Off-Topic: World Chess Championship 2013, Game 5

 

After four draws, Magnus Carlsen drew the first blood today. It was a very complex game, beyond the capabilities of normal players like me. It's claimed that the game was won because Vishy blundered in move 45, but it's no exaggeration to say that Vishy's blunders are better than my best moves.

Carlsen, Magnus – Viswanathan, Anand
FWCM 2013 Chennai (5) 15.11.2013

1. c4 e6 
2. d4 d5 
3. Nc3 c6 
4. e4 dxe4 
5. Nxe4 Bb4+ 
6. Nc3 c5 
7. a3 Ba5 
8. Nf3 Nf6 
9. Be3 Nc6 

The next move at this position surprised the commentators. Expected was something like 10.dxc5, gaining a pawn advantage. In this position a doubling of the c-pawns would be strong, especially after a queen swap. Instead of this Magnus played 10.Qd3, preparing the way for queenside castling and moving the rook into the centre of the board. This gained a small but significant advantage for Magnus that Vishy had to fight against for the next 30 moves.

10. Qd3 cxd4 
11. Nxd4 Ng4 
12. O-O-O Nxe3 
13. fxe3 Bc7 
14. Nxc6 bxc6 
15. Qxd8+ Bxd8 
16. Be2 Ke7 
17. Bf3 Bd7 
18. Ne4 Bb6 
19. c5 f5 
20. cxb6 fxe4
21. b7 Rab8 
22. Bxe4 Rxb7 
23. Rhf1 Rb5 
24. Rf4 g5 
25. Rf3 h5 
26. Rdf1 Be8 
27. Bc2 Rc5 
28. Rf6 h4 
29. e4 a5 
30. Kd2 Rb5 
31. b3 Bh5 
32. Kc3 Rc5+ 
33. Kb2 Rd8
34. R1f2 Rd4 
35. Rh6 Bd1 
36. Bb1 Rb5 
37. Kc3 c5 
38. Rb2 e5 

By move 38 the game had developed into a complex rook and pawn endgame. Some commentators considered the game drawn, and others even saw a small advantage for Vishy, but over the next four moves Magnus gained a pawn advantage. The structure of Vishy's remaining pawns was shattered, and having them on advanced squares was a liability, not an advantage.

39. Rg6 a4 
40. Rxg5 Rxb3+ 
41. Rxb3 Bxb3 
42. Rxe5+ Kd6 
43. Rh5 Rd1 
44. e5+ Kd5 
45. Bh7 

This is the position at which Vishy's notorious blunder occurred. It's claimed that if he had played 45...Ra1 he would have had a chance at a draw. Instead he played 45...Rc1+, and by move 51 Magnus was two pawns up. Vishy should have resigned in move 51, but he struggled on for a few more moves and resigned in move 58.

45....Rc1+ 
46. Kb2 Rg1 
47. Bg8+ Kc6 
48. Rh6+ Kd7 
49. Bxb3 axb3 
50. Kxb3 Rxg2 
51. Rxh4 Ke6 
52. a4 Kxe5 
53. a5 Kd6 
54. Rh7 Kd5 
55. a6 c4+ 
56. Kc3 Ra2 
57. a7 Kc5 
58. h4 
1 – 0 

Even weak players should have no trouble seeing the easy win for Magnus here. The black rook can stop either the a-pawn or the h-pawn becoming a queen, but not both. At best Vishy could delay the inevitable by harrassing the white king with checks, but that wouldn't be worthy of world champions. The game was over and they both knew it.

The score is now 3-2 with seven games to go. Let's hope for more excitement tomorrow.

Off-Topic: Brian Farmer Murder Trial, Day 3

Day 3 -- November 15, 2013

First I have to apologise to my readers for leaving today's trial update so late. Starting at lunchtime I had terrible indigestion, which got progressively worse during the day. When I got home I was feeling so sick that I had to go to bed for five hours. I blame the food in the court's restaurant. Today fish and chips was served, which is an easy enough dish to make, but the chips were hard, the peas were hard and the fish was rubbery. Despite the convenience of being able to stay in the building to eat, I shan't do it again. There are better and cheaper restaurants throughout the city centre.

Now to the trial itself. A forensic expert described the blood that she found in Brian's flat, and what she thinks it meant. Blood was found on the walls and the floor in the living room, hallway, kitchen and bathroom. Apart from a small amount of blood on the door there was no blood in the bedroom. He was found dead without shoes, wearing only a green jumper and boxer shorts, but there was a pair of trainers soaked with blood, suggesting that the blood trickled down his legs into the shoes for a long time before they were removed.

Apart from the blood, the walls were covered with stains from many other items, especially in the living room. These included eggs, tomato ketchup and brown sauce.

Clumps of hair were found in a black bin bag in the bathroom. More hair was found underneath his chair, which had been turned to face the wall.

All the text messages sent from Jason Andrews and Lisa Clarke between May 9th and May 16th were read to the court. Most of the messages were irrelevant, but a pattern did emerge. From May 9th to May 13th Jason was sending texts and receiving no answers, making him believe his relationship with Lisa was over. After that there were frequent replies. The most significant messages were a text from Lisa in which she said, "Martin isn't happy that you killed an old man", and two almost identical texts from Jason in which he said that he needed Lisa's help because he was "looking at life".

