Werner von Basil, a Austrian intellectual, was captured by the Nazis in 1938. They want to break him to confess smuggling. Without any mental sustenance, the only thing left to keep his mind busy is an old tactics book for chess.
Key credits listed on this page include Gerd Oswald, Herbert Reinecker, Harold Medford, Curd Jürgens, Claire Bloom, Hansjörg Felmy, Mario Adorf, and Hans Söhnker.