The Player of failures

the Player of failures (in German Schachnovelle ) is a news of Stefan Zweig published in posthumous title in 1943.

On a steamer will be opposed two champions of failures that all separates: there is the champion in title, of a modest origin but which is a frightening tactician, and an aristocrat who could practice only mentally, isolated in a jail deprived during repression Nazi.

Cartoon film

Pixar created a Short-measuring called the Player of failures , of which the original title is Geri' S Game , Oscar of best short-measuring animated 1997. Although the French title of short-measuring is the same one as that of the book, and than the history resembles that of Zweig, this cartoon film is not a adaption of the book, but just vaguely based on the idea of the novel.

Film

A film appeared in 1960 with the setting in scene of Gerd Oswald. The main actors were Curd Jürgens and Mario Adorf.

Summary

Intrigue

The narrator, an Austrian in departure for Argentina, is informed of the presence on board world champion of the failures, Mirko Czentovic.

Czentovic

The childhood of this last is detailed for us: orphan raised by the priest of the village, the young boy is silent, apathetic, it does not manage to learn only one teaches to him. Admittedly slow and soft, it however carries out the tasks which fall on to him. One evening, the priest and a friend, sergeant, dispute one their daily parts of failures when the priest is asked urgently for one dying. The sergeant, which is found without game partner, request - not without mischievousness with Mirko, which fixes the chess-board, if he wants to complete the part. This one twice accepts and, surprised, beats its adversary in some blows of continuations. Of return, the priest extasia of the wonder and noted that neither him nor his/her friend were able to beat Mirko. They then decided to present it to other players, stronger. The wonder finishes by all beating them. This led the filled with enthusiasm players and an old amateur of failures to get the means to him of continuing its training in Vienna. At twenty years, he was world champion.

Intrigue

Let us return to the principal account, that the biography of Czentovic masked some time. On board, the narrator, who, by curiosity, would dispute well a part against the famous Master, attracts little by little many amateurs around a chess-board. They end up drawing a few seconds the attention of Czentovic which, measuring the quality of play at a glance, does nothing but pass, by far. But one of the players requests it to agree to dispute a part against them. It accepts, realizing remuneration, and beats its modest adversaries of course. But during a revenge, a mysterious unknown goes to the help of those which would like to break the cold arrogance of the champion and, endowed with powerful capacities, it obtains the tie. There, awkward and contrit to be itself involved within the part, it also states that it has not touched a chess-board for more than twenty years then is withdrawn, leaving a public incrédule but whose curiosity is poked. One discovers that it is Austrian, like the narrator; it is thus the latter which is charged with the " cuisiner".

the unknown

History of the unknown, " Mr. B… " , proves very disconcerting. Notary in Austria, it dissimulated a long time large sums with the Nazis who, burning to adapt them, made despite everything failure. They thus finished by imprisoning the notary, but in a particular way: indeed, it is placed in a hotel room but it does not have any contact with the outside world (the window is condemned, it has of another companions only one dumb guard,…). There remain thus several days, he undergoes then the first interrogations of the Gestapo. As it spends the time isolated in its room, its answers are done less careful, it loses the control of itself because its " spirit; turn to vide" without anything palpable.

But one day, whereas it awaits its interrogation in an anteroom, it sees, in a jacket hung with a patère, a book. Wonder of the wonders in its eyes, it must seize some to overcome loneliness and the madness which watches for it. " Steal it! " , it is ordered. Using a risked stratagem, it reached that point and, of return in its cell, it realizes depity that it is about a book of failures. He which dreamed of the prose of Goethe, it mad in front of incomprehensible formulas, continuations of " a1, c4, H2… " it does not seize the direction. But it ends up seizing the direction of these codes: they correspond to the position of the parts on a chess-board, and it book is a collection of the greatest parts disputed by international Masters. After having tried to get a physical chess-board with bread crumb pellets, it gives up almost but is obstinated, learning some parts by heart. He arrives in fact to deprive itself of this improvised support, playing the parts mentally. He familiarizes himself thus with the smoothnesses of the play, the tactics, etc the interrogations occur better and he believes to astonish his geôliers of which he guesses and avoids the traps.

However, after a few months, the attraction of the 150 parts of the book disappears since he knows them all and that they become an automatism without unspecified interest. It thus had to test another thing: to play of the parts against itself. Is this possible, however? It arrived there indeed. But at the end of little time, its spirit duplicated " pied" lost;. The guard, who it had heard shout, run by thinking that he quarreled with another person. But makes of it, it was against itself that Mr. B… pestait: " Play! But plays, coward… Lâche! " … The white and the blacks were inveighed in him and, loser knowledge, it awoke in a hospital. The doctor, sympathizing, managed to make it release, making it pass for insane or irresponsible and thus without interest for the Nazis. He recommended to him despite everything more rejouer with the failures, without what he could relapse in his schizophrenia.

Intrigue

The account finishes in a logical way though unexpected. Mr. B… is solicited aboard steamer to face arrogant Czentovic. A first part and this last capitulate in order not to be shown completely overcome. In spite of the warning of the doctor, " the inconnu" cannot resist the temptation of a second part and there, it " pied" loses; again: Czentovic, which understood that its slowness exasperates its rival, exploits this idea. At the end of some time, Mr. B… seems to lose the wire of the play: undoubtedly it has had too time to anticipate during the interminable blows of Czentovic, it at the head has a part different from that which it plays. Pressed by the narrator, it is withdrawn, once again contrit and penaud.

" Damage, known as Czentovic, magnanime. The offensive was not so badly. For a dilettante, this Mister is in fact remarkably doué.".

External bond

Analysis of work

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