Say "Chess" please

Chess is not a continuous game that can resonate with the masses in India or the rest of the world. It is a discreet game where two players trained to put a poker face and an impenetrable facade play with thirty-two pieces in two colors that even TV manufacturers are no longer interested in making. Excitement happens on the board where the players are moving pieces in tandem but it is not the same excitement for the crowds who can sometimes read a book or clean their bowels in between two moves. It is, therefore, quite audacious of Madam Jayalalitha to  take the lead, outbid the Russians and  host the FIDE World Championship Match between Vishwanathan Anand and Magnus Carlsen. This will make even the busy upcoming December concert-season seem like a passing cloud as the first match got played yesterday amidst unprecedented glitz and glamor (with the likes of AR Rahman, Shobhana and Veena Gayatri performing for the opening ceremony). 

From the buildup to the match so far, Chess fans are in for a fabulous fare with a youthful Carlsen,  challenging the hegemony of Anand who has been holding the crown since 2007, having won it five times since 2000. Anand is 43, Carlsen 22, a situation almost similar to the great duels in the game, between Anand and Karpov, between Bobby Fisher and Boris Spassky. 

Anand is probably, India's best-known sportsman after Sachin Tendulkar, even though chess is played in more countries than cricket. He is a Padma Vibhushan, the first Indian sportsman to be conferred that honor and is one of the richest too with brand endorsements running into crores of rupees. As NIIT brand ambassador, he is responsible for most kids contacting chess at an early age. Since 2002, the NIIT MindChampion' Academy has fostered 15,600 chess clubs. It covers 1.5 million students with video tutorials, instructional software, multi-lingual approach and online matches, teaching children not just chess strategies but the fundamentals of analysis and logical thinking. I had interacted with one of the kids my wife taught a few years back, the kid and his brother not only play chess exceptionally well, they are also shining in academic performance. As Anand himself says, "Chess forces players to think spatially and keep stepping back to look at the big picture. You have to plan strategy, think ahead, engage in abstract reasoning and, you need to work your way into your opponent's head. This is quite remarkable for Anand despite plonking a critical mass of his wealth in a vast suburb in Spain. After Bobby Fisher, Anand takes the credit for firing the imagination of millions of young people the world over to take up a game, originally invented by the Indians, but masterfully pivoted by the Russians. 

Today, promising chess players have begun to emerge from China, Armenia, Norway and Israel etc. Anand's adversary, Magnus Carlsen is from Norway and is already the highest ranked player - the most basic being 2200 for an International Master. He has been a GrandMaster at the age of thirteen, the third youngest in history. In a televised demonstration of his abilities, Carlsen once played ten opponents simultaneously in speed chess - with his back turned to the boards. That is something even Anand attempted in a game which he termed as blitz. Playing at this level, both Carlsen and Anand will have to remember and instantly and automatically refer to thousands of games stored in memory. According to one researcher, a champion will have to remember 50,000 to 100,000 chunks of games and openings about the game. This is itself staggering and belies the magnificence of what a human brain is capable of remembering. It is probably more challenging than writing an equivalent of ten statistical tests of an Actuary examination - considered the world's toughest computational challenge.

