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loses out to the time clock, forcing the game to adjourn. However, outside the venue, he is whisked away by an accomplice of
Valentinov who abandons him in the countryside. His former teacher knows that this will completely unhinge him because of the memory of his parents' abandonment many years ago.
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In the film Luzhin's final moves were made by his fiancé. The tournament had been paused after Luzhin had a nervous breakdown which had been caused by extreme strain. On the same day he was going to get married he committed suicide by jumping from the hotel balcony. His fiancé later found a piece of
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The film then concludes in the competition hall where
Natalia completes the competition using her fiancé's notes. She discovers the papers in his pocket and an experienced chess player explains to her the matter of the notes. In an arranged meeting without public she plays against Turati who does
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Eventually Luzhin leaves the hospital. He and
Natalia then agree to marry at the earliest opportunity. However, on the morning of the wedding, Luzhin is put into a car with Valentinov, who tells him that there is the small matter of finishing the competition. In terror, Luzhin leaps from the car.
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The competition starts badly for Luzhin, who is unsettled by the presence of his former friend and coach. He struggles through the early rounds but he soon begins to win again as his relationship with Katkov becomes closer and intimate. She then informs her parents that she is going to marry him.
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Luzhin, who is in his muddied wedding suit, sits in his room as
Natalia and the hotel staff try to open the door. But before they can get in, the troubled chess grandmaster throws himself out of his bedroom window and dies. The tragic death is witnessed by Valentinov who has just arrived by car.
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Luzhin is taken to the hospital suffering from complete mental exhaustion. The doctor informs Katkov that he will die if he keeps playing chess as he is addicted to the game and it is consuming his very being. Nevertheless, even while recuperating
Valentinov comes around with a chess board
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It is the early 1920s and
Aleksandr Ivanovich 'Sascha' Luzhin (Turturro), a gifted but tormented chess player, arrives in a Northern Italian city to compete in an international chess competition. Prior to the tournament he meets Natalia Katkov (Watson) and he falls in love with her almost
410:), a Russian, who is Luzhin's former chess tutor from pre-revolutionary Russia. Valentinov tells the Italian that Luzhin cannot handle pressure and he intimates he will make sure that his former prodigy will be unsettled off-table, giving Turati a winning chance.
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In the novel, Valentinov's first name is never mentioned; on the contrary, Luzhin's first name is revealed only in the closing sentences. Another dissimilarity is that the novel ends up by Luzhin's suicide, thereby his game would be never finished.
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Dazed, cut and mentally confused, he stumbles back to the hotel where he tries to dig up the rest of the glass chess pieces he buried on the grounds years ago, (1:36:39 "I've got the King but I need the whole army...") but he does not find them.
1366:"In all probability suffering from severe arteriosclerosis, he has had a slight dizzy spell or a rush of blood to the head, and in seeking some fresh air by opening a low silled window he fell out." Mieses and Kagan in
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encouraging Luzhin to finish the match with the
Italian, Turati. Natalia defends her beloved but urges him to break off with the game. Luzhin seems to agree.
1326:
The film opened in 59 cinemas in the United
Kingdom on 8 September 2000 and grossed £59,779 in its opening weekend, placing at 15th at the UK box office.
1390:
Leona Toker. Nabokov: The
Mystery of Literary Structure, Chap. 5 "Secret Asymmetries", p. 84, Par. 3. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New York, 1989.
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position they play for the final between Turati and Luzhin is already a winning position for Black (Luzhin), even though Black is down on
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immediately. She in turn finds his manner to be appealing and they begin to see each other in spite of her mother's disapproval.
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If White plays 1. Kf2 instead of 1. Kg4 this leads to a heavy material loss for White and an easy game for Black:
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Nevertheless, Luzhin (White) is shown playing the illegal winning move to wild applause from the audience.
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paper inside his jacket where he had written down his intended final moves against Turati.
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exactly what Luzhin expected and loses. Katkov and Turati then leave acknowledging the
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In Luzhin's previous game, on his way to the final, the film shows an inaccurate
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Competing alongside Luzhin in the championship is
Dottore Salvatore Turati (
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Luzhin wanders aimlessly until he collapses and is found by a group of
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The sequence is as follows, Luzhin has just played his rook to e8 (
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move. The scene shows White (Luzhin) play an apparently brilliant
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Meanwhile, Luzhin goes on to reach the final and face Turati.
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577:. The scene at the railway station is in Brenna-Alzate, near
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Emily Watson received best actress nominations at the
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In the film, the Black rook was erroneously placed on
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48:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
357:and the young woman he meets while competing at a
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871:. By playing 1. Kg4 (as opposed to 1. Kf2)
353:. The film centres on a mentally tormented
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1261:) although it is not clear if this was a
108:Learn how and when to remove this message
1638:Films based on works by Vladimir Nabokov
1407:"International box office: UK/Ireland".
