Endgame (2011): Season 1, Episode 11 - Mr. Black - full transcript

(door grating)

(dramatic music)

(computer keys clicking)

Come on, I did not call you stupid.

You said it's stupid to
use logic to prove God exists.

The attempt is stupid.

You're not.

Hate the sin, not the sinner.

Priestesses, heretics,
shall we turn our attention

to something more solvable?

The crossword editors have
forgotten how to spell.



And I am compelled to compose
an acerbic letter, look.

I thought I was gonna have
your full attention today.

You do have my full attention.

Also, Mr. Black, who has signed up

for five blitz chess
games at 200 Euros apiece,

he has my full attention as well.

Whatever.

I dug up all the corporate information

I could find on our friends.

These are the companies involved

in Rosemary's murder, yes?

Yeah, they're all connected.

Question is, who's behind them?

Mr. Black lists no
personal information.



(tongue clicks) No fide rating.

Anonymous play, it's tedious.

I'm not doing this alone.

We can do it together,
but first you can start

by taking dictation so that we can correct

this egregious spelling error.

Look, look!

Testing, testing?

Hello, hello?
Okay.

Yes, yes, hello,
good morning, Mr. Black.

Grandmaster Balagan, you
have the details for our match?

Yes, five games, five
minutes on each of our clocks.

Shall we allow the
randomizer to choose sides?

Pippa, you're not writing...

No, no, you can have white first game.

You wish to give me the
advantage three out of five games?

You'll need all the help.

(laughs) Would you like
to adjust your medication

before we play?

Sportsmanship, Mr. Balagan.

Chess is not sport.

It is war.

All is fair.

Pippa, "To the blind puzzle-makers
of the Munich press."

Don't worry, I'll translate
it into German later, please.

Mr. Balagan, where is your etiquette?

Do I have your attention or not?

Yes, you have my attention
for the full 10 minutes

that it'll take to make
you cry like a schoolboy.

Go.

The stakes, we haven't
discussed the stakes.

The stakes?

The terms are clear.

You pay, we play, I crush you.

It is not a wager.

It is a fee.

If you'd allow me to explain, sir.

(dramatic music)

(hostages whimpering)

We're playing for them.

Five games, five hostages.

Every time you win, one goes free.

Every time you lose or draw, one dies.

This mind game is in
very poor taste, Mr. Black,

even for a chess player.

This is not a mind game.

You talk of etiquette,

and yet you bring a gun to a chess fight?

Keep yammering.

We'll see what happens to
etiquette when the clock runs out.

Tick, tick, tick.

Bang.

(upbeat music)

(car horns honking)

Is he serious?

Historically, chess has given rise

to a surprising amount of violence.

Pippa, alert the police.

Alcina, get Sam here.

Mr. Black, you have
gone to extreme lengths

to throw me off my game, but as you see,

I've already recovered.

Tell your conspirators to leave us,

so that you won't be so
humiliated when I thrash you.

Oh, you think this is a prank?

You have no reason to do this for real.

Nice try.

Mr. Black, if there's a point
to this perhaps you should...

Of course there is.

You'll find out at the end.

I've left a voicemail for Sammy.

What else do you need?

Peace, quiet and solitude.

(dramatic music)

(elevator dings)

Barbara, the police are on the line.

ERT is on the way.

On their way?

What's wrong?

Some kind of hostage situation, yes.

Where?
Internet.

What, you mean, in the business center?

No, no, no, no, on the internet.

Yes, I'm still here.

Penthouse one?

Balagan!

He is not gonna kill a
hostage every five minutes,

he's gonna kill a hostage if Arkady loses,

and Arkady has five minutes to play.

No, they each have five minutes to play,

so that's up to 10 minutes per game.

Because that's how chess works!

Why the hell are the cops calling

with a situation in Balagan's suite?

I'm on with 911 right now.

I hate chess.

Hold on, no one goes
in except the police.

Yeah, go ahead, try.

Closer, service, yes.

Knight to C6?

I see you've studied
Averbakh-Spassky, 1956, yes?

Have I?
Mm-hmm.

It was a beautiful move by Spassky.

The game itself, mediocre at best.

73 moves and ended in a draw.

