MATHEMATICAL FICTION:

a list compiled by Alex Kasman (College of Charleston)

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Odinokiy igrok [Lonely Player] (1995)
Vladimir Basov (director) / Olga Basova (director) / Eduard Volodarskiy (writer)
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A promising young mathematician winds up in debt and in trouble with the Russian mob when his formula fails to successfully predict the winners of horse races as expected.

Some people view this movie as a commentary on the personality of the main character. He is conceited and overconfident, which are common traits in stereotypical fictional mathematicians. That makes this a sort of tragedy where this "fatal flaw" prevents the mathematician from achieving his potential.

Alternatively, some see this movie, which is set in the 1980s, as a metaphor for the corruption of the Soviet Union. In that interpretation, idealism is represented by the formula which would work in a perfect world, but not in reality where the outcomes of the races are determined by the mob.

Apparently, the movie is based on a play by the same writer, but I wasn't able to find much information about it.

I am grateful to my collaborator Rob Milson who suggested this movie to me during his 2026 visit to Charleston.

More information about this work can be found at www.imdb.com.
(Note: This is just one work of mathematical fiction from the list. To see the entire list or to see more works of mathematical fiction, return to the Homepage.)

Works Similar to Odinokiy igrok [Lonely Player]
According to my `secret formula', the following works of mathematical fiction are similar to this one:
  1. Teen Patti by Leena Yadav (Director)
  2. 21 by Robert Luketic (Director)
  3. Qui perd gagne! by Laurent Bénégui (Director)
  4. A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar / Akiva Goldsman
  5. The Sand-Reckoner by Gillian Bradshaw
  6. Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead by Tom Stoppard
  7. The Man Who Knew Infinity by Matt Brown (Screenwriter and Director)
  8. Enigma by Robert Harris / Tom Stoppard
  9. Conceiving Ada by Lynn Hershman-Leeson
  10. Infinity by Patricia Broderick
Ratings for Odinokiy igrok [Lonely Player]:
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(unrated)

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Categories:
GenreHistorical Fiction,
MotifGenius, Anti-social Mathematicians,
TopicProbability/Statistics,
MediumFilms,

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Where are the new works of mathematical fiction?: As you can see from this chronological listing, this database includes many works of mathematical fiction for each year from 1990 to 2025. Strangely, only two are listed for 2026, so far. Either less mathematical fiction is being published than in previous years or I'm just having more trouble finding it. If you know of any works of fiction that should be added to this list, especially recently published ones, please let me know. (Keep in mind that I do not include self-published works or children's fiction that just covers elementary mathematical concepts.) Thanks!

(Maintained by Alex Kasman, College of Charleston)