Web Series: Rematch
Cast: Christian Cook, Sarah Bolger , Tom Austen, Orion Lee, Aidan Quinn, Luke Pasqualino, Molly Harris, Trine Drynholm
Director/Creator: Yan England
Rating: 3/5
Runtime: 40-50min/ 6 Eps
Rematch is a fairly gripping six-episode psychological drama that fictitiously reimagines the legendary true life, 1997 showdown between world chess champion Garry Kasparov and IBM’s chess-playing supercomputer Deep Blue.
Largely set in New York, where the intense, highly competitive and mind-bending games of chess, which also involved one-upmanship, strategy and gaming the opponent, were played, the series explores the toll on Kasparov (Christian Cooke) as he tries to beat machine intelligence to reiterate the intellectual superiority of mankind. Will he succeed?
Garry Kasparov, the most famous chess grandmaster ever, challenged the old Soviet regime, emerged as one of Putin’s most prominent critics and stood against totalitarian regimes. He was also chairman of the Human Rights Foundation.
Kasparov’s victory over Karpov, as shown in flashbacks in this series, was a victory for the free world over the Soviet regime. Kasparov considered his 1989 victory over Deep Thought to be an experiment of sorts, but ambitious IBM exec Helen Brock, recognizing the opportunity to promote the brand and the stock price, manages to sell the idea to him. His mother Klara Kasparova though, questioned his reason for agreeing to a rematch. IBM’s gamesmanship during the rematch also echoed the mind-games that the KGB and elite members of the regime tried to pull ten years earlier.
Creators Yan England, Bruno Nahon, and Andre Gulluni build up tension and interest by making the human angle important and adding fractured/estranged relationships to the saga. Elite Australian sports agent Roger Laver is also there to negotiate with IBM on behalf of Kasparov.
The rematch taxed Kasparov in the extreme. He had to confront not only a formidable machine which was being live-programmed with the help of several renowned grand masters, but also the mounting pressure from the media, scientific world and fans at large – which caused his own psyche to unravel.
Those who already know the outcome might not be interested in the result but they are sure to get captivated by the way Director/ co-creator Yan England structures this psychologically inclined thriller which involves mind games as well as the game of chess. The series not only dwells on the human cost of competing with artificial intelligence, but also digs into themes of brilliance, self-doubt, and the fear of the unknown bogey of losing worth. In a broader sense the very value of humanity was at stake.
The beautifully dramatised series emphasizes Kasparov’s high-strung neurotic mind-set and Cooke truly immerses himself as the tightly wound grand master. Aidan Quinn as Laver, Orion Lee as P. C. the man who created Deep Blue and Tom Austen as Nelson do finely tuned justice to their roles.
This rematch kick-started the man versus machine debate and is recognised as a defining moment in the evolution of machines. The debate continues on with AI taking centre stage in today’s world.