A Game of Chess - Recap

Jim picks up his briefing from a phone booth and is informed that one million dollars in gold bullion was stolen from the underground of an anti-western satellite, by the government’s military police. Nicholas Groat, a chess master and thief, plans to steal the gold. The IMF must stop Groat and get the gold to the underground.

Jim assembles the usual team and notes that the bank in town has been destroyed, so the gold will be stored at a secure vault in a hotel… where a chess tournament is being held. Rollin will be entered as a gifted amateur, thanks to a computer Barney has programmed. Barney has Cinnamon test a brooch with a miniature camera and Rollin has a hearing aid ready. Finally, Jim has a bottle filled with a drug that will simulate typhoid.

Groat goes over his plans with his assistant Mueller before his match, then goes down to play. Rollin is there as well and Cinnamon sends images of the game to Jim and Barney, who program moves on the computer and send the next moves to Rollin via his hearing aid. Rollin wins his game and he’ll play Groat in the final match. Meanwhile, Groat asks for access to the vault and Mueller uses a hidden camera to record the combination. He then goes to play Rollin and notices the hearing aid. Rollin wins the first game, much to Groat’s dismay, then goes off to his room. Groat barges in and finds their computer, just as they planned. Rollin gives a demonstration and notes that the computer drives wristwatches crazy.

Mueller develops the film from his camera and gets the combination. Meanwhile Jim watches as the hotel has a new time lock installed on its vault. Jim calls pretending to be the manager and let Groat know he can’t get access again until morning. Meanwhile, Rollin suggests Groat use their machine and the chess master refuses, then returns to his room where he finds out about the time lock. Realizing his watch has messed up, Groat goes to Rollin and his partners Barney and Rollin, and suggests they use their computer to advance the time lock and get into the vault that night. They refuse unless they can plan the operation. Groat backs down and they bring in Cinnamon and Willy as other members of their team. They the put some jewels in the vault and Jim uses a hidden camera to record the time lock. Rollin then takes over the operation and they come up with a drug that simulates typhoid to immobilize everyone in the hotel, then goes with Groat to finish their chess match.

Barney gets into the hotel’s water pipes but the guards arrive with the gold and he’s forced to hide as they inspect the basement. They fail to notice him and leave. Rollin and Groat finish their game while Barney places the drug in the water supply. He then goes upstairs and fakes a collapse from typhoid while Jim provides a diagnosis. Jim then quarantines the hotel and Rollin arrives as a city health official while Wally drives an ambulance. The hotel patrons and guards start to collapse from the drug and Rollin administers inoculations: actually a sedative. The guards start to pass out and the captain realizes too late that something is wrong before he collapses.

The team uses the chess computer to advance the time lock and get the vault open. The IMF looks on as Groat and Mueller open the crates with the gold. The gang then draws guns and takes the gold, while locking Groat and Mueller in the vault.

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