Well, that's unfortunate for you.

A draw counts as a loss.

Not to worry.

I've had intestinal spasms
smarter than Spassky.

Oh, oh, I see where you're going.

That's amazing.

You have some skill.

Where did you train?

Look, you're
Grandmaster Arkady Balagan.

A chat would be great when we're done.

Right now, no comment.

Shame, you seem so fascinating.

All I am is a sad little cog.

Gurjit, I'm on the penthouse floor.

We need those key cards ASAP.

Hugo Lum, head of security.

This is for you.

Gonna need six more.

They're on their way, now
here's what you need to know.

Penthouse one, AKA psych ward

for Russian chess bozo, Arkady Balagan.

He thinks he's smart, but...

Tell it to the boss.

Who's the boss?

Reg.
Lum.

Long time no see.

Somebody having fun with us?

I don't wanna end up
roasted by some chess nut.

(sniggers) Roasted Chestnut.

Still trying to play good cop I see.

Still playing cop.

You cannot remain hidden
with all your hostages.

You know that, don't you?

For five games, certainly.

I know you're in a truck.

Is it yours or a rental?

It's a rental.

That won't help you.

So confident.

(dramatic music)

Perhaps overconfident?

Surely, you left some kind of trail.

Who might you be?

Trousers, hmm, unbuttoned shirt.

Nice shoes.

Where did he snatch you yuppies?

And why?

What about you, winter coat?

Winter boots.

Why does one thing not
look like the other?

(door thudding)

Mr. Balagan, thanks for
holding things together.

We'll take it from here.

I'm still playing.

You've done plenty.

If you could step outside,

one of the officers will
take your statement.

I have less than one
minute on this clock!

If I lose, a hostage dies!

Not if you let us do our job.

You came here to find the madman, yes?

Not to get in my way.

Balagan, rule number one.

Never let the hostage-taker
dictate the rules of engagement.

Calderon.

I'm playing chess I'm, let go, let go!

Mr. Black, my name is Regina Velasco.

I lead the emergency response team.

How we doin' today?

My hands are a little full.

Rook to H1!

So I see.

Maybe I can help you out
with that, what do you say?

What move did he call out?

Rook H1!

Rook H1!

He's too far from the mic.

I can't hear him.

He can't hear me, come on!

Mr. Black, what do
your friends call you?

You got a first name?

Do I have a, of course
I have a first name.

You ever met anyone who didn't?

Will you tell it to me?

A good faith gesture?

You're making a big mistake.

Hugo, tell her.

Oh, you really should have
let Mr. Balagan play that game.

He could have won.

Who are your friends there with you?

Rook H1!

Shut him up!
(blows thudding)

Get off me, you thugs!

Oh, look, Mr. Balagan's
clock has run out.

He loses on time.

Okay, so you win.

Listen, how about we all
just take a deep breath,

and we can talk about how
to resolve this situation.

That's easy.

One down.

(dramatic music)

Wait!
No!

Four to go.

(gun firing)
(hostages screaming)

(people gasping)

(hostages whimpering)

Clock starts running
again in five minutes,

whether he's in front
of his computer or not.

(Arkady gasping)

(somber music)
(birds chirping)

Oh, God, oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

(Arkady gasping)

Maybe that wasn't real.

Yeah, it looked real enough.

Officer: Reg, this guy's in distress.

He has a condition.

What condition?

He gets panic attacks.

He can't leave the hotel.

He's in the hotel.

Yeah, well, maybe you distressed him.

Come on, Reg, a hostage is dead.

We need him.

We have no idea what went on

on the other end of the screen, Lum.

It might be a scam.

Four hostages left.

You willing to risk their
lives on a might be?

(Arkady gasping)

Hey, listen, can you hear me?

Can you get control of yourself?

I want you to keep playing.

Now, what do you need?

Get out.

Get out.

All right, move it.

Next door.

We are going to set up
a communications vector.

You won't be alone.

Come on, Balagan.

(Arkady gasping)

(knuckles rapping)

Officer: Police, coming in.

Everybody decent?

Listen up, this could be a hoax,

but we are treating it as real.

We have one hostile, AKA Mr. Black.

Mr. Black is in control of five hostages,

one possible deceased, location unknown.

