That “blind chess” documentary, the black-and-white one that has been doing the rounds of film festivals and got a huge spread in the prestigious Sight and Sound magazine? Algorithms is finally coming home.
British filmmaker Ian McDonald’s acclaimed exploration of the chess scene in India for the visually impaired, which has been produced by his wife Geetha J, will be released in cinemas on August 21. The 100-minute observational documentary is being screened as part of PVR Cinemas’ Director’s Rare alternative programming section. Algorithims follows the prospects of three boys who have been trained at the All India Chess Federation for the Blind. Saikrishna, Darpan and Anant are from contrasting backgrounds, have varying degrees of visual impairment, and are at different points on their journey to mastering the game.
McDonald, who also shot and edited the film, stayed with them for three years, capturing their hopes and anxieties, meeting their supportive parents, and travelling with them to international tournaments.
The filmmaker's sensitive approach to the subject has extended to the manner in which the documentary is being shown in India. A special audio-enhanced version has been created for visually impaired audiences. This is the format in which the film will be shown in Chennai on August 9. Chess legend Vishwanath Anand will inaugurate the screening and then play a friendly match with Charudutta Jadhav, the secretary of the All Indian Chess Federation for the Blind, who is also featured in the documentary. Anand’s support will undoubtedly boost the film’s chances with chess fans. But Algorithms also speaks to audiences who have no interest in the game, McDonald told Scroll.in in an interview.
Algorithms was completed in 2012. It has been screened widely to great acclaim at film festivals since then, and is finally being released in India. How did that happen?
It was always our dream to release Algorithms in India. Taking the film to international festivals and releasing in the US and UK over the past three years was of course very important – it brought the story of India’s blind chess players to the world and in picking up awards it validated the cinematic quality of the film. But it is in India that I most want the film to be seen. Its not been easy, as documentaries still rarely get a theatrical release in India. I am thankful to PVR who believe that there is an audience for this film. I understand that people here may think twice before buying a ticket to see a documentary about blind chess, but I know that if they give the film a chance they will not regret it.
How did Vishwanath Anand get involved with the Indian screening?
Anand has been a staunch supporter of chess for the blind for many years and I know he has great respect for the pioneering work of Charudatta Jadhav, the General Secretary for the All India Chess Federation for the Blind, who is also in our film. Charu made Anand aware of what we were doing and he was pleased to know about our film. So we also kept him posted. We are delighted that he is now showing his support for the film and for the blind chess community by launching this unique preview screening we have in Chennai on 9 August. This will be the first-ever audio-described theatrical preview screening for a blind and visually impaired audience in India.
The film’s tagline – "Four Moves In, We are All Blind" – has caught the attention of many reviewers. What is its significance for those who have not seen the film?
This was something that Charu told me when he explained the importance of chess for the blind. Chess is a mind game. After one, two, even three moves, it’s still possible to calculate your moves by looking at that board. But after four moves it is very difficult. After four moves, then we are playing the game in our mind, so we are all blind. And to succeed in chess and in life, we need to see beyond four moves, foresight is more important than eyesight. So I found this to be quite a profound comment and the perfect tagline for the film. This also provides the clue as to why we chose "Algorithms" for the title!
How did the journey begin for you, and how did you select the three characters we see in the film?
We got the idea to make the film in 2006 when I was in India just finishing a short film. I came across of small report in the newspaper about blind children competing in a chess tournament. I was curious to find out more about this but was unable to pursue it at that time. Two years later, Geetha and I decided to investigate further and our initial curiosity turned to amazement when we discovered that there was a thriving but hidden community of blind chess players in India. Then we found Charu and he invited us to the National Championship in Mumbai in January 2009. That is where the film starts.
We decided on the three boys during the first shoot itself. We were keen to follow the most promising youngsters. Darpan’s reputation preceded him. He was the undoubted star of blind chess. The young Sai Krishna was the rising star while Anant was the new kid on the block. He had just started to play chess but was recognised as being very talented. It just so happened that the three boys came from three different parts of India: Baroda, Bhubaneswar and Chennai, each hailing from three socio-economic classes. And furthermore, together they represented the span of visual impairment with Darpan being totally blind and having no visual memory, Anant also totally blind but with some visual memory, and Sai Krishna who is partially sighted but facing the prospect of going blind due to a genetic condition. But actually there is a very important fourth character in the film, Charu-sir, the unassuming but inspirational pioneer of blind chess not just in India but internationally.
Geetha J and Ian McDonald.
Algorithms is meditatively paced. Is this to convey a sense of the game of chess, which is a mind game? There is also a sense of events unfolding without gimmickiness, and your presence remains strictly observational.
I always knew that the film should have a particular pace and rhythm, with a close alignment between form and content. And yes, that it should be meditative like chess, but also purposeful, always going forward, just like the blind chess community itself.
My style of filmmaking is heavily observational, so I don’t like to interfere and prefer to allow events to unfold. When shooting, my aim is to completely immerse myself in the moment, not simply to capture what is happening in front of me, which is necessary to tell the story but also to capture the meaning behind the image. To find a deeper truth that captured the humanity of the blind chess community and the complexities of each of the characters. So we avoided the twin pitfalls of most disability docs: the tendency to evoke pity for the subject on the one hand, or the temptation to celebrate blindness on the other hand. We wanted to avoid this and make a film that is about disability but does not reduce the characters to their disability.
