"Did you win?" "Of course." "How many moves?" "Twenty." "Still club champion?" "You know it, Harry." "That's my kid brother." "Here you go." "I don't plan on using this tonight, but..." "Always be prepared, huh?" "Mrs. Taylor?" "Mrs. Taylor." "What do you want?" "Just take anything, anything you want." "I'll be quiet." "Take it, I don't care." "But don't..." "Don't hurt me, please." "Are you Mrs. Taylor?" "Whose husband died last month?" "Unfortunately, his death put valuable stock voting rights into your hands." "The situation can be remedied only by the suicide of the distraught widow." "Oh, no!" "I'll give you anything, anything." "My contract calls for your death, Mrs. Taylor." "Please." "Having trouble with the bike?" "Yeah, the plugs keep fouling." "What fuel mixture are you using?" "Twenty to one." "Maybe you ought to try 32:1." "Good morning, Mr. Phelps." "Peter Cordel, a killer-for-hire, is a man of extraordinary intelligence." "Although we are certain that he has murdered at least nine persons, conventional law enforcement agencies have never been able to obtain the evidence even to arrest him." "More importantly, we have been unable to identify the syndicate employer for whom all these murders are thought to have been committed." "This tape will self-destruct in five seconds." "Good luck, Jim." "The Mid-Town Chess Club has accepted my credentials as Dr. Charles Gregory, he's an accredited Illinois chess master." "Cordel accepted the challenge." "We play the first game of the match tonight at 9." " Are you set, Barney?" " Yes, Jim." "I have a camera lens here, here and here." "I'll be able to see any chess table you play on." "And the computer will be able to solve any chess problem within a few seconds." "Hidden inside of those is a two-way radio." "The receiver is a highly sensitive bone-conduction device." "The signal can only be heard by the person wearing them." "Sandy?" "Leslie Harper." "He's a new face from a new crime syndicate in the southeast." "He arrives on the 10:00 plane tonight, Jim, to meet Cordel at the West End Bar at 11 p.m." "Our information is that Harper is carrying some kind of ID that will identify him to Cordel." "What about the drug, Barney?" "Just a drop will make Cordel easily susceptible to hypnosis." " It will absorb through his fingers?" " Right." "Okay." "According to club rules, white goes to the challenger for the first game of the match." "So Cordel will be black." "Right." "Dr. Adler." "These pills will simulate death long enough to convince Cordel." "Peter Cordel is highly intelligent, he's charming but, above all, he's a cold-blooded professional killer." "Getting him to lead us to his boss won't be easy." "You've given me a very warm and cordial welcome, Mr. Harley, and I appreciate it." "The pleasure is indeed ours, Dr. Gregory." "Jim, if you read me, clear your throat." "Beautiful chessmen." "Well, thank you." "Here he is, our club champion, Mr. Cordel." "Your challenger, Dr. Charles Gregory." "Mr. Cordel." "Gentlemen, have a good match." " Thank you." " Thank you." "I was just admiring your chessmen." "I've heard that you're a very hard man to beat, doctor." "Medicine?" "Philosophy?" "Psychiatry." "An expert of the mind in a game of the mind." "Mr. Harley tells me you've just moved to our city." "Yes, I just opened my offices." "I'm on staff at County Hospital." "Would you mind if we either finished or adjourned by 11?" "I have an important business appointment." "No, 11:00 is fine." "Knight to Queen Bishop 3." "Would you recheck the passenger list, please?" "Harper." "First name, Leslie." "Should have come in on Flight 9." "Yes, Willy?" "We may have a problem." "Harper didn't show on Flight 9." "It's been confirmed that Cordel has an 11:00 appointment." "Let's go as planned." "Bishop takes..." "Bishop to Knight 7." "Checkmate, Jim." "Checkmate." "Perhaps I should have taken a doctor of psychiatry more seriously." "You know, the match is two games out of three." "Well, tomorrow is Saturday." "You free in the afternoon?" " Two o'clock, here." " Fine." "Good night." "Good night, doctor." "Oh, Mr. Cordel, do you happen to have a cigarette?" "I'm all out." "Oh, Samuels, old boy, what did you think of the match?" "I only saw a little of it." "Thanks." "Cordel." "You're