After this the police statements of Jason Andrews, Lisa Clarke and Vaughan Davies were read. Jason exercised his right to remain silent. He replied "no comment" to all questions asked by the police. The questions were read to us, including questions such as "Do you know Brian Farmer?" and "Did you kill Brian Farmer?"

Lisa Clarke was more talkative during her interviews. She replied to most of the questions. She claimed that there was only a minor argument in Brian's flat. She says that Brian had already been attacked by two men called Dino and Dizzy before she arrived. While she was there she didn't attack Brian, and she says that if Jason had attacked him she would have told him to stop.

Vaughan Davies gave a very detailed portrayal of the events. It seems that there were some slight differences in dates and times from what he had told his social worker, but this may be due to the social worker not making notes until after the meeting and making mistakes in small details. Vaughan Davies said that he travelled to Birmingham from Leicester on May 6th 2012. He met Lisa Clarke and John Campion at the train station, and together they took a taxi to Bateman House, Yardley, where Brian lived. In his police interview he claimed that Brian was alone at home when they arrived at about 6pm. The first thing that happened when he arrived was that he smoked a spliff. After about 20 minutes Lisa began to hit Brian because he had been "sniffing her knickers". She hit him over the head with a stereo loudspeaker, which shattered on his head, she punched him repeatedly, and she poured boiling water over him. At first Vaughan tried to persuade Lisa to stop, but then Brian told Vaughan, "I helped you piss when you were two years old". Vaughan had never met Brian before, but he interpreted this as a confession of sexual abuse, so he punched Brian three times.

Jason Andrews arrived at about 7pm. Lisa encouraged him to attack Brian. Jason repeatedly wanted to stop, but Lisa insisted that he should continue because Brian had been sniffing her knickers. John Campion took no part in the attack, and he left at 8pm. Vaughan wanted to leave as well, but Lisa threatened to hurt him if he left. The attacks on Brian lasted five hours, until 11pm. During this time Vaughan said that they were bouncing everything off his head; they smashed picture frames on his head, they threw eggs at him, they hit him over the head with bottles of tomato ketchup and brown sauce. Jason cut off Brian's beard with a bread knife, but he denied that Brian was stabbed while he was there. Vaughan let Lisa and Jason continue with the attack while he went into the kitchen to cook some food. Lisa took the chicken that he was cooking and used it to hit Brian on the head.

At 11pm Vaughan fell asleep on the sofa. Brian fell asleep on the armchair. Lisa and Jason slept in the bedroom. In the morning Vaughan woke up first. Brian said he was feeling okay. Vaughan cooked breakfast for Brian and himself, then left. Vaughan claimed that this was the first and only time that he ever visited Brian. When he left he was stopped by two big black men who were carrying a gun. They asked where Brian lived, and he gave them directions.

After the trial I spoke to one of Brian's sisters. She said that she interprets the comment about Brian helping Vaughan piss differently. Brian suffered from dementia, and he often didn't recognise people. Vaughan had blond hair, so it's her opinion that Brian thought Vaughan was his son.

Off-Topic: Brian Farmer Murder Trial, Day 2

Day 2 -- November 14, 2013

Today was a half day in court. For the first time the complications in the case became apparent. The four people charged with the murder each have their own defence lawyers. They are accusing each other of the crimes, so the defence "team" is not presenting a united front. A witness today, a relative of Lisa Clarke, reported phone calls and conversations in which it was claimed that Jason Andrews had "slit an old geezer". Lisa Clarke's lawyer is relying on this testimony, whereas Jason Andrews' lawyer accused the witness of inventing the story, saying that the phone calls had never taken place. Effectively, the defence lawyers are doing the prosecution's job.

The Mummy [1999] (5 Stars)

I'm trying to remember when I last watched this film. It can't have been in the last three years, or it would be listed in my blog. I loved the film ever since I first saw it on television, and I watched the DVD a few times. It must have been one of the first DVDs I bought. I can't remember exactly. I wish I had started my blog earlier, when I bought my first DVD player, or maybe even earlier. It would help jog my memory. My blog is intended to be read by other people, but it's also interesting for me as a film diary, as a record of what I've watched. I can imagine that 10 years from now I'll be reading the old posts with great interest, and they'll be fresh to me, as if written by someone else. At least I have a record of what films I've watched since September 2010 and when I watched them. Almost when I watched them, at least. Sometimes I'm a day late with a review. For instance, I watched "Casa de mi Padre" on Tuesday evening, then went to bed and reviewed it the next day. On occasions I've watched two or three films in a row, then reviewed them in one sitting, but always in the correct order. The only film that I've watched without reviewing over the last three years was "Paul". I saw it in the cinema with my daughter when it was first released, probably February 2011, and I didn't realise until I bought the DVD later in the year that I'd forgotten the review.

Okay, I realise I'm rambling on. What I wanted to say is that this is a great film that I should watch more often. I'll probably watch the Mummy Trilogy back to back over the next few days. I don't understand why this film isn't more popular. People say that it isn't as good as the original Mummy film, made in 1932, of which this is a remake. I'm sorry, I don't get it. Boris Karloff was a good actor, and the original film made good viewing, but there's no way it's as good as the new version. I'm not saying that because of the limited technical capabilities of the past, I do like some old black and white films. The new film is perfect. It has everything going for it. It has action, humour, mystic suspense and such rich characters in all the main roles. Brendan Fraser, the sometimes inept hero. John Hannah, the always inept hero. Rachel Weisz, the damsel in distress, or rather the anti-damsel-in-distress, "an intelligent, highly educated woman who loudly proclaims women's independence, but becomes weak and helpless as soon as a strong man confronts her". Kevin O'Connor, the slimy little betrayer. Oded Fehr, the enigmatic Madjai warrior. And last but not least Arnold Vosloo as the evil but somehow likeable high priest Imhotep, who is willing to destroy the world for love.

