h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

OK, chess is pretty geeky for most people, at least in the US. But the chess world is full of fascinating characters, e.g. one Bobby Fischer who is in the news once again.

I enjoyed "The Luzhin Defence" with John Turturro, based on the Nabokov novel. IMDB's plot line: "Two worlds collide when an eccentric genius falls in love with a strong-willed society beauty." From a reviewer: "The front-end subject is the mind-game and mathematical logic of chess. Beneath it can be a mild tearjerker of a drama set in the late 1920's. Cinematography captures the serene beauty of Lake Como in northern Italy near the Swiss border."

And speaking of Bobby Fischer, I really enjoyed "Searching for Bobby Fischer", plot line "A prepubescent chess prodigy refuses to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable (!) Bobby Fischer." Joe Mantegna plays the real world father who wrote a book about his son's chess exploits. Laurence Fishburne gives a memorable performance as Vinnie, the chess hustler from the park in NY. And Ben Kingsley plays a fading club pro who sees in the boy a final shot at glory as the mentor of the next BF. Many good lines, like when the young hero makes it to the finals against his evil nemesis (of course). The pro and the father are watching in the next room, having been banished from the game room by the director along with all the other "chess parents". Late in the game, the pro sees a move and says, "That's a mistake!" The father looks up and says "Right! (several beats) Which one made the mistake?"

"The Luzhin Defence" Wow! I seriously thought I was the only one who saw that movie... leave it to me to pick such a tearjerker. I couldn't really reccommend it to a lot of people though... seemed to be mostly atmosphere and nuance, and not a lot of people go in for that kind of cinema... excellently directed, however.

Sajurit ray's masterful 'The Chess Players' has to remain the best film about chess ever made, by some considerable margin.

And don't make me remind you of the Chistopher Lumpfish led 'White Knight.'

I've never seen Satyajit Ray's film, but it sounds good at IMDB:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076696/

Now to find it ... Amazon has several dozen books referencting it, but not the movie.

Not sure about the Lumpfish thing ...