Schachnovelle

About “Schachnovelle”

On a passenger ship traveling from New York to Buenos Aires, a millionaire challenges the chess world champion, Mirko Czentovic, to a match for a fee. The accompanying Dr. B., an Austrian immigrant, advises the challenger and manages to secure a draw. Dr. B. had been locked in a hotel room by the Gestapo during his arrest and isolated from the outside world for months. To maintain his mental strength, he played 150 games of chess in solitude, which led to a nervous fever and his eventual release. Now, he plays his first match against a real opponent, though the opponent plays like a robot. His goal is to determine whether his actions during imprisonment were still a game or had turned into madness. He defeats the world champion in the first game but reluctantly agrees to a rematch. During the second game, he is seized by the nervous fever again and abandons the match. He never plays chess again.