I won't go into the plot here. All I'll say is that if you haven't seen the film yet you should watch it as soon as possible. It's a masterpiece. Take my word for it.

Casa De Mi Padre (4 Stars)

Sometimes I forget one of my favourite films for years. Other times I have to keep returning to a film. Despite a few negative points I love this film. Will Ferrell's stony face and rigid delivering of his lines carries the film. Please pronounce his name correctly, the emphasis is on the "-ell". At first I thought he was just parodying spaghetti westerns, but his demeanour has more in common with John Wayne.

Click here to view the trailer.

Off-Topic: Brian Farmer Murder Trial, Day 1

Day 1 -- November 13, 2013

Today the trial of the people accused of killing Brian Farmer began. I intend to attend in person every day. I don't know if I'll write a report every day. It depends on whether anything significant is said. The trial is scheduled to last six weeks, but the judge mentioned today that it might continue into January.

The main news today is that all charges against John Campion have been dropped. The prosecution is satisfied that he was not present in Brian's flat on the date of the murder. The four people being charged are Lisa Clarke, Jason Andrews, Vaughan Davies and Peter Knowles.

The jury was selected yesterday, but two jurors had to be replaced today. One had to be removed because of a conflict of interests. The other asked to be relieved of his duties for personal reasons, which the judge allowed. The final jury is made up of one man and eleven women.

In the morning the prosecutor, Mr. Evans, presented his case. On May 14th 2012 Vaughan Davies, who lived in Leictershire, approached his social worker and told her he had witnessed an assault while visiting Birmingham. On May 5th he arrived in Birmingham and met Lisa Clarke at New Street Station. Together they travelled to Yardley, to the flat of a man he had never met before, Brian Farmer. Other people were already present. Vaughan claimed that an argument began, and Lisa hit Brian over the head with a stereo loudspeaker. After this she poured boiling water on him from a kettle. Vaughan got involved and punched Brian twice, then left. As he was leaving two black men arrived with a gun looking for Brian. After hearing this story the social worker encouraged him to speak to the police, which he did on the following day, but due to the inefficiency of the police communications between Birmingham and Leicestershire the police didn't visit Brian's flat until the evening of May 19th. When the police entered the flat they found Brian dead in a chair. He had seven broken ribs, multiple stab wounds, injuries to the head and cigarette burns.

With the help of Vaughan's statement the police were able to arrest the other three people who were in the flat. All four (including Vaughan) have pleaded not guilty, blaming each other for the murder. The prosecution intends to prove that all four are guilty. Even Vaughan Davies' testimony does not tell the whole truth. He claims to have visited Brian only once, but CCTV footage shows him going in and out of the building from May 5th until early morning on May 8th.

Those were the claims of the prosecutor, which will have to be proved during the trial. In the afternoon the first few witnesses were heard: two social workers, Vaughan's previous landlady, and the first Birmingham policeman who spoke to Vaughan. Written testimonies were read on matters relating to the case. From April 11th onwards there were various complaints from Brian's neighbours about Brian being visited by anti-social, abusive people. A representative from the council visited Brian on May 10th with a police escort, but he didn't answer the door, and no attempt was made to enter. On May 5th and 7th rubbish was found outside, which might have been thrown out of the window of Brian's flat.

Off-Topic: World Chess Championship 2013, Game 4

Another day, another draw. Does that sound boring to you? If you answer yes you're obviously not a chess fan. This was the most exciting game of the world championship so far. The advantage see-sawed back and forth. For most of the game Vishy had the advantage. Then Magnus took over. And finally the game ended in a draw.

The players chose the Ruy-Lopez Berlin Defence, an opening that leads to an early queen swap in move 8. 

Anand, Viswanathan – Carlsen, Magnus
FWCM 2013 Chennai (4) 13.11.2013

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 Nf6
4. O-O Nxe4
5. d4 Nd6
6. Bxc6 dxc6
7. dxe5 Nf5
8. Qxd8+ Kxd8
9. h3 Bd7
10. Rd1 Be7
11. Nc3 Kc8
12. Bg5 h6
13. Bxe7 Nxe7
14. Rd2 c5
15. Rad1 Be6
16. Ne1 Ng6
17. Nd3 b6

In move 18 Vishy offered a pawn sacrifice by playing Ne2, which Magnus immediately accepted. This led to a middlegame in which Vishy had more active pieces and total control of the centre of the board. Magnus fought to hold onto the pawn advantage, and it wasn't until the end of the first time control (move 40) that the game looked favourable for him.

18. Ne2 Bxa2
19. b3 c4
20. Ndc1 cxb3
21. cxb3 Bb1
22. f4 Kb7
23. Nc3 Bf5
24. g4 Bc8
25. Nd3 h5
26. f5 Ne7
27. Nb5 hxg4
28. hxg4 Rh4
29. Nf2 Nc6
30. Rc2 a5
31. Rc4 g6
32. Rdc1 Bd7
33. e6 fxe6
34. fxe6 Be8
35. Ne4 Rxg4+
36. Kf2 Rf4+
37. Ke3 Rf8
38. Nd4 Nxd4
39. Rxc7+ Ka6
40. Kxd4 Rd8+

After move 45 the game turned into a very tricky double rook endgame. The two opponents slugged it out until Magnus finally offered a draw at move 64. I'm looking forward to seeing an analysis of this part of the game by a grandmaster. Was there a possible win that Magnus missed? I don't know. I'm not that good a player.

