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There is a fantastic article on chessbase.com about the movie "The Imitation Game", which has been nominated for 8 Oscars!! Awards to be presented on Feb. 22.
The movie deals with the British code-breaking success of cracking the German 'Enigma' system during World War II. This won the war for the Allies against what often seemed impossible odds. The Germans NEVER KNEW during the war that their most important signals were compromised, and the secret was only revealed as late as 1974. Much still remains secret today.
Chess is prominent in the film through the exploits of C. H. O'D. Alexander, International Master of chess and world-class codebreaker, who was one of the key mathematicians at Bletchley Park, an hour north of London, where the codebreaking enterprise was headquartered. Central to the codebreaking success was the genius of Alan Turing, who came up with many of the key mathematical breakthroughs, and who can justifiably be recognized as the first-ever computer scientist. Turing was a chessplayer as well, but never attained much in the way playing strength. Philip Stuart Milner-Barry was also part of the Bletchley team; he represented England in international chess at Olympiad level.
It is a movie that I have hoped for many years would be made.
I haven't seen it yet, but hope to very soon. Likely more than once!!
The article also presents, without notes, two of Alexander's best games: wins over Mikhail Botvinnik and David Bronstein. Both are among the best games of all time, in my opinion. Alexander was certainly of GM strength, but had limited playing opportunities at the international level. He was in his prime age for chess during World War II when international chess was virtually non-existent. Then, after the war, he couldn't compete behind the Iron Curtain due to his codebreaking talents, since if he were ever to fall into Soviet hands, vital secrets could have been compromised. The Soviets, even though they were allies of the British, had infiltrated Bletchley Park, MI6, MI5 and the British Foreign Office with such spies as Kim Philby, Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, Anthony Blunt, John Cairncross, possibly Roger Hollis (still in doubt to this day; his son Adrian is a Correspondence GM!), and others, some of whom may never have been discovered.
Here is the website url: http://en.chessbase.com/post/c-h-o-d...nd-codebreaker
The movie deals with the British code-breaking success of cracking the German 'Enigma' system during World War II. This won the war for the Allies against what often seemed impossible odds. The Germans NEVER KNEW during the war that their most important signals were compromised, and the secret was only revealed as late as 1974. Much still remains secret today.
Chess is prominent in the film through the exploits of C. H. O'D. Alexander, International Master of chess and world-class codebreaker, who was one of the key mathematicians at Bletchley Park, an hour north of London, where the codebreaking enterprise was headquartered. Central to the codebreaking success was the genius of Alan Turing, who came up with many of the key mathematical breakthroughs, and who can justifiably be recognized as the first-ever computer scientist. Turing was a chessplayer as well, but never attained much in the way playing strength. Philip Stuart Milner-Barry was also part of the Bletchley team; he represented England in international chess at Olympiad level.
It is a movie that I have hoped for many years would be made.
I haven't seen it yet, but hope to very soon. Likely more than once!!
The article also presents, without notes, two of Alexander's best games: wins over Mikhail Botvinnik and David Bronstein. Both are among the best games of all time, in my opinion. Alexander was certainly of GM strength, but had limited playing opportunities at the international level. He was in his prime age for chess during World War II when international chess was virtually non-existent. Then, after the war, he couldn't compete behind the Iron Curtain due to his codebreaking talents, since if he were ever to fall into Soviet hands, vital secrets could have been compromised. The Soviets, even though they were allies of the British, had infiltrated Bletchley Park, MI6, MI5 and the British Foreign Office with such spies as Kim Philby, Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean, Anthony Blunt, John Cairncross, possibly Roger Hollis (still in doubt to this day; his son Adrian is a Correspondence GM!), and others, some of whom may never have been discovered.
Here is the website url: http://en.chessbase.com/post/c-h-o-d...nd-codebreaker
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