falling asleep." "Sleep." "Sleep." "Sleep." "Sleep." "Sleep." "You're going into a very deep sleep." "Five, four, three, two, one." "You are now in a deep sleep." "If you can hear me, close your eyes." "Now I'm gonna give you some instructions." "When you awaken, you will follow them explicitly." "Do you understand that?" "Yes, I understand." "Now, you will do as follows." "Chess is not just a game of intelligence." "No, no." "Nor is it just physical stamina." "There is something..." "Something of the sort of the intellectual stamina that must prevail." "From now on, you'll fall into a deep sleep each time you hear the words, "When in doubt, take a pawn."" ""Take a pawn."" "You will awaken each time according to the instructions that I have given you." "You will not remember my voice." "Now sleep until you hear your name." "I tell you, Samuels, absolutely brilliant." "Then Bishop to Knight 2." "It's an infallible ploy." "Well, I don't really wish to detain you." " I'll walk you to your car." " That'll be fine, Dr. Adler." " Yes, very interesting, really." " It's very good." " Well, good night." " Good night, Dr. Adler." "You know, Samuels, we must play a match sometime." "Cordel?" "Sheer luck that he won, old boy, just sheer luck." "What?" "I beg your pardon." "Your match with Gregory." "You played perfectly until the 16th move." "Then it should have been Bishop to Knight 2." "You were watching the game?" "Yes." "Yes, of course." "Bishop to Knight 2." "No." "I was threatened from other directions as well." "Oh, no." "No, no, not at all." "No, no, no." "In the 18th move, if you'd taken bishop with bishop..." "He would have taken my pawn with a knight for check." "That's nonsense." "You could have countered..." "That is nonsense?" "I would have had to move King to Queen 1." "Ridiculous." "You don't even seem to have the board in mind at all." "Who are you, the club bore?" "It's elementary." "When in doubt, take a pawn." "Very well, if you'll just step this way." "Cordel." "Everything okay?" "So far." " Harper still hasn't shown." " Have you heard from Jim?" "Yes." "Cordel's on his way." "He'll be here any minute." "Harper." " Leslie Harper?" " Cordel?" "No, I'm his man." "You're late." "Come with me, please." "Right in here." "Good evening, Mr. Cordel." " Scotch." " Yes, sir." "Double." "I'll have a martini, please." "Cordel?" " If you had taken bishop..." " Bishop?" "He would have taken my pawn with a knight for check." " Nonsense." "You could have..." " That's nonsense?" "I would have had to move King to Queen 1." " Ridiculous." " Who are you, the club bore?" "Here it is." "Good." "Waiting for someone?" "I thought I had a business appointment." "So did I." "Thanks, but not tonight." "By the way, my name is Leslie Harper." "Another double." "I was expecting a man." "My parents were to blame." "All right, Leslie, what is your boss's offer?" "Fifty percent higher than what your present employer is paying you." "There may be complications." "I'm prepared to negotiate." "I live at the Glenville Towers, that's an apartment-hotel." "Are there apartments available?" "I'm sure there are." "Harry." "I saw this in this morning's paper." "So what?" "Some nut probably did it." "I just thought you'd like to know." "The boss is getting a little nervous." "I mean, we don't want Pete going around doing jobs for other people." "Harry." "It would be a good idea to keep your brother away from that club for a while." "He would have taken my pawn with a knight for check." " Nonsense." "You could have..." " That is nonsense?" "I would have had to move King to Queen 1." "Ridiculous." "There's a torpedo downstairs." "One of the man's." "He's bugged about that thing that happened at the chess club." "He thinks you did it." "Well, I didn't." "Pete." "Why don't you go away for a while, have a little rest, huh?" "Stay away from that chess club altogether." "Are you trying to tell me what I can and cannot do?" "All right, all right, okay." "All right, Pete." "You're number one." "But at least can't we talk about this other thing, that chick?" "There's nothing to talk about." "She's trying to get you from the Man." "With a better offer." "He has an exclusive on you." "You know that." "Will he take me to court over it?" "Oh, come