41. Kc3 Rf3+
42. Kb2 Re3
43. Rc8 Rdd3
44. Ra8+ Kb7
45. Rxe8 Rxe4
46. e7 Rg3
47. Rc3 Re2+
48. Rc2 Ree3
49. Ka2 g5
50. Rd2 Re5
51. Rd7+ Kc6
52. Red8 Rge3
53. Rd6+ Kb7
54. R8d7+ Ka6
55. Rd5 Re2+
56. Ka3 Re6
57. Rd8 g4
58. Rg5 Rxe7
59. Ra8+ Kb7
60. Rag8 a4
61. Rxg4 axb3
62. R8g7 Ka6
63. Rxe7 Rxe7
64. Kxb3
½ – ½

Off-Topic: World Chess Championship 2013, Game 3

After yesterday's rest day Magnus and Vishy met again to play the third game of the world championship match. I don't know if Magnus saw his fans waving the Norwegian flag for him, but I'm sure they would have put a smile on his face.

There was a noticeably smaller media presence at the match at the Chennai Hyatt Regency Hotel today. It can't be expected that international newspapers can stay interested in chess for four days in a row. Especially not after two draws. The cameramen probably took enough photos in the first two days to use for the whole championship. If reporters want to write about the game they can clone the reports from news agencies. Only dedicated fans will be present for the whole match.

The first two days began with quick moves. Today both players slowed down from the third move on, showing that they were moving away from common theory and into uncharted territory. The first two moves were the same as the first game, but then Magnus played 3.c4 instead of 3.Bg2. Vishy's reply 3...dxc4 is a rarely played move that surprised the commentators. This drew out Magnus' queen to retake the pawn, and this became the problem of the whole game: what was Magnus going to do with his queen? Its advanced position became a liability as the game progressed, and whenever it was attacked it became a dilemma where to move it.

Carlsen, Magnus – Viswanathan, Anand
FWCM 2013 Chennai (3) 12.11.2013

1. Nf3 d5
2. g3 g6
3. c4 dxc4
4. Qa4+ Nc6
5. Bg2 Bg7
6. Nc3 e5
7. Qxc4 Nge7
8. O-O O-O
9. d3 h6
10. Bd2 Nd4
11. Nxd4 exd4
12. Ne4 c6
13. Bb4 Be6

This position, the first attack on the queen in move 13, highlights the problems. In my opinion it would have been better to advance the queen to c5, with the possibility of forcing a queen swap if it remained in danger. Instead of this Magnus chose the passive move 14.Qc1. I don't understand Magnus' following move, 15.a4. From this move on the pawn on b2 was lost, just waiting to be taken. A better move would have been 15.b3. From here on Vishy's position on the queenside improved steadily, and Magnus' queen had to flee to f4 in move 20.

14. Qc1 Bd5
15. a4 b6
16. Bxe7 Qxe7
17. a5 Rab8
18. Re1 Rfc8
19. axb6 axb6
20. Qf4 Rd8
21. h4 Kh7

In my opinion, Magnus' following move was a mistake. Playing 22.Nd2 cut off the queen's main escape route, and Vishy's following attacks forced it into the corner. There was a possibility of turning this into an advantage by doubling the rooks on the a-file and winning control of a8, but Vishy's constant pressure gave no chance for this to happen. The queen remained trapped in the corner until the rooks were exchanged in moves 36 to 38. By then it was too late. Magnus had no chance of winning. The best he could hope for was a draw.

22. Nd2 Be5
23. Qg4 h5
24. Qh3 Be6
25. Qh1 c5
26. Ne4 Kg7
27. Ng5 b5
28. e3 dxe3
29. Rxe3 Bd4
30. Re2 c4
31. Nxe6+ fxe6
32. Be4 cxd3
33. Rd2 Qb4
34. Rad1 Bxb2
35. Qf3 Bf6
36. Rxd3 Rxd3
37. Rxd3 Rd8
38. Rxd8 Bxd8
39. Bd3 Qd4
40. Bxb5 Qf6

Maybe the rook exchange was a miscalculation on Vishy's part. His advantage over the previous 20 moves had withered away. After playing 40...Qf6, which was the end of the first time control, Vishy offered Magnus a draw. Magnus declined, surprisingly. I don't know what he thought he could achieve. The two players made another 11 moves relatively quickly, finally reaching a position where checkmate was impossible due to insufficient material. Another draw, arguably a lucky escape for Magnus. For the majority of the game I was expecting his first defeat.

41. Qb7+ Be7
42. Kg2 g5
43. hxg5 Qxg5
44. Bc4 h4 
45. Qc7 hxg3 
46. Qxg3 e5 
47. Kf3 Qxg3+ 
48. fxg3 Bc5 
49. Ke4 Bd4 
50. Kf5 Bf2 
51. Kxe5 Bxg3+
½ – ½ 



Evidently Magnus Carlsen is something of a film fan. His favourite film is "Pulp Fiction". He has good taste. According to his father, Magnus wants to watch "The Hangover Part 3" this week. I haven't seen it. I hope he enjoys it. Or maybe he should just wave from his hotel window and hope that his Norwegian fans will drop their flag and wave back.