Everything on chess whiz's laptop,

I want to see on my laptop.

I want a trace on his IP address,

and I want his face run
through the database, clear?

Lum?

Yeah, I've got four
security guards on duty,

five more on speed dial.

We're ready to rock and roll.

Go door-to-door, and
clear the damn floor already.

And get us some coffee.

(radio chattering)

Hugo?

Hugo: She's all right.

Hey what happened over there?

Hugo: Lost a hostage.

What do you mean lost?

(fist thudding)
Hotel security!

We're evacuating the floor!

(somber music)
(birds chirping)

(Hostages crying)

This is on your heads!

(dramatic music)
(hostages whimpering)

(radio chattering)

Okay.

Now, Reg is gonna be with
you every step of the way.

Put this on.

All you have to do is listen
and follow instructions.

I'll have to lodge a complaint
with the chess federation.

These are deplorable
conditions for a match, yes?

Reg will give you all
the support you need.

Now, Pippa here, it's Pippa, right?

Yeah.

She'll be here with you.

You ask her to hold your
hand, she'll hold your hand.

Won't you?

Yeah, anything you need, Ark.

Okay, Reg, it's ready, go ahead.

Mr. Balagan, can you hear me?

Yes.

Arkady: Balagan, can you hear me?

Arkady: Yes!

Now, kindly breathe through your nose.

(chess pieces clattering)

Game two, Mr. Balagan.

I hope you go the distance this time.

Balagan, we are tracing his IP address,

so you have to stretch out the
game, give us maximum time.

I will do what I can.

Excellent.

First move is mine.

I will break you.

Reg: You're doing great.

(dramatic music)

Ask him if he would like us

to send a message to his loved ones.

Message to his loved ones.

Arkady: Would you like us

to send a message to your loved ones?

No, thank you.

Reg: Ask him about the
condition of the hostages.

Condition of the hostages.

Arkady: How are the hostages?

They're fine.

You should concentrate
on the game, Mr. Balagan.

A life is on the line.

Ask him about specifics.

Are they hungry?

Are they hungry?

Arkady: Are they hungry.

Your queen is skewered.

You're gonna have to lose something.

Thirsty?
Stop talking.

Mr. Black: The queen, Mr. Balagan.

Reg: Injured, injured!

Are they injured?

Not unless you lose.

Now which one's it gonna
be, the bishop or the queen?

Tell him you want proof.

Tell him you want proof!

Arkady: Enough.

Ask him to remove the
hoods from the hostages heads!

You want proof!
Enough nattering!

Tell him, tell him!

What the hell is he doing? Take my queen.

Take my queen, I do not need her.

A queen sacrifice?

You just handed me the game.

Nonsense.

Your play is average at best.

You should have chosen a lesser player

to involve in your sick
fantasy, Mr. Black.

Well, you have a website,

you're the greatest chess player alive.

People will talk about us.

Oh, flattery.

Pippa, water.

It's not a sick fantasy.

I have a message.

You could not start a blog?

(mute button beeps)

Pippa, take a screen grab
and post it to face plant

or tweet face, or whatever it's called.

Also all the chess sites you can find.

Someone may recognize him.

Police and little helpers
running around I don't mind,

Mr. Balagan, but it's only
muddling your chess game.

You don't need distractions.

Distractions!

Mr. Black, distractions are what keep me

from succumbing to boredom,

or do I really need to walk
you through my pawn promotion?

No, I see it.

It's wonderful.

You win, you saved a life.

So now you let go a hostage.

Right after the matches.
No, no.

You killed a hostage
immediately after your win,

so now you release a hostage
immediately after your loss.

Etiquette, Mr. Black, etiquette.

Etiquette.

(ties clattering)
(hostage whimpering)

(dramatic music)

Where the hell is your earpiece?

I have large ear canals,
it must has fallen in.

Perhaps if you call a police diver.

Reg: Look, maybe this
is a game to you, okay,

but this is my job.

I have saved one hostage.

What have you done?

From now on, if there's
anything to be said

between both of us, we go through Hugo.

Thank you, goodbye.

(Reg huffs)
(door thuds)

Look alive, Lum, you're liaison.

The freak insists.

