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Chess
by Tristan (tristanbk@hotmail.com)

Rated: PG-13   Genre: Drama   User Review: ***
Fairly unconventional short about a boy, a man, and a game of chess.


This screenplay is copyrighted to its author. All rights reserved. This screenplay may not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of the author.



FADE IN:

INT. SMALL AND MESSY 6TH FLOOR ROOM - DAY
                                                            
DIMITRI rises from his bed and slowly walks towards the
mirror over his bathroom sink. While singing, he carefully
trims his mustache.
                                                            
INT. HALLWAY
                                                            
CARLSON walks down hallway, sees that the door to DIMITRI's
room is slightly open, and cautiously peers in.
                                                            
INT. ROOM
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
I see you. Come. Come in.
                                                            
CARLSON steps into the room. As soon as he enters DIMITRI
grabs him, shoves him against a wall and points a gun up to
the side of his face. He holds it there for a few seconds
before lowering it.
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
I am kidding. It is a fake.
                                                            
DIMITRI laughs, points gun at own head and pulls trigger,
mimicking the effect of having his brains blown out.
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
You don't look very shaken.
                                                            
                       CARLSON
I have long since accepted death.
(Pauses than laughs) No, your gun
looks like a toy. And who could be
scared of a face like that.
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
(grunts and thinks for a few
seconds) Do you play chess. I have
been lonely here. I would like to
play against someone whose face I
can see.
                                                            
DIMITRI walks over to his cluttered desk and throws books
and papers around while looking for his chessboard.
                                                            
                                         LATER
                                                            

2.

DIMITRI and CARLSON sit on the floor with a chessboard
between them. They start a game, and move their pieces while
they talk.
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
My whole family played. If I kept
filling my father's glass with
Schnapps I could sneak out a win.
I never play against a computer. A
computer plays stupid chess. It
always wins but it cannot play.
But I watched Kasparov play Deep
Blue with great interest. First
match is in 1996. 6 games are
played. Kasparov wins 3 draws 2.
Computer wins for first time in
history, but it is not an
interesting game. Computer plays
like a computer. The match is a
definite victory for humans.
Computers are insufficient to beat
a grandmaster.
                                                            
                       CARLSON
There are more possible plays in
the first 40 moves of a chess game
than there are atoms in the
universe.
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
That true?
                                                            
                       CARLSON
Yes.
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
The rematch is in 1997. It is a
BIG deal. IBM has gotten serious.
Huge billboards cover New York
City. First game: computer is a
computer. It is stupid. Kasparov
starts with King's Indian attack
and wins easily. Second
game--EVERYTHING changes. The
entire heirarchy of human vs.
computer changes. The computer not
only wins, it comes back from a
very unfavorable position, it
refuses to take two of Kasparov's
pawns, it plays an inspired
strategy. It plays like a human.
Kasparov is astounded, so
frustrated that he fails to see a
possible draw and resigns. He
            (MORE)

3.

                       DIMITRI (cont'd)
never recovers for the rest of the
match. Two more draws and a
humiliating final loss because he
can't get over it, can't stop
thinking about the game.
                                                            
                       CARLSON
I've never lost.
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
You are not winning now.
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
Kasparov thinks IBM cheated. He
makes a joke about Maradonna and
his famous hand of god, the hand
ball that lead him to victory.
Kasparov thinks chess grand
masters were in the impenetrable
secret room manipulating Deep
Blue. Was there cheating involved?
Probably not. But a few things are
certain. That was the end of
chess, that was the end of the
superiority of human intuition
over brute computing power. But,
at least there was more to the
computer than there is today. Even
in the second game, Deep Blue made
mistakes. It had been programmed
and taught by U.S grandmasters and
champions, and the human hand
could still be seen in the way it
thought. That changed very soon.
There are no more mistakes now.
                                                            
                                         LATER
                                                            
DIMITRI and CARLSON smoke a marijuana cigaretter on
DIMITRI's bed. They pass the joint around and breath deeply.
DIMITRI coughs and sings a lullabye-ish folk song.
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
I like your beard.
                                                            
                       CARLSON
      (touching DIMITRIS
       moustache and
       laughing)
I like your mustache.
                                                            

4.

                       DIMITRI
We have a saying where I come
from. A well kept mustache makes a
good and honest man.
                                                            
                       CARLSON
Really?
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
No. (laughs)
                                                            
CARLSON rises from the bed, grabs the gun and mocks shooting
people on the street from the window. After two shots he
tosses the gun onto the bed and sits down again.
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
You always go sneaking around
spying into other people's rooms
young Magnus? I bet you were
trying to catch a glimpse of some
muchacha taking her clothes off.
                                                            
                       CARLSON
No. (thinks) No. I do think that
your neighbor is pretty.
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
Aha! I knew it. She is cute. I'm
surprised you haven't gotten a
pice yet. I hear no end of her at
night. Always men coming and
going.
                                                            
DIMITRI puts a pillow over his face and loudly mimics the
sounds of a female orgasm.
                                                            
                       CARLSON
      (glum)
Well. I think she smiled at me in
the elevator yesterday.
                                                            
DIMITRI patts CARLSON on the back and ruffles his hair. He
picks up the now extinguished joint and prepares to light it
again.
                                                            
                                         LATER
                                                            
CARLSON paces the room, points gun at the chess board, and
shoots. A pellet in the gun dislodges one of the chess
pieces. DIMITRI, who has been sleeping, wakes up.
                                                            

5.

                       CARLSON
Thanks for the game neighbor. You
may be strange and your room
smells like a paprika factory but
I...
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
Farm. Paprika farm. Any paprika
made in factory is little more
than dust.
                                                            
                       CARLSON
I'm pretty sure the methods
commonly used for paprika
manufacturing are completely
irrelavent. (looks at chessboard)
Your strategy seems to have
worked.
                                                            
                       DIMITRI
No STRATEGY works. You need more
than strategy to get by.
                                                            
CARLSON smiles and leaves the room. DIMITRI walks to his
mirror and runs his fingers along his mustache, combs hair,
and sprays on some perfume. The movie ends with a long shot
of him making faces in the mirror.
                                                            


FADE OUT.


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From Bo Date 10/17/2011 ***
I enjoyed the dialogue and characters. It is new to me and pleasant. It has humor and wit. The danger is comical and non threatening but I suppose there will be killing and death later as you complete the story. Chess is an interesting subject to write about. Good luck.


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