TV Series: Dexter

At the moment I'm watching the seventh season of "Dexter". I'm taking it slowly, savouring it, because I know that the eighth season is the last. In my opinion the series should have ended after the scene in the picture above, in the seventh episode of season seven. When I die that's the way I want to go. It's even more exciting than Dexter's close escape in season four, when Christina Cox followed Dexter into the men's room and accused him of trying to rape her.

This ain't Avatar XXX 3D (1 Star)

As I mentioned in my review in April 2012, this was the first film that Axel Braun shot in 3D. Since then about half of his films are filmed in 3D, although the 2D version is always included on the discs. Last year I only watched the film in 2D. I thought I would go back to it today and watch it in 3D. And the result is just terrible. Awful. The film is unwatchable. After the first five minutes I turned it off, it was hurting my eyes. I have no idea what was wrong. Maybe the 3D glasses included with the DVD are faulty. Maybe my flat screen television isn't suitable for 3D films. Maybe my eyes aren't suited for glasses like that. Whatever the reason is, I hate the end result. Sorry, Axel. In future I'll stick to 2D films at home.

I gave the film a good review when I first watched it, and I still recommend it. My one star rating applies to the 3D version only.

P.S. I don't usually post photos of naked breasts in this blog to avoid offending my readers who are strict Christian fundamentalists. I've made an exception today because the breasts are blue. If anyone can give me a quote from the Bible telling me that blue breasts are sinful I'll remove the picture.

Off-Topic: World Chess Championship 2013, Game 2

Today was the second game of the 2013 World Chess Championship, in which the the challenger, Magnus Carlsen from Norway, faced the five-time world champion, Vishy Anand from India. Who is winning the war of nerves? It was noticeable that today Vishy arrived first, sitting for minutes staring at the pieces. (See the photo below). On the other hand, Magnus clumsily knocked over a pawn when he made his first move.

After yesterday's drawn game, considered disappointing by many, both players were out for blood today. Vishy opened with 1. e4, which was countered by Magnus with 1...c6, and the game developed into a well-known Caro-Kann position. Both players made fast moves until move 14, showing that this was pure routine for grandmasters at their level.

Anand, Viswanathan – Carlsen, Magnus
FWCM 2013 Chennai (2) 10.11.2013

1. e4 c6
2. d4 d5
3. Nc3 dxe4
4. Nxe4 Bf5
5. Ng3 Bg6
6. h4 h6
7. Nf3 e6
8. Ne5 Bh7
9. Bd3 Bxd3
10. Qxd3 Nd7
11. f4 Bb4+
12. c3 Be7
13. Bd2 Ngf6
14. O-O-O O-O

This is an interesting asymmetrical position after the castling on opposite sides. Vishy has more active pieces, and it's up to him to press his advantage. After 20 minutes of deliberation he finally played 15. Ne4, which I personally found surprising. I assume his intention was to free his g-pawn, but the net result was the immediate exchange of all four knights, lessening Vishy's positional advantage. When Magnus played 17...Qd5 I'm sure his intention was to force Vishy's queen into a retreat, but instead of this Vishy swapped queens. Suddenly things were looking the other way. Black's position was better for the first time in the game.

15. Ne4 Nxe4
16. Qxe4 Nxe5
17. fxe5 Qd5
18. Qxd5 cxd5

As those who have followed Magnus Carlsen's career know, this is the sort of position he relishes. Despite Black's positional advantage on the queenside most players, even at grandmaster level, would consider it a draw, but Magnus plays doggedly, wearing his opponent down. My prediction at this point was a win for Magnus after 50 moves.

As expected, over the next three moves Magnus began to advance his pawns. Vishy was also developing his pieces on the kingside, which Magnus totally ignored. There was no immediate threat, Magnus' king was better protected than Vishy's. But then something came that I didn't expect. I wonder if Magnus saw it coming. I'm not sure. Beginning with 22. Rg3 Vishy forced a draw by repetition. This was a disappointing end to the game, but good strategy for Vishy. He had no chance of victory, so a draw was a good result.

19. h5 b5
20. Rh3 a5
21. Rf1 Rac8
22. Rg3 Kh7
23. Rgf3 Kg8
24. Rg3 Kh7
25. Rgf3 Kg8
½ – ½

I don't know how Magnus could have avoided this. He could have played either 21...Bg5 or 21...f6. Both of these moves would have weakened his kingside defence, but not enough for Vishy to make a fatal blow. After 21...f6 Vishy might be able to force a rook swap, increasing the probability of a draw, so 21...Bg5 would be the better of the two moves. Whether it would be good enough is a question for better chess players than me to answer.

So the result after two drawn games is 1-1. I found the second game a lot more exciting than the first. Let's hope the championship continues this way.

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Nobody has made any comments yet, but I'll answer potential complaints in advance. Yes, I know this is a film blog. Yes, I know chess has nothing to do with films. No, I don't intend to do anything about it. This is my blog, and I'll write about whatever interests me. I've considered creating a second blog for general non-film topics, but I don't think it's worth it. I rarely write about anything but films. This month will be an exception. I shall probably make more off-topic posts this month than I have in the last three years.