Well, that makes sense.

I speak fluent chess.

He respects that.

So, how long until the
IP trace finds the perp?

The trace is problematic.

Black is using a chain of
anonymous proxy servers.

What about the credit
cards from the website?

Pre-paid card, also anonymous.

So, in other words, you've got bupkis?

We've just patched
in our voice analyst.

IT is hammering away,

and forensics is huddling
with our vehicle expert.

Hugo: Yeah.

We're firing on all cylinders.

Uh-huh.

You figured out who your scapegoat is yet?

I told the truth.

IA came to their own conclusions.

(radio chattering)

(Arkady sighs)

Okay, so, I've plastered
Mr. Black all over the net.

Let's see what we get back.

He's providing quite the challenge,

and where the hell is Sam?

What, so, is this guy good?

100 people in the world
can rival me at blitz chess.

I know them all,

and yet I've never seen
Mr. Black in my life.

Pippa: So?

So, we conclude I am
not playing Mr. Black.

Okay, I'm confused.

Who are you playing then?

Not who.

What, I am playing a machine.

Mr. Black is obviously
using a computer program.

So, you have to play three
more games against a computer?

And not lose a single one.

Pippa: Well, is that possible?

Arkady: First time for everything.

(dramatic classical music)

(wheels clattering)

It's blitz chess.

Just pit a computer program
against a computer program.

And at best, we win 50% of the games,

and at worst, we draw
every game, and a draw...

Counts as a loss.

That's right, and someone dies.

(sighs) If he's using
Bigfish or Nexob, you're toast.

Arkady only has to
win three more games.

Yeah, but a computer
can analyze the board,

like, a billion times
faster than any human being.

It doesn't care about the
clock, but Grandmaster Balagan,

in a time crunch, has to
rely partly on intuition.

Ah, programs are made by humans.

Other humans are stupid.

Then use unorthodox openings.

Yes.

Get the program out
of its memorized play.

King's Indian,
Gligoric-Taimanov system.

Use weird moves whenever you can.

The program can probably only trace

the decision tree back so far.

It won't see surprising
results over the horizon, right?

Sam, help Pippa target
the online community.

Someone has seen Mr. Black's face.

(phone beeping)

A joke, now?

Yes, I need a mental palette cleanser.

(laughs) Okay, dirty or corny?

For now, corny.

Quick, quick.

Okay, okay, a bowl of soup
and a sandwich walk into a bar,

and the bartender says,

"Hey, sorry, we don't serve lunch here."

I see.

(phone beeps)

(groans) Okay, game three.

Mr. Balagan, you're white.

Let us begin.

(pieces scraping)
(dramatic music)

(clock ticking)

(slot machine whirring)
(clock ticking)

You see, cheater?

The Indian openings
reward human intuition.

I will overwhelm your
dull-witted computer program

with mad genius.

You figured out your true
opponent, congratulations.

(clock ticking)

It won't help you.

(speaking in foreign language)

Bingo.

Chess chat room pay dirt.

Mr. Black is Dennis Grosvenor
of Denver, Colorado.

Geography Professor and a
one-time state chess champ.

Give it to...

Police?
Yes.

Pippa: Yup, okay.

So, it is Dennis of Denver, is it?

Internet.

Of course.

But I suppose you're not too concerned

that we know who you are.

Not especially.
Mm.

Watch out for those pawns.

Oh, it's okay, go on, lend a hand.

It's not gonna help.

You're gonna lose this one, Mr. Balagan.

Nonsense.

I'm in a delightful position.

My position is terrible.

Sam, I need your eyes.

Well, when you said you knew how

to beat Nexob and Bigfish,

you did mean the latest versions, right?

Because Nexob just released
version 4.0 two weeks ago.

It learns.

It gets better at beating its opponent.

She wants to debrief me?

What is to debrief?

Just tell her the bad
guy is Dennis Grosvenor!

Reg is Reg.

If there's even a sliver of
ass showing, she'll cover it.

What's the deal with you two, anyway?

(door thuds)

Sam: Okay, yep.

Occupy that B5...

Yes, yes, yes!

So, could I pick your brain for a sec?

Wait.

Go.

Reg is really starting to sweat.