At the beginning of the shoot and of the film, we see the players as blind chess players. During the film, as we get to know the characters as real people and get involved in their lives, we almost forget they are blind. In the sighted world, they will always be defined by their blindness. But in the blind world, being blind is normal. So by staying in the world of the blind, other character traits come through and we get to know them as real people with all their quirks and eccentricities all the while not erasing their very real disabilities.
You originally shot the film in colour. Why did you convert it to black and white?
We decided to make the film black and white very early on in the editing process. We just experimented, as you do in the editing process, and tried a few scenes in black and white. And we never went back. The images had a much greater intensity and an intimacy lost in colour, and the film as a whole felt much more of a piece and more immersive in black and white. I guess I could also say that I was depriving the sighted of some of their vision though that would be more of a retrospective justification.
Have you kept in touch with the players since? Have their lives progressed since?
Yes, we have stayed in contact. And they are all doing very well in their studies. Sai Krishna is now studying for a degree in English Literature at Loyala College in Chennai. Anant is in his final years of a MA in Political Science at Hyderabad University, and is taking coaching to enter the IAS exam. And Darpan is studying commerce at Baroda University and taking his CA exams.
But I think all recognise the contribution of chess in giving them the confidence to succeed in the sighted world and the contribution of chess in their intellectual development. They all still play chess but they are wise enough to keep the right balance between chess and their careers. All three boys have grown into very impressive young men and all will go on to become great role models for blind youngsters.
The film has tremendous appeal for chess players. What about the rest of us?
It was important that the film was credible to people who knew chess. For example, we did not mess with the chronology of the chess games. But as many reviewers have commented, it is not necessary to know chess, or even to like chess to appreciate the film. This is because it touches upon something universal – about the relationship between teachers and students, parents and children. And perhaps most important of all, it speaks to a general audience because it is about life, the highs and lows and perhaps most importantly about fortitude. I think that resonates in a country like India.
The more I got into the shoot, the more my respect for chess players grew. I discovered that the chess players are as courageous as they are intellectual. My attitude to blindness also changed. I not only appreciated that blindness was not a barrier to leading a full life, but that blindness was better understood as a different way of being the world, in which sound and touch come to the fore.
These were lessons that the blind players learnt from chess. This was Charudatta’s mantra – to be good at chess and to succeed in life you need vision, not sight, you require foresight not eyesight. This, Charu said, was a lesson both for the blind and the sighted.
We welcome your comments at
letters@scroll.in.
British filmmaker Ian McDonald’s acclaimed exploration of the chess scene in India for the visually impaired, which has been produced by his wife Geetha J, will be released in cinemas on August 21. The 100-minute observational documentary is being screened as part of PVR Cinemas’ Director’s Rare alternative programming section. Algorithims follows the prospects of three boys who have been trained at the All India Chess Federation for the Blind. Saikrishna, Darpan and Anant are from contrasting backgrounds, have varying degrees of visual impairment, and are at different points on their journey to mastering the game.
McDonald, who also shot and edited the film, stayed with them for three years, capturing their hopes and anxieties, meeting their supportive parents, and travelling with them to international tournaments.
The filmmaker's sensitive approach to the subject has extended to the manner in which the documentary is being shown in India. A special audio-enhanced version has been created for visually impaired audiences. This is the format in which the film will be shown in Chennai on August 9. Chess legend Vishwanath Anand will inaugurate the screening and then play a friendly match with Charudutta Jadhav, the secretary of the All Indian Chess Federation for the Blind, who is also featured in the documentary. Anand’s support will undoubtedly boost the film’s chances with chess fans. But Algorithms also speaks to audiences who have no interest in the game, McDonald told Scroll.in in an interview.
Algorithms was completed in 2012. It has been screened widely to great acclaim at film festivals since then, and is finally being released in India. How did that happen?
It was always our dream to release Algorithms in India. Taking the film to international festivals and releasing in the US and UK over the past three years was of course very important – it brought the story of India’s blind chess players to the world and in picking up awards it validated the cinematic quality of the film. But it is in India that I most want the film to be seen. Its not been easy, as documentaries still rarely get a theatrical release in India. I am thankful to PVR who believe that there is an audience for this film. I understand that people here may think twice before buying a ticket to see a documentary about blind chess, but I know that if they give the film a chance they will not regret it.
How did Vishwanath Anand get involved with the Indian screening?
Anand has been a staunch supporter of chess for the blind for many years and I know he has great respect for the pioneering work of Charudatta Jadhav, the General Secretary for the All India Chess Federation for the Blind, who is also in our film. Charu made Anand aware of what we were doing and he was pleased to know about our film. So we also kept him posted. We are delighted that he is now showing his support for the film and for the blind chess community by launching this unique preview screening we have in Chennai on 9 August. This will be the first-ever audio-described theatrical preview screening for a blind and visually impaired audience in India.
