kratus-552-73932 The story of an agoraphobic chess master solving mysteries with his associates had some good moments, especially once the season got underway. Unfortunately, the single season ends with NO resolution to the central mystery of who killed the protagonist's finance. This was a very unsatisfactory ending, and my wife and I feel that we wasted our time on a show with no resolution.

ihatespike I came across this little gem of a series on Hulu (after it advertised it about a million times) and I'm certainly glad I did; it's one of a handful of shows you watch with bittersweet enjoyment since you know right away it has already been cut before its prime. The detective setup is reminiscent of a chess game in that it starts the same. There's the quirky, somewhat impaired detective and the patient supporting cast who put up with his antics. Give it a little time and your fear of triteness will vanish; the cast is pretty easy to like, the detection/thought process of the main character is quite enjoyable and fresh, the accents do not chafe (bravo, Mr. Doyle), the mysteries are actually mysteries (there's room to guess, but it isn't dumped in your lap), and the stories got better and better. Here and there the dialogue doesn't seem to strike the right chord, but that isn't the actors so much as the scripts. All in all this bit of television is well worth your time if you like detective shows.

DJWyce Arkady Balagan, an agoraphobic grandmaster chess player cannot leave the hotel he was staying in when he saw his fiancée killed. Nearly skint, he accepts commissions to solve crimes brought to him by others. He conscripts a young chess playing admirer, a chambermaid, a bartender, and the hotel's head of security - who does not like him (great relationship there) - to do his footwork for him. As they bring back the results of their investigations and research, he runs it all through his imagination, like envisioning a chess game and all his future moves, until he comes upon a likely scenario. He always inserts his own avatar into the playback, asking questions and getting advice from the characters even as he watches his scripts unfold. While having similarities to Sherlock Holmes, Nero Wolfe, and Bobby Goren, he deserves not to be seen as derivative of those characters, but on a par with them.Canada's Shawn Doyle portrays Arkady Balagan with finesse, arrogance and bravado appropriate to his egoistic appreciation of his own skills and intelligence. The supporting cast is just as good, and each episode is as good as the last.

Mikhail Koganov I am hard core chess fan and reasonably strong player and I always wished our game gets media attention and recognition it deserves. Here comes Endgame. The show is not really about game of chess, but rather about Chess grandmaster who applies his analytical skills to solve crimes. The brilliance of the show, is the way they display this thinking process. Arkady, the grandmaster imagines potential suspects as pieces on the chess boards, he actually talks to them to question and analyze their motives. Shawn Doyle who is playing the main role- I absolutely love this guy.From a chess fan standpoint, I greatly appreciate the fact that show producers went to a great length to reproduce quality chess content, in those occurrences where chess has actually being used. It references Donald Byrne - Bobby Fischer game of the century as an example. It warmed my heart to see real position from Kings Indian defense to be played in one of the episodes and fashionable chess equipment (like Chronos and Saitek Competion chess clocks). Compare this to some other shows where chess board placement is typically wrong. Guys- remember, white square on the right side of player with white pieces.For someone who was born Russia, it is obvious the show was made for Western audience and full of Russian stereotypes. Arkady drinks vodka right from the bottle, talks about Putin wanting to kill him, often says "na zdorov'ja" (instead of na zdorov'ie), dances "gapak", etc. Still all those Russian shortcomings simply add charm to this show.I hear the news that for some reason that is simply beyond my understanding there maybe no second season. That will be very sad. The story of the main hero has just been briefly touched upon and all the fans are anxious to find out more about him. I really hope that network gives the show another chance.