The difficulty of remembering so many games and the repertoires of strategies to counter the openings and its precise unfolding is what takes a toll on the players. I have three apps on my Ipad which combine an equivalent of 20,000 games. I have never been able to beat the App because I do not have such long-term memory with instant recall. Even if my brain is not exactly filled with sawdust, the task of recalling a Chigorin's Defence or a Dutch defence and then playing stonewall variation or Flank openings requires a monumental memory. I read somewhere that the exact number of combinations and permutations from any one move in Chess Game can be as high as 10 raised to the power of 120, that is, 1 followed by 120 zeroes! Thats why I surmise after the smashing first match between Garry Kasparov and IBM Deep Blue (the supercomputer wired with algorithms on chess games) which Kasparov won, Deep Blue beat the former hollow second time onwards. Nobody since then had the temerity to take on a computer in a well-publicised match because this is one game where the human brain, arguably, has lost it to the mega memory machines that man invented.  So a computer can beat a human brain because it is programmed to outplay and has the counter-intuitive arsenel in the form of powerful algorithms to navigate the variations of play available compared to just a lakh or so of chunks of information in a human brain. If you allow me to make a detour here, I must also say that the days of human dominance on some games like this are already numbered after that fateful day on May 11, 1997 when Deep Blue defeated the reigning world chess champion Garry Kasparov in a six-game match. Today, games like checkers, Othello, poker, bridge, backgammon, scrabble and even Sudoku can by played by computers with algorithms that will overwhelm any human player, however dexterous and intuitive. The short answer to that is that the more iterative and complex a game is, lending itself to a playing mixture of memory of millions of legal moves and rational responses, the more easy it is for Artificial Intelligence experts to build a machine that trounces Man.

For the record, there are several books written about the inside stories of the memorable campaigns by the famed IBM team that prepared to defeat the greatest chess player of all time. But it took about 12 years, an equivalent of an exile in Ramayana to outclass a champion. Kasparov's fall came quite soon after that debacle and Anand became the new world chess champion in 2000, the first time. Unlike now, Anand also didn't declare his "seconds" for three championships. So it is understandable why Carlsen is reluctant to reveal the seconds. There is a rumor that Garry Kasparov himself may be plotting against Anand this time, helping out Carlsen. As it is, taking seconds is itself a reassuring step in the direction of winning. Anand has picked Sasikiran and two foreigners, usually, some of them must have been remarkable adversaries to Anand in some of the Linares tournaments. Carlsen, looks nervous and has the burden of beating Anand, who at forty-three looks more composed than ever because Anand has never played with an insecurity of losing. He always played with a passion for the game. 

But this part of it, the sensationalism in the build-up to the games, and the posturing pre-and-post matches is what makes Chess a better package than watching two super-computers play with nothing embedded but silicon chips. Back then, Kasparov and Karpov used to psyche each other out with little help from Western media. Probably, the most sensational of all matches must have got played by both of them under the burdensome purview of Cold War, more between them than the US and Soviet Union. Boris Spassky, another Soviet great, was stunned by Bobby Fisher in 1972 and the latter became to Chess what Bruce Lee was to Karate - the most enigmatic player but obsessed with chess. According to the script for the movie "Searching for Bobby Fisher", Bobby Fisher was in awe of himself and the game. He designed a new chess clock, designed a new chess board game with eighty squares in it (usually it has sixty four), became anti-semitic and later on became a recluse till he became a nervous wreck. He was, however, brilliant and was renowned for being envisioned on the direction of the game within few moves. 

Anand has no such qualms, he had led a balanced life, grounded by wife Aruna and parents, never lost his composure or became a boor in the game like a Kasparov. He wrote a book "My Best Games " which captures forty of his best chess games, maintains a hearty touch with India's leading sportspersons, almost like Sachin Tendulkar and puts in enormous efforts for any big match. Twelve hour days are a routine it seems in Anand's book and his team of seconds vouch for the same. Anand also tried to give back to the game with all these mentoring programs for kids. He has been an outlier that won respect from advesaries like Kramnick, Karpov, Kasparov and even Carlsen. He still takes those five deep breaths before every game and plays with a straight face without getting mean looks. This time, a lot of forces are aligning themselves together to thwart Anand's march into one more championship crown. There will be distractions, I know; another legend cricketer's swan song, elections in five states, etc. but let nothing take the credit away from one of India's Urban legends in Chess. He has brought the game back to India and has shown the world that with right training, focus and hardwork, rewards can come in Chess too. Carlsen will play hard and mask his tricks but whatever be the outcome, this should turn out to be a vodka-kick to chess fans. May the best player win.