on, Pete..." "Harry, that's all." "That just could be." "Answer it." "My brother, Harry." " Ms. Harper." " Hello." "He has a low opinion of your offer." "I could sweeten it considerably." "I'm sure you could." "I'm sure I would like to." "Peter," "I'd like you to come over to us for more than just business reasons." "The proposition interests me, but there might be some complications." "Peter Cordel?" "I'm Lieutenant Williams." "Yes, I guess I've been expecting you." "About the chess club." " Come in, please." " Thank you." "Lieutenant Williams, Ms. Harper." "Ms. Harper." "A man was killed behind my chess club last night." "It was in the papers this morning." "I'm afraid I can't be of any help, lieutenant." "Would you like me to..." "That's quite all right, Ms. Harper." "I arrived at the West End Bar promptly at five after 11." "Mr. Cordel came in almost behind me." "Well, I guess that about wraps it up." "I hope you understand that because the club meeting was just about over," "I had to question everyone who was there." "Of course." "In fact, I'll be at the club myself this afternoon." "So will I, I have a match going." "Good luck." " Thank you." " Thank you." "Ms. Harper." "I didn't get to the West End Bar until 11:20." "I know." "I don't want you to be inconvenienced for something that doesn't concern you." "I agree." "You play chess?" "You play it well?" "I do everything well." "I'm playing a Dr. Gregory this afternoon at 2:00." "That doesn't give us much time, does it?" "Enough." "Not if you have a chess game at 2." "I'll see you later, Peter." "You stay away from my brother or I'll kill you." "Sorry I'm late, Mr. Cordel." "I had an emergency at the hospital." "That's all right." "Interesting case actually." "Dementia praecox." "Extraordinary delusions." "Delusions?" "Yes, the man was a soldier, a career officer." "Some commando outfit in Vietnam." "His job was to kill." "What kind of delusions did he have?" "About what you'd expect." "You know, a race driver dreams of winning, a killer dreams of killing." " And for him it was normal?" " Yes." "Dreams of combat, firefights, but always ending up with him killing the enemy." "At least, that's how it started." "You mean it changed?" "Yes, the dream became a reality for him." "He killed a fellow officer." "In cold blood, for no reason?" "Well, he said there was an argument." "Well, then, for him, it was real, motivated." "There's no delusion about that, is there?" "But for him, the argument was part of the delusion." "There was a witness." "He said my patient and the man that he killed were standing quietly watching a sunset." "Bang." "A classic form of insanity." "Well, shall we begin?" "Would you consider it a default if I requested a postponement?" "No, not at all." "Mr. Cordel, I wanna talk to you." "Over here." " Didn't you see that sign...?" " Don't worry about a thing." " I'm insured, it'll be taken cared of." " No, you don't." "If it's not an arrest, why to headquarters?" "Questions, Mr. Cordel." "You already questioned me." "That was before I got the statement from the bartender." "You had Ms. Harper's statement." "Not enough." "When in doubt, take a pawn." " Let me go." " You're not leaving an accident." "Look, my insurance company will take care of it." "Now let me go!" "You're not leaving until we get this settled, mister." "I said, let me go!" "Okay, mister." "You'll be hearing from me." "Hello, Peter." "Over here." "I don't remember giving you a key." "The door was open." "I always lock the door." "Not this time." "All right, what happened?" "What happened back there?" "And what's she doing here?" "What do you mean, what happened?" " You know." " I don't know, I can't remember!" "I..." "I blacked out." "Oh, come on, Pete, I can't buy that." "What is the matter with you?" "Somebody doing something to you?" "You act like you're on drugs or something." "Don't listen to him, Peter." "When in doubt, take a pawn." "Pete." "Pete." "What is the matter with you, Pete?" "Snap out..." "He's out." "Cordel." "Why did you do it, Peter?" "Why?" "My brother." "I killed him, my own brother." "Cordel." "Cordel." "Mr. Cordel?" " Doctor." " Dr. Gregory." "You remember, from the chess club?" "My brother." "My brother." "You're in the prison ward at County