Perhaps she would like to trade places.

FBI got a hold of
Dennis Grosvenor's wife.

She edits High School science text books.

Nerd love, I guess.

And?

Well, she says Dennis was
upset at breakfast Thursday.

When she asked what was the
matter, he said "Nothing,"

only that he had to go visit
his brother for a few days.

Arkady: It's a cover story.

Obviously.

So, anyway, after breakfast,

Dennis left to go to his
job at Mount Cochrane U,

and that's the last time wifey saw him.

Arkady: FBI is looking into
the university, of course.

Yeah, here's all the work info.

Courses, students, you
know, what have you.

He was denied tenure last year.

Maybe that's what set him off.

No, the hostages were
not dressed like professors.

Who were they dressed like?

Four were clad in light jackets.

Hugo: Yeah, Denver has mild winters.

The fifth wears a heavy coat.

Sam?

Denver, Denver, Denver...

Faster.

One sec Denver, record cold snap.

Four had slip-on shoes.

Easy to remove at security.

They were going to the airport.

Probably together.

Members of a church perhaps,

or executives from the same company.

And the fifth hostage?

Is their driver.

Hugo: Okay, I'll let Reg know.

(error message beeps)

Hugo, what has this
ignoramus done to my internet?

Hugo: What?

Arkady: What has she done?

It's the hostage
negotiator's play book,

stage a computer crash.

She's probably trying to
buy em all some more time.

Well, I hope she can
afford some coffins!

Go talk some sense into her now.

Ah, you don't know her, Balagan.

It's her way or get steam-rolled
right into the highway.

I don't know if I can do anything.

Hugo, please.

You gotta get the game going again.

Shh, FBI's on i-chat with Grosvenor.

Hugo: Yeah, how's that going?

You getting anywhere?

Time.
We don't have time.

Chess players are by nature
paranoid and vindictive.

Dennis will see right through
your brilliant tactic,

and he will kill all the hostages.

I am doing things by the book.

No, you're hiding behind the book

so you don't have to wear this.

You never wear it.

Now is not the time to
cover your ass, Reg.

Do the right thing.

Calderone.

Reg, the FBI... Screw em.

Give the man back his game.

(radio chattering)

You're a go!

Arkady: I'm here, I'm here!

Oh, good.

You're much better company than the FBI,

and our friends here were
starting to worry, weren't you?

They don't want to die.

No, they don't want to
die, I don't want them to die.

You're the only one who wants them to die.

No, I really don't, but in
15 seconds, one of them will.

No one else dies today.

Okay okay.

Look, look, trade down your bishop.

Then I'll be down a bishop.

Yes, but up two pawns,

and then if you can trade rooks.

Of course.

Yeah, good.

Watch out for his bishop.

You got him, you got him, you got him!

Yes!

Oh, wow.
And now you are cornered.

Sam: We win

Too true.

(Reg sighs)

Heavy.

Well done, Mr. Balagan.

(dramatic music)

Sam: You okay?

I cannot win two more games.

We need to find those hostages.

Sam: How?

Get his wife on the phone.

The cops will never
let you call his wife.

Tell them it's chess research.

I need to speak with her!

Danni, another win.

We are in the mood for
some ribaldry, please.

Okay, okay, okay, a
five-year-old girl comes to her mom,

and she says, "Mommy, what were you doing"

"bouncing up and down
on daddy last night?"

And mom blushes, but says,
"Well, I was just trying"

"to help your father lose some weight"

"by bouncing all of the air out of him."

The little girl says, "Well,
that's not gonna work, mom."

"Once a week, the pretty lady"

"from across the street comes over"

"and blows him right back up."

(upbeat music)

Thank you, Danni.

He won again?

That's wonderful.

Thank you, Sammy.

So, I'm only in the way up there.

I feel kind of helpless.

So you want to join the cleaning staff?

No, I just wanted
to say, you were right.

I admit it, I did think you were stupid

for believing in God.

I'm sorry.

Well, if you are truly helpless,

there's only one thing to do.

Come.

Scotch or gin?

I don't know why Dennis is doing this.

He's a good man.

He cares deeply about right and wrong.

Arkady: Obviously,
you claim he was upset

first thing Thursday.

