Bond reflects on the importance of the opening stages of an investigation. Early mistakes can be especially damaging because they shape what follows: a false assumption, poor judgement or missed detail may send the entire effort in the wrong direction before there is enough information to correct it.

The reference to giving the enemy the “first game” frames the situation as a contest in which initial errors create an advantage for the opposing side. Once that advantage is established, later competence may not be enough to recover what has been lost.

More broadly, the quotation highlights the strategic value of careful beginnings. In complex or high-stakes work, the first decisions often determine the quality of later choices. It therefore stresses preparation, disciplined judgement and the need to avoid preventable errors before they become embedded in the course of events.