Fun with chess: a selection of very short chess movies

by Arne Kaehler
4/7/2020 – Most chess players are fascinated by films about their favourite game even though they often critically check whether everything is "correct" chess-wise. Okay, some films about chess have shortcomings but others are simply fun to watch - and here is a selection of very short films in which chess plays a prominent role. In fact, none of the films takes more than five minutes to watch. Enjoy!
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Six short films about chess

A chess dispute (1903)

This is probably the oldest chess movie ever made. It is the brainchild of Robert William Paul, an early pioneer of British movies who started to make films back in the 19th century. With a recently opened exhibition the National Science and Media Museum in Bradford pays tribute to this Forgotten Showman.

And no, there is no sound.

Draw (2020)

This film is 117 years younger than Robert William Paul's study about a dispute at the chess board, and Martin Kamminga, a 22-year old student of Visual Effects (VFX) from the Netherlands, created this little masterpiece. Kamminga's Behance account shows more of his work.

When kings clash

Geri's Game (1997)

Pixar presents this little evergreen which was created by the Czech writer and animator Jan Pinkava. The film shows how Geri, the protagonist of the film, spends a beautiful autumn day in Paris in a park to play chess against against a much stronger opponent – himself.

In times of the coronavirus, this might be a good way to play chess

Illegal Move (2016)

Illegal Move was made by Sana Srinivasan and Kyle Lopez and funded on Kickstarter. It is my favourite of the six movies selected here.

The film retells the familiar story how a knight saves the queen but comes up with a twist!

Check (2016)

Check by Christopher Cox takes a look at the thoughts players might have during a game. But be warned: the short film contains a lot of very foul language!

Gentlemen, please!!!

Pokerfish (2015)

Pokerfish is a black & white film by Sachin Bhat from India. This film shows an actual game but also scenes that violate the rules of chess.

A noble chess player

By the way: the opening of the game in the film was a favourite of Bobby Fischer and gave him a number of fine victories.

The King’s Indian Attack is a unique opening system in that it offers White a dynamic and interesting game but without the need to know reams of theory. In addition to being easy to learn it has an excellent pedigree, leading exponents including great players such as Bobby Fischer, Tigran Petrosian, David Bronstein, Viktor Korchnoi, Leonid Stein and Lev Psakhis. GM Nigel Davies presents a complete repertoire for White.

And here's the critical position of the game in the film

 

Do you know any other (short) films about chess? And which is your favourite of the selection above? Use the comments to share your thoughts and favourite chess films!

Arne Kaehler, a creative mind who is passionate about board games in general, was born in Hamburg and learned to play chess at a young age. By teaching chess to youth teams and creating chess-related videos on YouTube, Arne was able to expand this passion and has even created an online course for anyone who wants to learn how to play chess. Arne writes for the English and German news sites, but focuses mainly on content for the ChessBase media channels.

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