For 6 weeks, the Max Mosley Scandal has played out like some Machiavellian chess match. Grand Master Max and his unseen political enemies have played gambit after gambit, positioning key pieces and sacrificing others as they approach the end-game. In chess, and in life, there are moments of brilliance and missteps that foreshadow how things will end. What follows is a summary of the events leading up to Mosley’s imminent defeat.

• News of the World publishes shocking allegations and photos of Mosley engaging in S&M sex scenes with five prostitutes. The paper alleges there is a Nazi theme. Max takes legal action against the paper.

• Personalities in the racing world start to speak out publicly, demanding that Mosley should resign for the good of the sport. Several auto manufacturers and FIA Clubs also issue statements calling on Mosley to resign. The charge of, “bringing the sport into disrepute” is mentioned often.

• Mosley rebuts letters from BMW, Mercedes, Honda and Toyota, suggesting that their discomfort with the situation (specifically the alleged Nazi theme) is not surprising given that BMW and Mercedes used Jewish slave labor during World War II. The audacious remarks renew calls for his resignation.

• Max, via a letter to the FIA Presidents and a soft interview with the Independent, puts forward his reasons for staying on. He insists that he is a victim of a sting operation intended to remove him from office but that he has seven letters of support for every letter calling for his resignation. He also reveals that he will be stepping down voluntarily in October 2009 and not seeking re-election. The letter underscores a clever strategy of suggesting ample support to win a confidence vote and gives dissenting members the exit they want - but critically, on Max’s terms.

• Max is told by the Crown Prince of Bahrain that he is not welcome at the Bahrain Grand Prix because his presence would detract from the event.

• Max chooses to skip the Spanish GP and attend the Rally of Jordan. He issues a press release indicating he has been invited by the FIA Club of Israel to discuss future racing opportunities, demonstrating that it is business as usual at the FIA. Within hours the government of Israel, which was not aware of the scandal, retracts their invitation with ‘immediate’ effect.

• Mosley, in his boldest move yet, writes to the FIA Clubs to inform them that his long time ally, Bernie Ecclestone, and other business parties are attempting to take control of Formula 1. Max reveals that he is in critical negotiations that will determine the future of the sport.

• Ecclestone writes to the FIA Clubs informing him that Mosley’s letter is nonsense and that he recognizes the inherent right of the FIA to govern the sport. He accuses Mosley of creating this crisis to distract people from the real issue - Max’s ability to govern the sport.

• Max attends the Monaco Grand Prix but keeps a low profile knowing that the Royal Family does not want to be seen with him. Despite his ‘business as usual’ bravado, several key figures decline his meeting requests and it becomes obvious that he is a lame duck President.

• Finally, with a vote of confidence only days away, Max’s most powerful supporter, Bernie Ecclestone, states publicly in the press that Mosley must step down. It is a crushing blow to Max and comes when there is little time to recover.

Max played a sensible strategy in the beginning but as the opposition grew his moves have become more desperate and erratic, culminating with the attack on Ecclestone. Where one initially got the sense that Max would win a difficult but achievable victory, it now feels like the winds of fortune have changed and he is facing a complete and utterly devastating defeat.

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