The Luzhin Defence

Infobox Film
name = The Luzhin Defence

|259pxFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
caption =
director = Marleen Gorris
producer =
writer = Vladimir Nabokov (novel)
Peter Berry (screenplay)
narrator =
starring = John Turturro
Emily Watson
Geraldine James
Stuart Wilson
Christopher Thompson
music =
cinematography =
editing =
distributor =
released =
runtime = 109 mins
country = UK/
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0211492

"The Luzhin Defence" is a 2000 movie, directed by Dutch director Marleen Gorris. The screenplay was written by Peter Berry and based on the novel "The Defense" (or "The Luzhin Defence") by Vladimir Nabokov. Nabokov in turn drew upon the events in the life of his friend Curt von Bardeleben who committed suicide in 1924. The movie stars John Turturro as the tormented Luzhin; Emily Watson plays the love interest, Natalia. Watson received best actress nominations at the British Independent Film Awards and the London Film Critics Circle Awards.

The finale

Chess diagram small|=
tright
Turati - Luzhin
=
| | | | |kd| | |=
| | | | |pd| |pd|=
pd| | | | | |pd| |=
| |bd| | | | | |=
pl| | | | |pl| | |=
|pl|nl| |rd|kl| | |=
| | | |bl| |pl|pl|=
| |rl| | | | | |=
White to move.The chess position they play for the final between Turati and Luzhin is already a winning position for Black (Luzhin), even though Black is down on material. By playing 1. Kg4? (as opposed to 1. Kf2) White walks into a forced mate with a rook sacrifice:

* 1. Kg4? f5+
* 2. Kg5 Kg7
* 3. Nd5 Rh3!
* 4. gxh3 h6+
* 5. Kh4 Bf2#

If White plays 1. Kf2 instead of 1. Kg4 this leads to a heavy material loss for White and an easy game for Black:
* 1. Kf2 Rxc3+
* 2. Ke1 Rxc1+
* 3. Kd2 Rg1
* 4. Bxa6 Rxg2+
* 5. Kc3 Rxh2and Black is up by a rook.

In the film Luzhin's final moves were made by the fiancee after Luzhin had committed suicide. The tournament had been paused after Luzhin had a breakdown. He had written down his last moves on a piece of paper.

External links

*
* [http://www.thechessdrum.net/newsbriefs/2003/NB_Luzhin.html article about movie and final game]