The film’s tagline – "Four Moves In, We are All Blind" – has caught the attention of many reviewers. What is its significance for those who have not seen the film?
This was something that Charu told me when he explained the importance of chess for the blind. Chess is a mind game. After one, two, even three moves, it’s still possible to calculate your moves by looking at that board. But after four moves it is very difficult. After four moves, then we are playing the game in our mind, so we are all blind. And to succeed in chess and in life, we need to see beyond four moves, foresight is more important than eyesight. So I found this to be quite a profound comment and the perfect tagline for the film. This also provides the clue as to why we chose "Algorithms" for the title!
How did the journey begin for you, and how did you select the three characters we see in the film?
We got the idea to make the film in 2006 when I was in India just finishing a short film. I came across of small report in the newspaper about blind children competing in a chess tournament. I was curious to find out more about this but was unable to pursue it at that time. Two years later, Geetha and I decided to investigate further and our initial curiosity turned to amazement when we discovered that there was a thriving but hidden community of blind chess players in India. Then we found Charu and he invited us to the National Championship in Mumbai in January 2009. That is where the film starts.
We decided on the three boys during the first shoot itself. We were keen to follow the most promising youngsters. Darpan’s reputation preceded him. He was the undoubted star of blind chess. The young Sai Krishna was the rising star while Anant was the new kid on the block. He had just started to play chess but was recognised as being very talented. It just so happened that the three boys came from three different parts of India: Baroda, Bhubaneswar and Chennai, each hailing from three socio-economic classes. And furthermore, together they represented the span of visual impairment with Darpan being totally blind and having no visual memory, Anant also totally blind but with some visual memory, and Sai Krishna who is partially sighted but facing the prospect of going blind due to a genetic condition. But actually there is a very important fourth character in the film, Charu-sir, the unassuming but inspirational pioneer of blind chess not just in India but internationally.
Geetha J and Ian McDonald.
Algorithms is meditatively paced. Is this to convey a sense of the game of chess, which is a mind game? There is also a sense of events unfolding without gimmickiness, and your presence remains strictly observational.
I always knew that the film should have a particular pace and rhythm, with a close alignment between form and content. And yes, that it should be meditative like chess, but also purposeful, always going forward, just like the blind chess community itself.
My style of filmmaking is heavily observational, so I don’t like to interfere and prefer to allow events to unfold. When shooting, my aim is to completely immerse myself in the moment, not simply to capture what is happening in front of me, which is necessary to tell the story but also to capture the meaning behind the image. To find a deeper truth that captured the humanity of the blind chess community and the complexities of each of the characters. So we avoided the twin pitfalls of most disability docs: the tendency to evoke pity for the subject on the one hand, or the temptation to celebrate blindness on the other hand. We wanted to avoid this and make a film that is about disability but does not reduce the characters to their disability.
At the beginning of the shoot and of the film, we see the players as blind chess players. During the film, as we get to know the characters as real people and get involved in their lives, we almost forget they are blind. In the sighted world, they will always be defined by their blindness. But in the blind world, being blind is normal. So by staying in the world of the blind, other character traits come through and we get to know them as real people with all their quirks and eccentricities all the while not erasing their very real disabilities.
You originally shot the film in colour. Why did you convert it to black and white?
We decided to make the film black and white very early on in the editing process. We just experimented, as you do in the editing process, and tried a few scenes in black and white. And we never went back. The images had a much greater intensity and an intimacy lost in colour, and the film as a whole felt much more of a piece and more immersive in black and white. I guess I could also say that I was depriving the sighted of some of their vision though that would be more of a retrospective justification.
Have you kept in touch with the players since? Have their lives progressed since?
Yes, we have stayed in contact. And they are all doing very well in their studies. Sai Krishna is now studying for a degree in English Literature at Loyala College in Chennai. Anant is in his final years of a MA in Political Science at Hyderabad University, and is taking coaching to enter the IAS exam. And Darpan is studying commerce at Baroda University and taking his CA exams.
But I think all recognise the contribution of chess in giving them the confidence to succeed in the sighted world and the contribution of chess in their intellectual development. They all still play chess but they are wise enough to keep the right balance between chess and their careers. All three boys have grown into very impressive young men and all will go on to become great role models for blind youngsters.
The film has tremendous appeal for chess players. What about the rest of us?
It was important that the film was credible to people who knew chess. For example, we did not mess with the chronology of the chess games. But as many reviewers have commented, it is not necessary to know chess, or even to like chess to appreciate the film. This is because it touches upon something universal – about the relationship between teachers and students, parents and children. And perhaps most important of all, it speaks to a general audience because it is about life, the highs and lows and perhaps most importantly about fortitude. I think that resonates in a country like India.
The more I got into the shoot, the more my respect for chess players grew. I discovered that the chess players are as courageous as they are intellectual. My attitude to blindness also changed. I not only appreciated that blindness was not a barrier to leading a full life, but that blindness was better understood as a different way of being the world, in which sound and touch come to the fore.
These were lessons that the blind players learnt from chess. This was Charudatta’s mantra – to be good at chess and to succeed in life you need vision, not sight, you require foresight not eyesight. This, Charu said, was a lesson both for the blind and the sighted.