Tell me about his morning routine.

He wakes at 5:00,
goes for a run, showers.

He was in good spirits when
he sat down for breakfast.

I was busy for 10 minutes
taking out the recycling.

He was alone for 10 minutes?

Someone called him.

Wife: The police say

there's nothing on his phone records.

Arkady: Well, was
there anything different

in his routine?

He ate his yogurt with cereal.

English breakfast tea, plain like always.

Arkady: Well, something
must have changed in his life.

I don't think so.

Mm-mm, something must have.

Think quickly.

We renovated the kitchen
a couple of months ago.

Oh, that's a stressful
time for a couple.

Was he angry with any institutions?

The cable company or tax man, or...

Nobody.

His whole life was the
university and chess.

There must be something we're missing.

What did you talk about at breakfast?

Wife: We never talk at breakfast.

I'm not really a morning person,

and, Dennis, he's in his own world.

What do you think about while you eat?

Geography.

Chess.

Homicide.

Murderous thoughts.

Every day?

I live in the suburbs.

(laughs) But why act on them today?

What set you off?

The crossword.

A spelling mistake, I mean, come on!

So I kidnapped a few newspaper editors.

That'll teach them to
let their standards slip.

I feel your pain, comrade.

But murder?

I think no.

And yet, you did not talk
to your wife at breakfast.

Perhaps you are caught up
in the news of the day.

Of course.

(doorbell ringing)

Wife: That must be the FBI.

Wait, do you have a
newspaper subscription?

Wife: We get the "Denver Telegram."

And your husband reads it at breakfast?

Every morning.

How is that helpful?

(phone beeps)

Sam, get online.

Look through stories from
Thursday's "Denver Telegram."

I need headlines.

The heavier the better,
go, go, go, go, go.

Dennis: Mr. Balagan, our break is over.

Hello, Dennis.

Dennis: Ready for game four?

Oh, indeed.

Are you ready for game four?

Yes.
Good.

I wonder how the newspapers
will cover our little match.

What do you think?

Oh, they'll probably
spell your name wrong.

Interesting.

Samuel?

Yeah, I got it, Thursday's "Telegram."

Arkady: Yes?

"School board announces
school closures."

"Riots in Rome over new immigration law."

"Drone strike destroys school in Pakistan"

That one, that one.

What happened?

Missiles fired from
suspected U.S. drones.

Two teachers, 21 children killed.

They suspect a guidance
system malfunction.

Arkady: Huh.

What is it?

Dennis's course list.

He was teaching?

Intro to Geography and...

And Advanced Geospatial Analysis, yes?

Yes, Advanced Geospatial, oh.

Oh-ho-ho.

Dennis, you're an untenured
professor making a pittance

and yet you recently installed
expensive slate counters

in your kitchen.

Where did you get the money for that?

I'm a good saver.

(laughs) And you're an expert

in geospatial analysis, right?

Deciphering satellite imagery,

choosing and mapping targets
for unmanned drone attacks.

You moonlight for the military,
and you killed 21 children.

Stop the timer and we'll talk.

You can play and talk.

Very well.

You work for a company that has a contract

with the U.S. military,

and you keep it secret from
your very own wife, do you not?

That would be classified.

You sit there in your cubicle,

dealing death over the internet,

like this, nothing but a game.

I'm The Balagan of geography.

What happened?

I identified a building in Pakistan.

I labeled it a probable
terrorist communications bunker.

Then you saw the headlines on Thursday,

and you recognized your own handiwork.

I said "Probable."

But no one on the ground
bothered to check.

It had become a school.

(somber music)

And I helped murder 21 children.

And your hostages,

they are the executives from the company?

You think it ever occurs to these guys

that they're helping to kill real people?

(hostages whimpering)

Well, now they're gonna
feel what it's like

for life and death to be
a game played by remote.

I'm gonna post the video
of our match online.

The message will go viral.

And what will it say,

"War should not be played like a game?"

Yes, we're causing real suffering.

Hugo: Balagan!

What?
So, you nailed it.

Cops found a limo company
with a driver missing.

She picked up a group of four

from Global Analytic Technologies

early this morning, then radio silence.

Now, here are the four, plus the driver.

