Top 20 columbo episodes full#

The police deduce that Dudek has had cold feet, panicked and tried to flee back to Russia before tragically blundering into the trash compactor.ĭudek’s coach Beroski cannot conceive that his charge would split just prior to confirming his superiority over the American pretender. When we next encounter Clayton, he’s sitting patiently in front of a live studio audience, eagerly awaiting the chess Clash of the Titans to commence. He’s soon called away by the police, though, as one Lieutenant Columbo seeks assistance with his investigations. By way of thanks, Clayton shoves the lovable Russkie through the basement doors – and straight into the hotel’s trash compactor! He even kindly offers to postpone the match until Clayton is feeling better. He begs Dudek to write a few lines in Russian so that he can ‘copy them out’ in his own hand later. Meeting Dudek downstairs, Clayton tells a sob story about how an affair with a Russian love interest has gotten out of control. Dudek agrees, and dashes off to the rendezvous – only for the wily Clayton to sneak into Dudek’s hotel room and pack his belongings into a travel bag.

First, he makes an airline reservation and cab booking in Dudek’s name, using a convincing Russian accent, and then rings Dudek and begs for a private meeting. “Clayton goes berserk as the prospect of a shameful defeat the next day becomes increasingly likely.”Įarly the next morn, he puts his plans into action. Clayton quickly combines those two traits and comes up with a plan to do away with Dudek for good.

When Dudek departs, Clayton goes berserk, dashing his hearing aid against the hotel room wall as the prospect of a shameful defeat the next day becomes increasingly likely.īut you don’t get to become a chess Grandmaster without a scheming brain and willingness to take risks.

The result is the same: a crushing defeat for the American. They sneak back to the hotel via the basement (to avoid Dudek being collared by his coach) and have a further game up in Clayton’s room. Dudek gains the upper hand, causing the irascible Clayton to storm off in a rage. The two even appear to be getting along well until an impromptu chess match kicks off on the chequered table cloth of their booth.

Top 20 columbo episodes full#

He’s actually a very lovely old chap, full of fun and mischief but with a heart of gold. He trails Dudek to a French restaurant where the Russian heads to sate his desire for garlic snails – food most definitely not on the menu approved by his domineering coach, Mazoor Beroski.ĭudek greets Clayton warmly. He fears defeat and when an opportunity arises to get a measure of his opponent, mano a mano, Clayton takes it. While Clayton is outwardly cool, calm and collected, he’s in inner turmoil. So THAT’S why restaurants have chequered tablecloths… However, now his diabetes is under control Dudek has Clayton’s crown firmly in his sights and their impending televised clash is set to be like Fischer vs Spassky all over again. We’ll assume it’s the latter…Ĭlayton, you see, has been lording it over the global chess fraternity for 5 years since ill health forced Dudek into early retirement. Waking from a psychedelic chess nightmare in a sheen of sweat, he’s either high on LSD or is having some serious anxiety about an impending chess encounter with Russian legend Tomlin Dudek.

Score by: Dick De Benedictis Episode synopsis: Columbo The Most Dangerous MatchĬhess Grandmaster Emmett Clayton is not in a good place right now. Heavily influenced by this clash, The Most Dangerous Match went a step further, having Laurence Harvey’s Emmett Clayton slay his Russian opponent on the eve of their world title confrontation – almost certainly triggering a nuclear stand-off.īut is the 7th episode of Columbo‘s second season another contender for ‘Match of the Century’, or a damp squib more akin to Garry Kasparov vs Nigel Short? Let’s see… Less than a year earlier, the legendary ‘Match of the Century’ between American Bobby Fischer and Russia’s Boris Spassky had gripped the globe, with Fischer’s victory regarded as a crushing defeat for the entire Soviet way of life. Strange as it may sound today, chess was BIG NEWS back in March 1973 when The Most Dangerous Match first aired.