Highly gifted mathematician and computer specialist (Bruno Ganz) develops a chess program that should be able to defeat every opponent but one day loses against the world champion. Therefore the mathematician "swears vengeance" and becomes a chess pro himself, but his passion for the game turns to sick paranoia.
This could be seen as a critical movie about the chess scene but there's more to it. Ganz (exceptional) plays a man who's trapped in his own dream world and finally succumbs to it (there are parallels to the later "Erfinder" (Inventor) Ganz stars in, and other parallels to the abysmal "Knight moves" with Christopher Lambert). Furthermore, the whole film is an allegory for a politic and economic system that's become unbearable. It's only drawback are it's TV roots. Otherwise this could have been a great cineastic pleasure.
This could be seen as a critical movie about the chess scene but there's more to it. Ganz (exceptional) plays a man who's trapped in his own dream world and finally succumbs to it (there are parallels to the later "Erfinder" (Inventor) Ganz stars in, and other parallels to the abysmal "Knight moves" with Christopher Lambert). Furthermore, the whole film is an allegory for a politic and economic system that's become unbearable. It's only drawback are it's TV roots. Otherwise this could have been a great cineastic pleasure.