So, he put them in the truck

and drove them from the parking lot.

Somewhere totally isolated.

So, based on how long he had to drive...

200-click radius.

They've already got choppers
in the air trying to spot him.

125,000 square kilometers.

They're also checking
all the rental companies.

Maybe we can get a GPS
hit on that truck of his.

It is a waste of time, all of it.

He would have gotten
rid of the GPS locator,

and his expertise is identifying
objects from the air,

so he knows how to hide himself.

It's ridiculous.

Oh, oh, oh, look what we have here.

That would be check.

Can you hear me, Mr. Balagan?

Arkady: What?

Dennis: Check.

Check.

Ridiculous!

Bad time for a perpetual.

Hugo: Is he doing all right?

Could be a perpetual check.

Hugo: And that's what?

It's a draw.

Arkady: Sam?

Sam: I don't see a way out.

Neither do I.

Let us stop these queen checks.

(dramatic music)

Mate!

(all gasping)

The world should be as full of mercy.

(Arkady gasping)

The last hostage is the
airport shuttle driver, right?

Yes.

The program is learning to play me.

It put me in check.

Next time, checkmate.

Sam: Where are you going?

I'm going to think, for 4 1/2 minutes.

(upbeat music)

This guy, he says to his rabbi.

Two Russians travel to Siberia

with nothing but a few bottles of vodka,

and for two days, they
drink in complete silence,

not a word passing between them,

and finally, on the third day,

one Russian turns to the other, and says,

"Do you think we should
have brought some food?"

And the man replies, "Did
we come here to talk",

"or did we come here to drink?"

Okay.

(footsteps tapping)

(door thudding)

Well, here we are, last game.

Dennis, this won't do anymore.

If your message is to be respected,

then you must play personally.

Warrior against warrior.

Warriors, us? (scoffing)

All we do is make theoretical
decisions from a distance.

That's why I chose you.

Everything you do is from a distance.

Let me assure you, I am not detached.

Oh, we all are.

In a few years, the entire
Air Force will be drones

piloted by kids sitting in Nevada,

munching potato chips while they kill.

Real warriors face real danger.

We're just cowards.

In any case, I will not play

unless it is against you personally.

A forfeit is as good as a loss.

Well, go on, coward!

What the hell are you doing?

Play the man!

You have done nothing in
your life that deserves respect.

For once, Dennis, behave with honor!

For once, be a warrior!

Okay, I'll turn off the program.

I'll play, but playing
you wouldn't be fair.

After all, you're a former
world champion, and I'm no one.

You, the assistant.

What's your name?

What?

Sam, Sam Besht.

No!

Okay, Sam, here's my final offer,

(dramatic music)

I'll play you for the
life of the last hostage.

Reg: Mr. Grosvenor,
Dennis, let's reconsider.

(somber music)

Dennis, you cannot make Sam play you.

He's just a sweet boy.

He plays Ultimate Frisbee.

Well, the alternative
is I pull the trigger.

You enjoyed it the first time?

All right, wait!
I can do it.

Can he?
Aye.

Are you sure?

All right, Mr. Balagan,

you'll have to leave the
suite, so you can't help.

Turn your computer so I can see the door.

(chess pieces clattering)

Now, Mr Besht, no earbuds,
and put your hands

where I can see them, so
you can't text or anything.

And how do we know you're
not using the computer program?

(laughs) Mr. Besht,

here's what I'm going to
do to you on the board.

(computer thudding)
(hostage whimpering)

Goodbye, Mr. Balagan.

Trust your instincts.

He's only state champion.

He has no brilliance.

Stay aggressive in the middle
game and keep him off-balance.

It will make the clock
your friend and his enemy,

and when in doubt, pretend you're me.

(door thudding)

(gentle music)

Reg says you're welcome to watch.

(radio chattering)

Dennis: By the way, Sam,
what's your fide rating?

2230.

Dennis: I'm 2350.

I know.

Well, you shouldn't
feel too bad when you lose.

Mr. Besht?
Yeah?

Dennis: You're playing white.

Right, sorry.

(pieces whooshing)

So, God is responsible for morality?

People do horrible things in
the name of God all the time.