For those of you who do enjoy chess, I hope my posts on the world championship are helpful. My posts don't go deep into chess analysis, they're intended to be read by hobby players. If you're an experienced club player you can find more detailed game analyses online. There are many to choose from, but I personally recommend Daniel King's YouTube channel. If you're willing to wait I'm sure that grandmasters all over the world will publish in depth commentaries on the games after the championship is over. I too could say more about the individual games if I took more time, but my priority is posting the result within a few hours of each game finishing.

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I've been examining 21...Bg5, and it seems like it could create too many problems for Black after 21...Bg5 22.Bxg5 hxg5 23.h6. It's still worth further analysis though. On the other hand, 19...f6 seems like a more viable option. Advancing the f-pawn works better two moves earlier, before White has developed his rooks. At first glance it seems like a bad move, since Black is giving up his king's protection, but even after various pawn exchanges, such as 19...f6 20.Rde1 fxe5 21.Rxe5 or 19...f6 20.exf6 Bxf6 21.Rde1 Rac8 22.Rxe6 Bxd4, White doesn't have enough possibility to mount a major attack before Black advances queenside.

Intergalactic Swingers (3 Stars)

The title of this film is deceptive. I'm guessing it was picked because it sounded catchy, not because it's an accurate portrayal of what happens in the film.

Alana and Dara are travelling across space on a vital mission. Their planet is dying, and they have to find a new planet suitable for colonisation. They discover the Earth, and they beam down to explore. While on the Earth they discover that an asteroid is on a collision course for the Earth, an asteroid so large that it will destroy all life on Earth. They decide to help the people of Earth avert the tragedy, at first because they want to save the planet for themselves, but then because they are growing to like the people of Earth. Or rather the women of Earth. Alana and Dara are lesbians. Don't get me wrong, I accept everyone's sexual choices, but I don't think this lifestyle is the best choice for colonising a new planet.

This is the third film that's been directed by Dean McKendrick. Unfortunately, it's not up to the standard of his previous films. Ryan Driller is reasonable as the computer geek Steve, but none of the other actors are convincing in their roles.

Off-Topic: World Chess Championship 2013, Game 1

Top level chess is all about psychology. Based on tournament performances Magnus Carlsen is the world's strongest player, but the reigning champion Viswanathan (Vishy) Anand has already won the world championship five times. Magnus is 22 and physically at his peak, but Vishy is 43 and has the advantage of experience. So who has the better nerves? Who will crack first under pressure?

Vishy relaxes with his wife

The tension was already apparent before the game started. Magnus was sitting at the board a few minutes before the game, adjusting his pieces, collecting his thoughts before Vishy arrived.

Magnus prays to the Gods of Chess

Magnus began the world championship with Nf3 and steered the game into a solid Fianchetto Grunfeld position, but then he soon showed why opening preparation is his weakness. He was already on the defensive after the 9th move. After 9. Nc3 Vishy played 9...dxc4 which weakened Carlsen’s pawn structure and allowed him to place his pieces on active squares. As he admitted in the following press conference, Magnus realised he had slipped up and saw no way to victory, so in the 13th and 14th moves he offered a draw by repetition. After long deliberation Vishy accepted the draw. This meant that the first game ended in a draw after 90 minutes and only 16 moves.

Carlsen, Magnus – Viswanathan, Anand
FWCM 2013 Chennai (1) 9.11.2013

1. Nf3 d5
2. g3 g6
3. Bg2 Bg7
4. d4 c6
5. O-O Nf6
6. b3 O-O
7. Bb2 Bf5
8. c4 Nbd7

9. Nc3 dxc4
10. bxc4 Nb6
11. c5 Nc4
12. Bc1 Nd5
13. Qb3 Na5
14. Qa3 Nc4
15. Qb3 Na5
16. Qa3 Nc4 
½ – ½

It's no surprise for games at world championship level to be drawn, especially the first game in the series. The international press has been writing as if Magnus will have an easy victory. I can guarantee my readers, nothing will be easy in this world championship.

Do or die (2003) (3 Stars)

This film takes place in the near future in an unnamed city. It's filmed in Toronto, and care is taken not to show any famous landmarks, but people who live in the city may recognise it.

An illness called the Blight has struck mankind. About half of the world's population is infected. Those who are infected age rapidly and die within a few weeks, unless they have an injection every day for the rest of their lives. The film's main character is Ruth Hennessey, whose husband Jack is murdered in the opening scenes. Jack Hennessey worked for Grantine, the world's largest company, the only company that makes serums for the injections. Jack has discovered that there is a cure for the Blight that Grantine is keeping secret.

As low budget made-for-television movies go it's okay. The action scenes are reasonably well acted. The film's premise is hard to understand. It's clearly stated that the Blight is non-contagious, it can only be transmitted from parents to children, but if that's the case how did half the human race get infected in the first place? I admit that I watched the film because it starred Guylain St-Onge in one of her few film roles before she died of cancer at the age of 39. In her television roles, such as "Earth Final Conflict" and "La Femme Nikita", she oozes sexuality. In this film she's less exciting, but still attractive.

Guylain St-Onge
November 5, 1965 – March 3, 2005

Enter the Dragon (5 Stars)

The first film that I saw which starred Bruce Lee was "The Big Boss", now better known by its American name, "Fists of Fury". I went to see it with my friend Mick Cooksey in a small cinema next to the Christian Science church at the bottom of the Parade in Sutton Coldfield. That was the only time I ever went to that cinema, and the only time I ever went to any cinema with Mick. He was a good friend of mine during my school and university years. We shared a love of Klaus Schulze's music. I lost touch with him when I moved to Germany. That's a shame.

