In Chess, there is a very simple example of losing due to a lack of preparedness.

A Fool's Mate is a simple four-move checkmate that I lost to when I first started playing Chess. A lack of preparation for this seemingly harmless move can lead to a checkmate and cost you the game. A concept that I found vague is the idea of "form". Sun speaks about form throughout all of the chapters, but elaborates on it heavily in the "Emptiness And Fullness" chapter. At a glance, I thought that form was referring to the basic build of his army. Though still vague, the concept of form is clarified a bit when Sun compares it to water, "Master Sun - So a military force has no constant formation, water has no constant shape: the ability to gain victory by changing and adapting according to the opponent is called genius" (Sun 94). My understanding of form is that it is just another extension of preparedness; of having a plan. Sun suggests that you should plan to not have a concrete plan, therefore you are not only difficult for your opponent to assess, but you can easily adapt to your opponent. For future purposes, Sun Tzu's The Art Of War can be used in a way to make myself well prepared. For any upcoming situation where I want to ensure victory before doing battle, I can prepare by putting myself in the position of Sun's opponent. In this way, I can effectively be assessed by Sun and find my weaknesses and fix them. Once I can see what weaknesses my opponent is looking for, I can prepare myself for victory.