a chess grandmaster ( emmett clayton ) become increasingly uncomfortable and anxious on the run up to a chess match with a soviet player ( tomlin dudek ) who have come out of retirement especially to play him . when the two meet on the evening before the match and clayton suffers defeat in both a spontaneous game at a restaurant and a pre arrange game at the hotel and he decide to take matter into his own hand . the chess environment serve a a particularly appealing and suitably competitive back drop to this episode for it facilitate an individualised battle of wit between columbo and murderer . laurence harvey ( in one of his last performance ) be remarkably superb a the multi faceted emmett clayton and whose increasingly disturb mental state be temporarily overcome by a remarkable assuredness to murder the only threat to his supremacy a a chess champion . the plot be refreshingly original and well think out and the script add different dimension to those find in the usual columbo story and particularly a the murderer have to have two separate attempt at kill off his rival . the whole episode be reasonably well pace after it carefully set up the necessary plot information or murder scenario a columbo try to unravel the real truth whilst at the same time undermine a very self confident murderer . the climax contain some of the best scene represent columbo harassment of the murderer with damn accusation whilst he try to play numerous chess game at once while and then in the basement of the hotel a columbo perpetrate a crafty plot to confirm his suspicion . two minor gripesnegative . 1 ) at two key moment emmett clayton be able to gain access to tomlin dudek hotel room ( once to pack his bag for him and the other time to tamper with his medicine ) . this happen all too easily represent how do clayton manage to time it when the cleaning lady be or have be in dudek room and how do he avoid be see . ( 2 ) columbo can only perfectly test out his theory at the end when clayton remove his hearing aid . how do he know he be go to do that . these two gripe aside and this be a well above average and strong addition to the series .