One of my worst Columbos from 70' era. Everytime I try to like it more, but I just can't . There are some moments I like, and I don't know what is the exact reason, but I guess that I just can't stand the murderer, or maybe rather the actor playing murderer, and weak final clue. Even if it can make some sense, I still just don't like it

1. I really don't like this very long opening scene
2. What a handy tablecloth in the restaurant :P
3. Columbo is full of coincidences, but sometimes it is just fuuny. Like this time, how lucky Clayton must have been, that the maid was in Dudek's room exactly in the time he needed that :P
4. Why when Clayton is waiting for Dudek to begin the game, the clocks next to the chessboard are set differently? I know nothing about this chess tournaments, but shouldn't they be set the same before the game?
5. The best clue I find in this episode is that chess game in restaurant. Proprietor says that Dudek pushed out salt. Then Columbo finds chess journal from that game and he knew that Dudek won. That is much better clue for me than this final one
6. I like Columbo's line here very much. First Clayton says that he ALWAYS has his chess set with him. Then Columbo noticed that he hasn't had them that evening in restaurant. Clayton is a little tricked but he says „I forgot them, you're not going to arrest me for that?”. And then Columbo has his typical brilliant answer: „A lot of people forgetting chess sets these days”. I love it :D
7. This tricky phone call about dog. Do you think all the action was planned by Columbo? Did he actually call anywhere? Or was it really about his dog and by this occasion he had a chance to observe Clayton's reaction?
8. Definitely the latest death from all episodes. 56th minute. Just 14 minutes before the end of the episode
9. Ok, Columbo can't check the syringes, all right. But woudn't the autopsy show later on, what exactly happened and what was the cause of death?
10. I have this unusual observation here. Mr Dudek was supposed to be from this soviet coutry. And when Columbo meets Miss Robinson after his death in the restaurant, in my opinion the style of this restaurant looks like they looked in this eastern european countries like at that time (type of window curtains, tiles on the wall, style of the table with glass ashtray on it, just a napkin under her drink instead of a coaster... things like that). I am curious if this is done on purpose. Or maybe hotel restaurants in USA also looked like that, I don't know :)

2.) Not only were the tablecloths perfect, but the restaurant had enough different objects for a makeshift chessboard, lol. How did the waiter remember who pushed what item first?

4.) The clocks at a chess tournament are used to measure how much time a player has to make his next move. Perhaps that is why they were all different.

7.) I think the reason Columbo called about dog was just for the drama of the show. Iirc, he wasn’t watching Clayton’s reaction.

8.) In No Time To Die there is no death (except the audience dying of embarrassment). Although I’d like to forget that episode.

10.) Iirc, the restaurant was typical for its time.

This was definitely not one of my favorite episodes either. Although I normally like Laurence Harvey. He was great in The Caterpillar episode of Night Gallery. This episode has my favorite blooper of all Columbo episodes. When Clayton sneaks into Dudek’s hotel room you can see a staff member hiding in the bathroom. I can’t believe they didn’t catch that.

In no time to die the kidnapper gets shot in the end, pretty sure he dies, so there IS a death there, just not a murder, since it was the police doing that out of defense for the victim.

I don't like this episode either, I always skip it.

I really enjoy this episode. I think the story, clues, and twists and turns of the plot are very interesting. I agree that the final clue is not as strong as some of the other clues in the episode, but I still like it. And I think there is enough evidence altogether.

I really like this episode, but that's normal for me cause I like chess.

7) The phone call about dog can have gone either way: it can have been a legit call, and it also can have been a plot to check his reaction, columbo would be capable of having that legit reaction and would also be capable of using such a trick.

8) Curious, exactly 80% of the episode, was really hoping dudek would survive, he was great; someone else mentioned no time to die and I have to say the prospects of living for the kidnapper don't seem very bright in that episode, so if that's the case, it should be an even later death.

9) Definitely possible that the autopsy would reveal clayton tampered with the medications.

One thing that's not been mentioned is: clayton must be the weakest chess world champion of all time! Falling for a fool's mate? Even leaving that aside, the way he plays isn't any better than mine as a 1,4-1,6k player, he just has crazy memory, but that won't help you with the mistakes he makes.

I find it unrealistic such a weak player became world champion, ofc dudek is way above (and he actually can compete with modern GMs), but there had to have been other players not as strong as dudek but that definitely wouldn't have been beaten by clayton.