"Life is Beautiful" Telugu Movie Review

“Life is Beautiful” is now not just an Oscar-winning foreign film but also a Telugu film from a much-acclaimed director Shekhar Kammula, an Engineer-turned sophomore director who makes baby leaps with every film and carries youth and family audiences with him. Shekhar’s films are usually titled with English names, words or phrases like “Happy Days”, “Dollar Dreams”, “Anand”, “Godavari” and now “L.I.B” but his heart lies in Telugu household traditions. That’s what made his works ensnare a huge base of viewers across the Telugu-speaking world. Typically, his films have undercurrents of urban middle-class family values, humane and altruistic outlook in principal characters, feelings of nostalgia for things past, cute romantic tracks, autobiographical leanings and a subtle message beamed out through the narrative itself. “LIB” is no different from the above package that one expects from Shekhar. Its another film that resembles “Happy Days” in substance and texture and his earlier films. In this film, he shows the coming-of-age of three youth whose lives get entwined in a colony in Padmarao Nagar, Secunderabad (where else!).


One of them Sreenu (Abhijit) sets foot in Sunshine Colony with his two sisters to complete his Engineering final year so they can study for their courses too; they are set off by their mother Amala for a “reason”. He is joined by two more youth who have their own stories – one is a rustic good Samaritan (perhaps the best character in the film-Nagaraju played by Sudhakar) and the other is a gizmo-creating, dreamy-eyed youth almost similar to Aamir Khan’s character in “3 Idiots” called Abhi (Kaushik). The threesome run into a series of class-divide neighbourhood brawls with a gang of Rich-Dad-Rich-brats who have nothing else to do in life except party, play and all that. When they are not having run-ins with the richer kids in the neighbourhood, the three youth have their share of fun with the loves of their life. Here is where Shekhar Kammula can be faulted with because the storyline is just a leaf out “Happy Days” where for most of the screentime, youth are seen wasting their time on discussing cute women, unfriendly combats and then raproachments. The only difference is, in “LIB”, the setting shifts to a colony from college – so the next setting we can expect from Shekhar Kammula in this coming-of-age trilogy may be in the office or workplace itself – so he can create romance and fights at workplace despite the fact that time is more precious and already paid for. This is the biggest failing in the film – that people have so much time to kill for and have neighbourhood brawls. Whether in Padma Rao Nagar in Secunderabad or a colony in Gachibowli or Banjara Hills, people don’t see their neighbours in years so where’s the case of a class conflict between a B-Class flat society and a Gold-phase neighbourhood? Shekhar has to grow up and see the reality in metro – how the society lives its daily chores and how it interacts with each other segment – the basic fabric is getting increasingly exclusive so the inclusivity amongst the classes is usually idealistic. There’s little scope for any intercourse between those at the periphery and those in high standing – that’s the harsh reality of today’s ecosystem which Shekhar has grossly missed out – and while drumming up to the theme that “life is beautiful” throughout the film, he shows little glimpses of what that beautiful life is all about – its mostly about infatuation, male-female fixation, romance, Mars, Venus and little else, you get the idea.

Leave that flaw and the thing about how society is moving on, Shekhar has taken a mature approach to show as many characters as possible which gives a macrocosmic view of an Urban India that is degenerative in values and demeanor. He is immaculate in creating characters clearly etched out and distinct from each other; they flourish in a medium pace narrative that mostly slackens after the second half. What is good about these characters is they will appeal to each one of us in a manner we can relate with in daily lives. Shekhar’s films are still worthy of family audience viewing and by that I also mean what the family should know how each member of the family is thinking or moving directionally. In that sense, he strikes a chord in “LIB” in showcasing what’s on the minds of today’s youth – someone is forced into an MBBS course, someone lies to her brother of an affinity towards a boy-friend, someone saves her boy-friend’s name in mobile phone as “Radha” (girl’s name), someone gets pulled into a trap with material comforts by a friendly boss, someone is mis-guided never to cry in public (this can be hugely repressive and dangerous, as we see). Stuff like this hardly gets highlighting in films even though its happening in our lives because they are taboo topics and Shekhar gives his best shot at uncovering these for the benefit of better supervision by elders and spirited guidance of today’s youth. Shekhar gives his take on these matters in his usual subtextual narratives, matter-of-factly and unobstrusively. Shekhar also puts his trademark dialogues and creates impactful scenes. One such scene is where Abhi’s sister doesn’t make it to Nasr School (its obvious!) because she can’t speak English. In climax, the girl comes back in a spellbee contest with zeal, speaking fluently in English then lapses into Telugu because she says she can’t express herself better in any other language. That’s one of the most intense scenes apart from a few more where the director shows that life is beautiful if you can enjoy the little joys of living and there’s no correlation between making money and staying happy. But some of this comes too little too late after rambling in romance for 150 minutes.

