Chess Gaffs in Films

[Jon Mahony]

Just watched the Hammer version of “Hound of the Baskervilles” - there is a scene early on where Peter Cushing playing Holmes, is listening to Dr Mortimer tell the legend of the hound, while covering his eyes, suddenly he exclaims “Aha!” turns to a chess board next to his chair and makes a very obvious Rook capture with his Queen – not exactly a gaff as the casual / none chess player wouldn’t notice, but definitely a cringe moment to a club player, as obviously Holmes was supposed to be thinking very deep into a complicated position.

Its not really obvious who Holmes is playing with either – presumably he is deliberating on a postal game or problem

[Stewart Reuben]

Surely even more serious a gaffe is that, in that film, the bottom right corner square was black.
So overwhelming was White's position that I had to check that Qxd6 was the only mate in 1.
Sherlock never played chess in the original stories.
I don't think I ever saw the film. Bob Basalla's book 'Chess in the Movies' is an excellent reference work.

[Jon Mahony]

Hi Stewart, ah didn't notice the board was the wrong way round as well!

It's worth seeing, its probably the best production of the story on screen in my opinion - The Jeremy Brett version has too much waffle, and the recent more recent 2002 version has cheap looking production values and Richard E Grant as Stapleton, hamming it up at every opportunity. Of course there has been a few other versions as well.

It's been a while since I've read any Holmes but as far as I can remember you are right, there is no mention of him ever playing - Watson does suggest going to Simpsons in one story, but I think it's more to fill his face than to play Chess.

When the stories were originally published and people thought they were real life accounts, it was believed that Holmes had retired from sleuthing and disguised himself as the American Harry Nelson Pillsbury, in order to win some Chess tournaments.