Thinking Big?

Let’s now turn our attention from the microscopic to the monumental … in fact, to the future of chess.

I’ve been waiting for the right time to mention that there is a project in the works to make a movie about the (first) Millionaire Chess Open, Maurice Ashley’s grand experiment last year at running a tournament with a million-dollar prize fund. The documentary would (will?) be called “Pushing Wood.” The director would be (will be?) a filmmaker named Jeffrey Plunkett. And, to cut to the chase, Plunkett is running a crowdfunding campaign at Indiegogo.

I know opinions are divided about Maurice Ashley’s vision and whether it can ever be practical. As I’ve written before, he and his sponsor almost certainly took a financial bath on the Millionaire Chess tournament, unless they have revenue streams I don’t know about. But let’s forget about that and talk about the documentary.

Ever since poker started showing up all over the place on ESPN and other cable TV channels, I’ve been asking, “Why them and not us?” Poker players have historically been social outcasts, just like chess players — a different kind of misfit, perhaps, but still an outcast. And yet they have turned recently into media stars. Television makes the difference. We have to try to get chess on ESPN, but it’s a tall order. One of Ashley’s goals was to find commentators who could turn a rook-and-pawn endgame into “the final drive of the Super Bowl, with the score tied.” I don’t think he quite succeeded (I would say that two of the three commentators were far from ready for prime time), but at least he recognized the importance of communicating chess to the public in their language.

The exciting thing about this Indiegogo project is that it comes from outside the chess community, from someone who speaks the language of the public. Plunkett didn’t know anything about chess before he started working on the project. But he is a bona fide filmmaker, and he has made a documentary for ESPN before (“The Opposition,” which ironically would also be a great title for a chess movie…). If “Pushing Wood” gets made, it would be a good bet, given Plunkett’s track record, to get onto ESPN. That is only one step away from getting chess on live TV or at least pre-recorded TV, like poker.

Go take a look at the trailer and see if you believe in this project. I know that asking the chess community to donate is a long shot, because chess players are not exactly a wealthy group of people. But if we don’t, who will? Plunkett has gotten $3760 in pledges so far, which is pretty far from the $50,000 goal, but he has 24 more days to make it. As with any crowdfunding project, there are some perks to entice you into giving more. $50 gets your name in the credits. $150 gets you a personal lesson with GM Timur Gareev or GM Cristian Chirila. That seems like a really good value to me, and there are eight lessons still unclaimed.

So, you can pledge now for at least an outside chance at making chess mainstream… or you can not pledge, and guarantee that chess will forever remain a footnote to a footnote in American culture. Your choice! 😉

[How’d you like that hard sell? That’s about the best I can do with a straight face.]

P.S. Did you notice I said first Millionaire Chess Open? According to the Indiegogo website, if you donate $5000 to the film, you will get a “special guest pass to the second Millionaire Chess Open in Vegas.” That is the first indication I’ve seen in black and white that there will be another one. The “Estimated Delivery” date for that prize is December 2015.

[Added later in the day: Sorry, apparently lots of people knew that already! I just haven’t been paying attention. Michael Aigner tells me that the dates are October 8-12, so that “Estimated Delivery” date is a really, really conservative estimate.]