406:), who is approached by Leo Valentinov (
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1503:article about movie and final game
1295:White's last move is illegal (see
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538:by leaping from a window in 1924.
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1678:Films scored by Alexandre Desplat
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1413:. 15 September 2000. p. 30.
1372:Kagans Neueste Schachnachrichten,
1648:Films directed by Marleen Gorris
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33:needs additional citations for
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417:But in the finals the Russian
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1643:Films based on Russian novels
1508:Vidmar - Euwe, Karlsbad 1929.
1415:Includes previews of £303,645
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1265:or not. Play then continues:
1231:However, White's rook on the
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1683:2000s English-language films
1663:British romantic drama films
1470:AFI Catalog of Feature Films
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1668:French romantic drama films
1314:over future world champion
938:and Black is up by a rook.
279:September 8, 2000
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446:and the genius of Luzhin.
388:London Film Critics Circle
249:Clear Blue Sky Productions
1653:2000 romantic drama films
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599:to describe chess moves.
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365:was based on the novel
551:Széchenyi Chain Bridge
549:, these included the
527:on the life of German
359:world-class tournament
1658:Romantic period films
1557:A Question of Silence
1228:followed by Rd1-d8#.
563:Museum of Ethnography
287: (United Kingdom)
1605:Within the Whirlwind
1410:Screen International
480:Christopher Thompson
264:UGC Fox Distribution
205:Christopher Thompson
57:"The Luzhin Defence"
42:improve this article
1688:2000s British films
1247:by Black's rook on
951:Luzhin vs. Unknown
532:Curt von Bardeleben
1693:2000s French films
1589:The Luzhin Defence
1543:Films directed by
1488:The Luzhin Defence
1477:The Luzhin Defence
1464:The Luzhin Defence
1458:TCM Movie Database
1453:The Luzhin Defence
1442:The Luzhin Defence
1431:The Luzhin Defence
1343:"Nominations 2000"
605:Turati vs. Luzhin
597:algebraic notation
595:This article uses
512:as Luzhin's Mother
506:as Luzhin's Father
373:The Luzhin Defence
334:The Luzhin Defence
126:The Luzhin Defence
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1312:Milan Vidmar
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1285:4. Qf8+ Kxf8
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529:chess master
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510:Kelly Hunter
492:Peter Blythe
486:Fabio Sartor
462:Emily Watson
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404:Fabio Sartor
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296:Running time
272:Release date
209:Kelly Hunter
193:Emily Watson
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40:Please help
35:verification
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1306:instead of
1280:3. Nf5+ Kg8
1222:combination
1218:checkmating
918:5. Kh4 Bf2#
913:4. gxh3 h6+
908:3. Nd5 Rh3!
903:2. Kh4 Be7#
524:The Defense
482:as Stassard
424:Blackshirts
368:The Defense
345:, starring
326:$ 1,864,747
300:109 minutes
177:Produced by
163:The Defense
153:Peter Berry
140:Directed by
98:August 2011
1628:2000 films
1622:Categories
1330:References
1270:1. ... Bf8
1235:square is
899:2. Kg5 Kg7
894:1. Kg4 f5+
589:The finale
567:Villa Erba
517:Production
504:Mark Tandy
498:Orla Brady
464:as Natalia
363:screenplay
337:is a 2000
323:Box office
283:2000-09-08
238:Production
167:1964 novel
68:newspapers
887:sacrifice
880:checkmate
575:Lake Como
573:, on the
571:Cernobbio
488:as Turati
458:as Luzhin
305:Countries
240:companies
1597:Carolina
1447:AllMovie
1368:Nachrufe
1316:Max Euwe
869:material
543:Budapest
390:Awards.
386:and the
315:Language
266:(France)
225:Music by
185:Starring
158:Based on
1467:at the
1456:at the
1322:Release
1290:5. Rd8#
1263:capture
882:with a
536:suicide
500:as Anna
494:as Ilya
470:as Vera
318:English
281: (
82:scholar
1608:(2009)
1600:(2003)
1592:(2000)
1584:(1997)
1576:(1995)
1568:(1984)
1560:(1982)
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1352:3 June
1237:pinned
877:forced
419:Émigré
310:France
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873:White
865:chess
375:) by
89:JSTOR
75:books
1436:IMDb
1392:ISBN
1378:1924
1354:2018
1241:king
884:rook
863:The
579:Como
557:and
450:Cast
394:Plot
371:(or
349:and
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