God sometimes fills people

with such a desire to do one good thing

that, in order to do it,
they do evil things, too.

Yeah.

Ark, what's going on?

Sam has been forced to
play the last game alone.

He can beat Mr. Black, no?

With his eyes closed.

(Sam sighing)

He, yeah, he'll save her.

I don't like to think of Sammy

with the blood of an
innocent on his hands.

Not so innocent.

Being involved in missile
strikes that kill civilians?

No, she's the last hostage.

She's merely the airport shuttle driver.

Mr. Black is a zealot.

He believes harming innocents is evil,

so why keep the driver for last?

Why would, what?

Alcina.

That is a very interesting question.

(dramatic music)

If killing innocents fills you

with such self-righteous anger,

why are you putting this
hostage at such risk?

You should have released her first.

Because I am a chess
player, through and through.

Analytical, strategic.

Ruthless.

Willing to sacrifice any
piece to destroy your opponent.

After all, I have a message
to get out to the world.

(bright music)

He is determined to make his statement.

Statement at any cost.

The cost is the message.

The cost is the message.

The cost is the message.

Samuel, stop playing!

I have tempo.

He's going to kill the hostage.

Have some faith...

He was always going
to kill her in the end.

No, no, wait...
Time's ticking, Mr. Besht.

That is your precise
message, is it not?

Innocents are the collateral damage

of these bombing campaigns, yes?

We kill 10 innocent
civilians to kill one terrorist.

The hypocrisy!

But one problem.

This hostage, the driver,

she is the last person
that you want to punish.

Are you sure you don't want
to keep playing, Mr. Besht?

The driver, unlike us,
Dennis, is a true warrior.

She served in Afghanistan.

I saw her file just now.

She has a scar on her cheek,

from a siege in which
she defended villagers

from an insurgent attack.

Take a look!

(hostage gasping)

(somber music)

How did you get that scar?

A Taliban bullet.

(Dennis sighs)

You don't suit my needs at all.

(box cutter clicking)

Let's go, come on.

(dramatic music)

(light crashing)
(Dennis sighing)

That's always my problem in chess,

making too many false assumptions.

I'm gonna post the video
of our match online now.

People need to see this,
they need to talk about this.

Only until the next tragedy.

No, we'll make a difference.

Dennis...
No more killing innocents.

Dennis.

(Dennis gasping)

No, Dennis, no!

(gun firing)

(somber music)

It was always his endgame.

Listen to me, you played admirably, Sam.

Do you understand?

I'm so glad you found
out she was a veteran.

I made it up, and she was
smart enough to play along.

Dennis did not truly want
to play out his endgame.

I gave him a plausible reason to resign.

(water splashing)

(Arkady gasping)

You sure you don't want booze?

Yeah, thanks, I think it
would just make me throw up.

Are you going over the game again?

Like, the one you just
played for someone's life?

Yeah, that's what we
do after important games,

we analyze them.

God, do all chess players
need electroshock therapy?

Sam: Actually, electroshock's
making a comeback.

Oh.

(upbeat music)

I would've won.

I would've won.

So, why did you give
up homicide for this gig?

I decided it would be
nice to start saving lives.

You know that hostage, you
did everything by the book.

Damn right I did.

So, I get off at 6:00.

I don't.

(people chattering)

(elevator dings)

(door clicking)

Hello?

Sorry, just looking for that earpiece.

Accounting will ding us, ah, there it is.

Gotcha.

Thanks.

Miss?

Midnite Beauties, Tyson's
Auto, Crosstown Limos?

Yeah, we think they're all connected

to my sister's murder.

Listen I was just on
a federal task force...

Do you know anything
about the shooting?

No, but I know that
one guy is connected

to all these companies, and
probably 20 more across town.

Sebastian Wilks.

Sebastian Wilks?

I've never heard of him.

Lawyer, very slick,
pulls a lot of strings.

He mob?

Worse, stay very far away from him.

(door clicking)

Officer: All right,
guys, move, pack it up.

(door thudding)

So, Pippa, I suppose we
should get to work, yes?

You know what?

How about we order some pizza,

and we spend the
afternoon watching movies?

All right, but nothing
in black and white.

Pippa: Okay.

(somber music)

(bright music)