first one to arrive there can gather a larger group than anyone else.
   This is intersecting terrain."
   Sun Tzu's The Art of War 11:1:18-20

   Situation: 

   The challenge here is almost the opposite of that in the open situation. In the open situation, no one knows which path leads to a successful position. In the intersecting situation, everyone agrees on what a successful position is, but no one has the resources needed to create it. What we have discovered in the intersecting situation is that our path to success requires more resources than we have alone.
3. My rivals or competitors have cut off from the resources that I need to continue my move.
   6.4.6 Serious Situations

   6.4.6 Serious Situations

   "You can penetrate deeply into hostile territory.
   Then many hostile cities are behind you.
   This is dangerous terrain."
   Sun Tzu's The Art of War 11:1:24-27

   Situation: 

   The serious situation arises when we run low on resources and lose contact with our original source of support for our move or campaign. All resources are limited and we cannot make progress without the resources to continue our venture. However, our move has taken us so far from our sources of support that we have a problem getting additional resources. Our rivals can use our distance to either block the flow of those resources and/or turn our supporters who provide resources against us.