I'd seen a few martial arts films before, some Chinese and some Japanese. At that time I couldn't tell the difference between the races or the fighting styles. It all seems so obvious now. I'd heard the buzz about Bruce Lee and how good he was, so I was excited about seeing the film. It was no disappointment. As soon as Bruce got into his first fight I knew I was watching something special. There's never been another fighter like him in films. The fights of today's top martial arts stars like Jet Li and Donnie Yen look as good as Bruce's, but that's due to the superior film technology we have available now. I'm sure that Jet and Donnie would be the first to admit that they're following in Bruce's footsteps, but at a distance.

Shortly after that I saw "Enter the Dragon" at a cinema in Birmingham with my sister. I've forgotten the name of the cinema, it was a small cinema in New Street, near the Town Hall, which has long since gone. Later I saw "Way of the Dragon" with my girlfriend Louise. "Enter the Dragon" was actually the last film Bruce made, but due to a delay "Way of the Dragon" was the last film shown in English cinemas. As far as I know Bruce's second film, "Fist of Fury", was never shown in England. I didn't see it until years later on videotape.

Apart from early films that he made as a child star in Hong Kong, those were his only four films. And yet these four films have changed cinema forever. His fighting style is what all other actors aspire to, whether they are trained martial artists or not.

I admit that "Enter the Dragon", which was made in 1973, seems very dated today. The racial stereotypes are ever present. The dialogue is stilted, partly because the Chinese actors were speaking in English, partly because the American actors weren't actors at all, they were professional fighters starring in their first film. But guess what? I don't care. This film stands up as a masterpiece. Maybe it has less fighting in it than "The Big Boss", but what it does have is amazing. If I ever get round to making a list of 50 films to watch before you die, "Enter the Dragon" will be in it.

Hannah Arendt (3½ Stars)

It was difficult for me to watch this film. I found so many of the things said by the title character offensive. It's a true story, so I'm attempting to keep an open mind and judge the film impartially.

Hannah Arendt was a German Jew who was born in 1906. She studied Philosophy at the University of Marburg, where she had an affair with one of her professors, the famous German philosopher Martin Heidegger. She attempted to become a university lecturer, but this was not allowed because she was a Jew, so she emigrated to France in 1933. After the German invasion of France she was held in a prison camp in Gurs in southern France, but she escaped before she could be transported to Poland. In 1941 she moved to America with a fake passport. She worked at several American universities lecturing Philosophy and Political Theory.

When she heard about the capture of Adolf Eichmann in 1960 and his upcoming trial in Israel, she wrote to the "New Yorker" and offered her services as trial reporter. When she returned to America after the trial she shocked the world by casting doubts on whether the guilty verdict was justified. She did not see Eichmann as an evil person in himself, he was just a petty bureaucrat sitting at a desk doing his job. Effectively, she accepted his defence that he was "just obeying orders", although she expanded on this to ask questions about the nature of good and evil.

I understand Hannah's arguments. She asked questions that I too have asked myself, although I have come to different conclusions. What makes a person good or evil? Disobeying orders makes a person a traitor, and being a traitor is bad, so it's good to obey orders. I agree that it is generally good to obey the laws of the land and the commands given by superiors. It is generally bad to break the law. However, any intelligent person has to think about what he is being asked to do. The human conscience should not be turned off whenever commands are given. It might be difficult to disobey, there might be extreme consequences, but in the case of Nazi Germany there were hundreds, maybe thousands of people who disobeyed orders. They are now considered heroes.

Hannah Arendt is entitled to her opinion about Adolf Eichmann. But her opinion is wrong.

The Look of Love (4 Stars)

This is the true story of Paul Raymond, the man who arrived in London with five shillings (less than a dollar) in his pocket and died a billionaire. Rather than concentrating on his path to riches the film follows his relationship with the woman he loved most in the world, his daughter Debbie.

Paul Raymond was born as Geoffrey Quinn in 1925. He avoided serving in the second world war by pretending to have a heart condition. He made his first money selling goods on the black market. After the war he worked in a fairground as a mind reader. His first step on the road to riches was in 1951 when he opened England's first strip club. With the money he made he had the foresight to invest in property, buying hundreds of buildings in London's Soho area at a time when they were cheap. However, his main interest was in presenting naked women to the public. The first women he showed weren't allowed to move on stage, but as laws became more liberal they could dance and even simulate erotic acts. He insisted that he wasn't selling pornography, it was all about art, but he was often fined for indecency. He didn't care about the fines, because every court case brought him publicity and more customers.

From strip clubs he branched out into theatres and music halls, but everything he did featured nudity, whether it was full nudity or just bare breasts. In 1971 he bought the men's magazine "Men Only", which soon became England's best selling men's magazine, selling more copies in England than any other English magazine, also outselling imported magazines like "Playboy" and "Penthouse". When "Men Only" fell to third place in the late 1980's he reacted by buying his competitors' companies, giving himself a monopoly.

In his personal life Paul Raymond was amoral. He was married twice, followed by a long relationship to the columnist Fiona Richmond, but he was never faithful to any of the women in his life. This alienated his son Howard, but his daughter Debbie stuck with him whatever happened. At first it might have been teenage rebellion; after the divorce from his second wife Debbie remained with her mother, but finding her too strict she went to live with her father. This was Debbie's downfall. Paul doubtlessly loved his daughter, but he should have been stricter with her. He never criticised her for using cocaine. A good father would have done everything to make her stop.

