Chess Is Where You Find It

     This live TV adaption aired on April 7, 1950.  Ian Keith portrayed Lord Rintoul.
Ian Keith, like many early stage and screen actors, played chess.  One of his friends and chess partner was fellow actor George C. Scott.  "Rage and Glory: The Volatile Life and Career of George C. Scott" by David Sheward tells us that after Keith died in 1960, Scott created  "the 'Ian Keith Award' for a performer in the N.Y. Shakespeare Festival  'most deserving of aid and encouragement toward the career in theater.'  The prize was a silver chess knight and a check for $1000."

     Coincidentally Ian Keith played in a 1944 closed-door mystery film about a chess played who was murdered while cltuching chess pieces, called "The Chinese Cat."

Bill Wall wrote: "Man's Past, A (1927) - Lt. Destin (Arthur Carew) plays chess with Dr. Fontaine (Ian Keith) during a chess game with Dr. Fontaine, the doctor calls Destin's hand and shoots him. "

Here is a still from that scene:
     But it seems that the "Dr. Fontaine" pictured here is not Ian Keith.  A movie site revealed the plot and explains that Dr. Henry Fontaine, played by Keith, was going blind.  Dr. Paul La Roche, a friend of Fontaine, who had been imprsioned for committing euthanasia but escaped, impersonates Dr. Fontaine in order to practice medicine.  He plays a game of chess with a fellow former prisoner, Lieutenant Destin, who threatens to expose him.  Fontaine/La Roche shoots Destin but then saves Destin's life and receives a full pardon.

Back to the problem.

In the article Keith gives us this position:

...claiming mate is inevitable, usually within 4 clever moves such as those given:

     But Keith is totally wrong.

     He assumed that White needs to move his Queen to save her or else lose, but he overlooked the obvious - just as in most closed-door mysteries:

...after 2. Nf4, Black's game is irretrievably lost.

Yeah, very strange to say he thinks it's some kind of mate in 4. On move 3 as well, just don't play the rook to a1 and white is fine.

I think Keith must have been a somewhat average player.

Does batgirl use chess.com only for blogging. I mean,she played only a very few games. (just asking)