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SS Obersturmfuhrer Paul Meissner arrives in Auschwitz fresh from fighting on the Russian Front. After being badly wounded he is fit only for administrative duty and his first and most pressing task is to improve flagging camp morale among the officers and enlisted men. He sets up a chess club, which thrives as under-the-table bets are made on the results of the games. When Meissner learns from a chance remark that chess is also played by the prisoners, however, he becomes intrigued by the rumour of a Jewish watchmaker who is unbeatable