The chess scene from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • The chess scene from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

    The new Sherlock Holmes movie, directed by Guy Ritchie, contains a pretty good chess scene, fought out as the movie nears its climax. The movie opened last week.

    Ritchie has utilized the familiar characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but has created new material, distinct from that originated by Doyle.

    "A Game of Shadows", set in 1891, is the second in this particular series, both directed by Ritchie. Certain Holmes purists may be offended by the more action-packed style and dramatization, and modified roles shaped for certain of the characters. I enjoyed both movies; I think the first one from 2009 is a bit better. People familiar with the Holmes stories and novels will detect pieces of plot borrowed from various stories and placed in different contexts.

    In particular, the Irene Adler character gets a huge boost in profile in both of the Ritchie movies. She was a major figure in one of the early Doyle short stories.

    The chess game takes place between the two main protagonists, Holmes and Professor James Moriarty, the arch-villain who is plotting a vast, nefarious scheme which Holmes is trying to prevent. Moriarty also featured prominently in the first Ritchie film. Think of him as a combintion of Bernie Madoff and a modern-day Mafia don, with more smarts and sophistication. The two play their game at night on an icy balcony of a Swiss castle, where an international peace conference is taking place. Moriarty simply assumes the White pieces, and opens 1.c4. And, yes, the board is set up correctly (there have been more than a few movie scenes with chess where the board had a dark square on h1!). Pieces get moved, but any sense the viewer has on what is actually happening on the board gets lost quickly, unfortunately, as the two are more concerned with the bigger 'game' taking place; Moriarty plans an assassination of one of the key diplomats, while Holmes' faithful sidekick Dr. Watson is assigned to prevent that, while Holmes and Moriarty play. Of great interest for me was the antique clock being used; there is no flag present, and for their 5-minute game, when Moriarty makes his move, he presses his side and the entire clock face rocks downwards!! I had never seen a clock of this type before. I guess chess clocks were invented somewhere around 1886 (perhaps some reader may know more and can correct me if I am wrong on this point). As the game progresses, the two protagonists discuss the 'bigger game' taking place inside, Holmes apparently loses on time, but the two carry on the game, by calling their moves out instead of playing them on the board, and they do so in Descriptive Notation, which was the way things were done back then!! Algebraic notation did not catch on until much later. The climax of the inside intrigue occurs (I won't spill the beans, to keep the suspense, in case you want to see for yourself!), Holmes announces a fancy checkmate (which the viewer cannot check out!), and the two engage in a wrestling match, with both going over the balcony's wall, plunging into the deep waterfall below.

    :) :)

  • #2
    Re : The chess scene from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

    I saw the movie yesterday. The clock was very nice. Also, it is possible to have an idea of the checkmate with the last move being bishop to bishop first (?).

    I highly recommend it, by the way.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: The chess scene from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

      Finally saw it. Love how Holmes analyses variations, finds combinations in his fight scenes before he "makes his move." Chess is used as a metaphor throughout. Great chess movie!

      Was a bit annoyed, though, when Moriarty in his office holds the black queen in his hand, discussing the fate of Irene Adler, and puts her back on e8 (the black king is on d8). How can a movie have a chess consultant and a budget over $100 million and make a blunder like that?

      The incorrectly set up board:


      The interesting clock:
      Last edited by Marcus Wilker; Sunday, 1st July, 2012, 02:42 PM. Reason: added photos
      Marcus Wilker
      Annex Chess Club
      Toronto, Ontario

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: The chess scene from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

        Maybe Guy Ritchie did it to annoy the faithful--or impart a subtle clue. On the Extras of the Snatch DVD, you can see Guy Ritchie playing Blitz chess, so there's little chance it was an oversight. The chess clocks that move was a design that I think existed even early into the 20th century. I imagine that a room full of time scrambles would be a riot.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: The chess scene from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

          From http://suite101.com/article/history-...atches-a127230

          By 1883 a mechanical timing device had been invented, to the delight of the entire chess community. This “tumbling” chess clock made its debut in London in 1883 as the invention of Thomas Bright Wilson of Manchester. It consisted of two identical pendulum clocks set on opposite ends of a balance beam. When one player finished his move, he moved his clock into a position that stopped its pendulum and started the opponent’s timer. The tumbling-clock was manufactured by Fattorini & Sons of Bradford, England.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: The chess scene from Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

            'Fivethirtyeight', in its presentation of "seven great movie chess scenes", indicates this cinematic game is a variation on a real-life 1066 game between GM Bent Larsen and the former World Champion, Tigran Petrosian.

            http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/t...-chess-scenes/

            It should be noted that chessgames.com had said Larsen=Petrosian game as one of their games of the day and entitled it "A Game of Shadows".

            http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1106678

            Comment

            Working...
            X