Geri: the old man who plays against himself (Pixar)

An old man, a park, a board, and the toughest opponent in the world: himself. Geri is the protagonist of Geri’s Game, the Pixar short that won the Oscar in 1998 and proved that a chess game can tell a universal story.

The short film

Geri’s Game (1997) shows an old man sitting alone in a park to play chess. But he has no opponent, so he plays against himself: he switches chairs after each turn and, magically, switches personality. The Geri with glasses is aggressive and competitive; the Geri without glasses is calm and thoughtful.

The game unfolds, the tension builds, and the ending — a brilliant trick we won’t fully reveal — is pure Pixar: humor, tenderness, and an unexpected twist.

Chess as metaphor

Geri isn’t just an old man playing chess: he’s a metaphor for human duality. We all have an aggressive player and a cautious one inside us, a side that attacks and one that defends. Geri sets them against each other, and the result is a game that only he himself can win.

Chess at Pixar

The short proved that chess has enormous visual and narrative potential. Without a single line of dialogue, Pixar managed to tell a complete story through the pieces, the gestures, and the rhythm of the game. It’s a masterclass in storytelling.

His chess DNA

In our chess DNA system, Geri represents the player against himself profile: balanced, with an aggression and a caution that alternate depending on the moment. If your twin is Geri, your strength is adaptability and the ability to see both sides of the board.

Keep exploring

• Rey Enigma, another character who turns chess into spectacle
• Dr. B, another character who plays against himself
• Beth Harmon, the fiction that has most impacted chess
• All players