Hospital." "Mental Section." "Then I did kill him?" "The detective and Dr. Adler, so the police say." "Do you remember them?" "Then I am insane?" "All right, just take it easy." "Try to calm down." "Just try to be calm." "Now, let's say that you're mentally ill." "But for illness, there are possible cures with help." "You mean your help, psychiatric help?" "Yes, that's right." "And with the help and the moral support of your friends." "My brother was the only friend I had." "According to the police, there was a woman there who was very concerned about you." "Some kind of a relative?" "Woman..." "Harper." "Leslie Harper?" "Yes, I think that's it." "Is she a cousin?" "No." "Psychiatric and legal help, huh?" "From the look of it there should be a plea of insanity or temporary insanity." "We'll talk about it, we'll get it all out in the open." "Have I..." "Have I talked?" "Did I say anything peculiar when I was passed out?" "Don't you worry about what you said." "I'll send for you, and we'll start talking." "Am I to see the doctor now?" "Hey, what...?" "What are you doing?" "Hey, what are you?" "What are you doing to me?" "Hey." "What's the matter with you?" "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Hey, what's the matter with you?" "Help!" "Help!" "Now lay off that button, mister." "There's no room service here." "He tried to kill me." "The other attendant, he tried to kill me." "Oh, yeah, I know." "Well, don't let it bother you." "Happens around here all the time." "Wait a minute, I'm telling you he tried to kill me!" "You wanna be put in a jacket, or are you gonna calm down?" "Okay, wait." "All right." "Okay." "Oh, yeah, you've got a visitor, but I think she better come back some other time." "She?" "Harper, Leslie Harper?" "Yeah." "I'll tell her to come back again." "No, no, wait." "Wait a minute, wait a minute." "The doctor said I could have visitors." "Ask him." "Ask him if I can see her now." "I'm all right." "I'm telling you, I'm calm." "I'll calm down." "Ask him." "Dr. Gregory." "Okay, you just take it easy and I'll go check with the doc." "Yeah, okay." "He'll be coming out of it in a little while." "You can have him then." "Peter." "I'm glad you came." "But I don't understand why." "Because you're in trouble." "Yeah." "My employer knows that I'm here." "And he's afraid of what the doctors might get out of me:" "Names, my employer's name." "He's already tried to have me killed." "Now, I've gotta get out of here, fast." "I want you to deliver a message to my employer." "In person to make sure that he gets it." "He's to call off his dogs and get me out of here today or I'll name him to the police." "All right." "But how do I find him?" "You don't find him." "He finds you." "Go to a phone and call 555-6784 and follow the instructions." "555-6784." "All right." "Now, how will I know it's really your boss when I meet him?" "In 1892, Steinitz defeated Chigorin in a chess game of 29 moves." "Ask the man that you meet to name the winning move." "The correct answer is Queen to Bishop 4." "Queen to Bishop 4." "Okay?" "All right." "He's still out." "Give him 15 minutes or so before you start asking any questions." "I'll have an attendant up here very shortly." "Ten minutes." "He said he'd call back in five." "Yes?" "Yes, I called." "I'm Leslie Harper, a friend of Peter's." "I came to visit him here when I read about it." "I'm sorry, he said to deliver the message to you in person or he would name names." "All right." "In 30 minutes at the intersection of Route 23 and Diablo Road." "Water." "Water." "Could I have some water?" "Want a lift, miss?" " I'm waiting to deliver a message." " Get in." "Well, Miss Harper, what is the message?" "Peter said to make sure you're the person I'm supposed to meet." "I'm here." "What else do you want?" "In 1892, Steinitz beat Chigorin in a chess game of 29 moves." "What was the final move?" "That's a question for you, Alex." " Yes?" " This is Harry Cordel." "Yeah, there's something wrong here." "The cops got me and 10-to-1 they got Pete too." "He met this blond chick and I feel she's rigged something." "You might be right." "The final move of the Steinitz victory was Queen to Bishop 4, but I didn't know policewomen were interested in chess." "Keep her quiet." "The one in front."