By Ted Kleine
Salar, the new president of the U. of C. chess club, is a rookie, one of the few students who venture into this pit. But he’s beaten George before, and George wants to make sure this upstart doesn’t do any more damage to his rep.
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George brings out his first pawn. Once he’s made his move, he spanks a button on the chess clock and Salar’s time begins running down. For the first few moves of the game, the only sounds are the clack of pawns and knights on the tiles and the pop of the clock as the players slap it. But as Salar begins to back George’s army into a corner, the trash talk begins. It’s an important part of blitz chess, almost as important as an encyclopedic knowledge of openings and endgames. Winning players whistle or rattle off lines of mocking bullshit to unnerve their flailing opponents. But Salar’s a quiet kid, almost a mumbler. So Noel, who’s got the loudest mouth in Harper Court, jeers George for him.
“The move! The move!” Noel exults as Salar advances his blitzkrieg. “Oh, beauty! This is all beauty manifested. Don’t give up, Salar!”
“Oh, George, no one should suffer like this,” Noel mocks gleefully. “George, you are finished!”
“Park hustlers play tactics, not position,” says Ben Kingsley, playing chess coach Bruce Pandolfini in the movie. “They rely on wild, unpredictable moves to intimidate their opponents. Great in a speed game, but it’ll cost Josh dearly in real games.”
“A lot of people come out here for the banter,” says George, “because the banter is sometimes more entertaining than the chess.”