On the whole, the film is watchable once despite the painful resemblance to “Happy Days” and the faulty assumptions about modern-day living. Characterisation is quite consistent for each character and the three principal characters and their lady-loves are livelier than the rest. Amala Akkineni is passable and don’t know why there was so much hoopla about her comeback role, she is seen for less than 10 minutes even in interspersed between first and second half. Anjali Jhaveri has a good role in the film which gets highlighted at crucial turns in the film, she looks as demure as the girl who stirred hearts in “Samara Simha Reddy” and “Preminchukundaam Raa…”. But the glamour and oomph factor in the film is Shriya Saran. With her well-toned figure and selective makeup, Shriya is sensational to watch as an older girl who is charmed by a younger boy who never tires of antics and magic tricks. She is shown in the scantiest of dresses that Shekhar wouldn’t have shown in all of his films so far as a Diva from Venus and the superstar sex appeal of an aging actress who acted with the likes of Rajnikanth, Chiranjeevi and Mahesh Babu is revived well by the director. The other two girls – the lady loves of the two youth are also impressive, one of them Shagun who played Paddu surely has the good looks that will turn her into a bankable heroine. Watch out for her, a Tamanna in the making.

A word or two about the technicals. Padmasri Thota Tharani has created sylvan surroundings that are bewildering in a simple colony in PadmaRao Nagar. Music by Mickey J Meyer is alarmingly close to “Happy Days” soundtrack in most numbers. But I guess, this is because the idiom dictated by the script is similar to that so there’s little scope for improvisation and variety in this film. What I feel is that music directors who get lulled into the same plots sometimes ruin their careers – this happened with RadhaKrishna Murthy and a few others. Mickey J Meyer has scored some great music in the film but the sounding is not different from what we have heard before. For a music director to appeal for eternity, you need a mix of exciting instrumentation, harmonical orchestration, range of rhythms and range of musical genres – if you don’t have all of these you will not make it big. Mickey J Meyer is a trained music composer in the Trinity College, London has all the trappings of an emerging Musical Mind but is not experimenting with new rhythms, richer orchestration and different instrumentation. I get the feeling, his best works are behind not ahead of him as I haven’t heard anything new after “Kotha Bangaaru Lokam’ or “Maro Charithra”. If he gets back to doing some homework on these lines, he can join the likes of DSP, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Mani Sharma, and Harris Jayaraj. Lets not talk about joining the duo of Ilayaraja and AR Rahman. That’s a far cry. The only thing that excited me is the notes using Mandolin – that stood out in a couple of songs that are always forgettable. Cinematography is great. Dialogues by the director himself are quite apt and worth their utterances.

On the whole, the movie is mostly fun even though I didn’t spot much loud laughter like in earlier films. Despite the shortcomings, “Life is Beautiful” is worth watching once because of the niche Shekhar created for himself but if he doesn’t move on from the nature of plots like these, he will meet with unexpected failures in future because a director who has a grip on all departments like him should try out different genres. It is for this reason that, had I rated “Happy Days” 3.5 out of 5, I will rate “Life is Beautiful” 2.5 out of 5 because I expected more.