Debbie wanted to have a career as an actress and singer. Her father did everything he could to support her, giving her the lead role in his performances. Everyone around her knew that she had no talent. Everyone except for her father. This is excusable. I would have done the same in his position, as far as putting her on stage was concerned. I wouldn't have let her use drugs. She died of a heroine overdose in 1992. Did Paul recognise his guilt? I don't know. What I do know is that after her death he became a recluse, rarely leaving his penthouse. All the joy had gone from his life.

The film is simple but overpowering, framed by scenes of Paul as an old man alone in his room watching family videos. Maybe the film should have told more. The story starts in 1958, when he was already a wealthy man. I would have liked to see his early struggles. In the first half of the film Paul is portrayed as a superficial pleasure seeker, and it's difficult to like him. While watching the second half, as the relationship with his now adult daughter deepened, I had tears in my eyes. There's nothing more beautiful than the relationship between father and daughter.

Off-Topic: Magnus Carlsen Documentary

The world chess championship between Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan "Vishy" Anand starts on November 9th. I strongly recommend the following video, shown this week on a Norwegian television station. I apologise for the advert at the beginning, I don't know how to block it. It's pretty useless, it's in Norwegian. Be patient, it only lasts 10 seconds.

Argo (4 Stars)

This film, the true story of the rescue of six American fugitives from Iran in 1980, won the Academy Award for best film in 2013. I personally don't think it was the best film at the awards. I consider both "Django Unchained" and "The Life of Pi" better. Nevertheless, "Argo" is a very good film, once more proving that truth can be stranger than fiction.

On November 4th 1979 Iranian protesters, led by students, stormed the American embassy in Teheran and held the embassy staff as hostages. In exchange for their freedom they demanded the extradition of the Shah, the country's previous leader, from the USA to Iran. Unknown to the Iranians six of the embassy staff escaped through the back door and took refuge in the house of the Canadian ambassador. An American government expert, Tony Mendez, devised an ingenious attempt to free them. He would pose as a Canadian film producer who wanted to make a science fiction film in Iran. The six Americans would be supplied with Canadian passports so they could pretend to be the main members of the film crew: the director, the cameraman, the screenwriter, etc. Since it's a true story it isn't too much of a spoiler to say that the mission was a success. To avoid reprisals against America it was claimed that it was a purely Canadian operation. It wasn't until 1997 that the CIA declassified the mission and Tony Mendez could be publicly honoured.

The film is enjoyable, despite some deviation from the facts for dramatic effect. The final departure from the airport is shown as being hindered by a series of problems. This heightens the suspense and makes it a better film. In actual fact the departure went without a hitch. The Iranians didn't know that the Americans had escaped until they saw them on the American news.

The DVD's extra features make fascinating viewing. The six freed Americans and Tony Mendez are all still alive, so they tell us their thoughts about their ordeal. Former president Jimmy Carter also speaks about the mission.

"History starts out as farce and ends up as tragedy".

That's a misquote from Karl Marx, but it sums up the film's message. The whole Iranian revolution was a joke. Incompetent people took power who had no skill at ruling. Now, 30 years later, we see the tragedy. Iran is still being ruled by a Fascist anti-semitic regime that gives its people no freedom and voices threats to neighbouring countries. The current president of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, has denied that the Holocaust ever took place. The world needs to sit up and take notice. In the 1930's the rhetoric of Germany's leader was ignored, allowing the biggest genocide in world history to take place. Have we learnt nothing from history? Fascism is an evil that should never again be tolerated. Iran's leaders should be arrested and imprisoned for life.

Haywire (3½ Stars)

Mallory Kane is employed by an unnamed private company that does jobs for the American government. It's an organisation that does things America isn't allowed to do itself, things it would like to deny responsibility for. In this case Mallory travels to Spain to free a Chinese informer who is being held by Basque separatists. Unfortunately Mallory is set up. The informer is killed, and she is given the blame. She has to flee across Spain, Ireland, England, Canada and America, pursued both by her former colleagues and good cops.

This isn't a bad film. As far as the action and suspense goes it's quite good. And look at all the big name actors in it: Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender. But something is missing. The film doesn't have that certain magic that makes me jump up and shout about it. That's the magic that I look for in every film I watch. It might be a Hollywood blockbuster, it might be an indie film with unknown actors, it might even be an erotic comedy. Either a film has the magic or it doesn't. In cases where the magic is missing it's often difficult to say where the blame falls. In this film it's easy to point a finger. The film's weak link is the lead character, Gina Carano, who plays Mallory Kane. As another reviewer has written, she's "all kick and no charisma".

So who is Gina Carino? She has a successful career behind her as a Mixed Martial Artist (MMA). She appeared in "American Gladiators". She's now retired from fighting and has decided to follow a career in films. In many ways she's a perfect action heroine. She can jump around the room beating up men as fast as they attack her. I'm almost certain she does all her own stunts. But as I said before, she's "all kick and no charisma". When she talks she's boring. When she performs a love scene she seems awkward. She can't win my sympathy as a viewer. Maybe she'll improve over the next few years. I hope so. She's one of the favorites to play Wonder Woman in a future DC film. If she can learn to act better she'll be a good choice.