THE GREAT GAME OF CHESS ON THE BIG SCREEN : IT WOULD BE GOOD IF THEY GOT THE BASICS RIGHT

THE GOOD CHESS EXPERIENCE – Chess is ranked as the best-selling board game of all time. In the USA, over three million chess boards are estimated to be sold each year. So how many chess players are there in the world? About 70% of the adult population (USA, UK, Germany, Russia, India) has played chess at some point in their lives. 605 million adults worldwide play chess regularly. This statistic is a testament to the immense popularity of chess, with over a half billion people playing it.

Mathematically there are more possible games of chess, than there are atoms in the Observable Universe. And yet, it is possible to checkmate an opponent in chess in two moves. Millions of people are actively engaged in FIDE-rated competition games of chess, and this which makes chess, to be one of the most popular board games today. There are an estimated 8.2 million active FIDE-rated chess players in the world.

THE BAD CHESS EXPERIENCE – Dear Hollywood Director, Frank Darabont, YES indeed you are not a chess player, and during your movie, The Shawshank Redemption (1994), so why show an un-playable game of chess?

CHESS Continuity + CHESS Accuracy, and with a fifty percent random chance of the board rotated either 90 degrees OR 180 degrees; but YES you failed to employ anyone on your set, who knew how to correctly play CHESS.

THE BAD CHECKERS EXPERIENCE – The Shawshank Redemption (1994), so why show an incorrectly played game of checkers?

CHECKERS Continuity + CHECKERS Accuracy, and with a fifty percent random chance of the board rotated either 90 degrees OR 180 degrees; but YES you failed to employ anyone on your set, who knew how to correctly play CHECKERS.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) – – – Goofs – – – At 1:27:56 minutes, Andy Dufresne is obviously a very intelligent man, and fond of playing chess in his prison cell. However the improper backwards set up of the chess board is obvious. Unfortunately the chess board was incorrectly set up, so that the bottom-right square is black.

Unfortunately as a consequence, the black queen and king plus the white queen and king are all on the wrong starting squares. No one ever plays the game of chess with the bottom-right square as black, because then all the kings and queens would then be incorrectly placed on the wrong color starting squares. How to set up the pieces on a chess board: First set up the board so that the bottom-right square is white . . . Place a rook on each of your two corners . . . Place the knights next to the rooks . . . Place the bishops to the inside of the knights . . . Place the queen on the remaining, matching-color square . . .

The Shawshank Redemption (1994) – Goofs – At 1.23.26 minutes, unfortunately the Checkers game board was incorrectly set up, so that the bottom-right square is black. However the improper backwards set up of the Checkers game board is obvious.

Checkers also known as Draughts. The game board is usually displayed with the twelve light pieces at the bottom; and with this orientation, the lower-right corner square must be white, i.e. the lower-leftmost square should be black. The playable surface consists of using only the dark squares of the game board. Starting Position – Each player starts with their twelve men, each only on the dark squares of the three rows closest to that player’s side. The row closest to each player, is called the kings row or crownhead. The player with the darker-colored pieces moves first. Then turns alternate.

THE BAD CHESS EXPERIENCE – Dear Hollywood Director, Greta Gerwig, YES indeed you are not a chess player, and during your movie, Barbie (2023), so why show an un-playable game of chess?

Barbie (2023) – – – Goofs – – – At 4:12 minutes, when the audience is meeting the Barbies in Barbie Land, two Barbies are seen playing chess, but the chess board is set up inappropriately. However the improper backwards set up of the chess board is obvious. It has been rotated 90 degrees; the square in the right corner should always be white. Unfortunately the chess board was incorrectly set up, so that the bottom-right square is dark (pink).

Unfortunately as a consequence, the dark (pink) queen and king, plus the white queen and king are all on the wrong starting squares. No one ever plays the game of chess with the bottom-right square as dark (pink), because then all the kings and queens would then be incorrectly placed on the wrong color starting squares. How to set up the pieces on a chess board: First set up the board so that the bottom-right square is white . . . Place a rook on each of your two corners . . . Place the knights next to the rooks . . . Place the bishops to the inside of the knights . . . Place the queen on the remaining, matching-color square . . .

THE BAD CHESS EXPERIENCE – Dear British Director, Alfred Hitchcock, YES indeed you are not a chess player, and during your movie, The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927), so why show an un-playable game of chess?

The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927) – – – Goofs – – – (at around 24 mins) The Lodger (Ivor Novello) and Daisy (June Tripp) are playing a game of chess. The chess board is set up incorrectly, as the bottom-right square is black. This is most obvious when The Lodger is poking the coals in the fireplace.

THE BAD CHESS EXPERIENCE – Dear French Director, Gilles Legardinier, YES indeed you are not a chess player, and during your movie, Mr Blake At Your Service (2023) – – – Complètement cramé (2023), so why show an un-playable game of chess?

Mr Blake At Your Service (2023) – – – Complètement cramé (2023) – – – Goofs – – – Mr Blake is obviously a very intelligent man, and fond of playing chess. However the improper backwards set up of the chess board is obvious. Unfortunately the chess board was incorrectly set up, so that the bottom-right square is black.