Chess Movie Magic
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Howdy! It’s The Chess Friends!
We are in the middle of April, the month that brings showers, some new flowers, and spring breaks! But when we're stuck inside, is there anything better to do than to watch a chess movie? If you said playing chess, you're right, we'll give that to you, but this has to be a close second!
Today we would like to review some chess movies for you, so you can decide what you want to watch on a particularly showery day! There are tons of great chess films out there, far too many to mention, so we’ll focus on three: Searching for Bobby Fischer, Queen of Katwe, and Geri’s Game.
The Classics:
Searching for Bobby Fischer
The Man Benji
Hey there, it’s the Man Benji! Today, I will be talking about an over 30-years-old movie, which is somehow still relatable today. Filled with competitions, chess drama, wisdom, and timeless questions, the movie follows a rising chess talent finding his game!
Yep, you know the movie and may have already seen it: Searching for Bobby Fischer, a classic chess movie directed by Steven Zallian, was released in 1993 by Paramount Pictures and got nominated for Oscar in the Best Cinematography category. It also put scholastic chess on the map!
The movie is based on a true story of a chess prodigy, Josh Waitzkin, as told in 1988 by his father Fred Waitzkin in the book Searching for Bobby Fischer: The Father of a Prodigy Observes the World of Chess (1988).
It is a nice afternoon in New York City, and Josh, who just turned 7, is walking back from school through Washington Square Park. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and the park chess hustlers have their eyes fixed on the chess boards, minds are ready to unleash sparkling tactics. The energy of the chess battles draws Josh in. He is mesmerized by the game, and, like the hustlers, can’t take his eyes away from the chess boards. Soon, he is begging his parents to take him to the park to play chess. Vinnie (portrayed by Laurence Fishburne) and other hustlers become Josh’s first chess coaches, who teach him the sharp and aggressive playing style Josh uses later to win his games.
Fred, Josh’s Dad (portrayed by Joe Mantegna), is caught in the chess fever, remembering the days of glory when Bobby Fischer became the World Chess Champion. Dad hires Bruce Pandolfini (portrayed by Ben Kingsley). Bruce teaches Josh proper openings and more positional play, and his journey through chess tournaments begins. Josh’s Dad, excited by his son’s many wins and blindsided by the bright future of Josh’s chess talent, forgets what’s important in life. Why do we play chess? Is there such a thing as too much chess? Or too much pressure?
The movie culminates in the biggest scholastic tournament of the year: Spring Nationals! Josh faces another bright chess talent and his rival, Jonathan Poe. Can Josh conquer his fears, stop looking for Bobby Fischer, and find his own game? Oh, the tension! I don’t want to spoil the ending, but here is the final position of their game. Created by real Josh Waitzkin and real Bruce Pandolfini for the movie, it’s a 12-move combination that leads to a pawn race:
In real life, at the Spring Nationals in 1986, 10-year-old Josh Waitzkin faced Jeff Sarwer, an under-10 World Youth Chess Champion. Their game ended in a draw by insufficient material, and they both co-championed the tournament. You can see their game here.
The movie has a happy ending, but the lingering questions persist. Why do we play chess? Is there such a thing as too much chess? Or too much pressure? These questions are carried over from one chess generation to the next because there is no correct answer, and it is different for each individual. What remains true is that family and true friends can help chess players to weather any ups and downs that come with the chess life.
Chess-wise, the movie is very well made. I have to point that out because oftentimes, in a movie or a book about chess, we complain that the board is set up wrong, or the queen just moved over a pawn, or the position is illegal, or whatever. Luckily, there were no such pesky mistakes in this movie, and it’s not surprising, because Bruce Pandolfini himself (a renowned author and chess teacher who also coached current World #3 Fabiano Caruana) was a consultant, even appearing in one of the scenes briefly.
A shoutout to the actor, Max Pomeranc, who portrayed Josh. At the time of the movie release, he too was one of the top-rated US players in his age group, so he was super familiar with the chess life.
You might ask: What happened to Josh after the events of this movie? That’s a good question. But it is also a loaded one because the answer is fascinating. I will leave it for another time.
Before we go on to the next film, remember how I said Searching for Bobby Fischer was based on a book? You know me: as an avid reader, I had to borrow this book from the library to speed-read it and answer the very important question: “What is better: the movie or the book?”
Just like the movie, the book starts when Josh picks up chess and ends with the memorable 1986 Nationals. But so much more happened in between that movie didn't cover! For example, 7-year-old Josh travels to Moscow to watch the World Chess Championship between Karpov and Kasparov. How epic!
I recommend reading the book because of its accounts of chess history, of all the emotions competing at the scholastic events, and the questions we, The Chess Friends, like to ponder about, like whether Chess is an Art, Science or Sport. The book immerses you in the American chess scene of the 1980s, and I couldn’t help but think how much it has changed yet stayed the same.
Now let’s hear from Sarang, about another book turned movie!
From The Streets of Uganda to the World Stage:
Queen of Katwe
The Myth Sarang
Habari! Ni The Myth Sarang! Today I will be reviewing the movie Queen of Katwe.
Queen of Katwe was originally written as a book in 2012 by Tim Crothers, published by Simon and Schuster (The Queen of Katwe: One Girl's Triumphant Path to Becoming a Chess Champion), and became a movie in 2016, directed by Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair.
The movie was produced by Walt Disney Pictures and ESPN Films, so it is included in a Disney+ subscription.
One reason I chose this movie to review is my and The Legend Vivaan’s Dad Siva was an original reviewer of the book, so I think it’s fitting that I review the movie. Dad wrote: “The Queen of Katwe is one of the most inspiring, thought-provoking, humbling books I’ve ever read. It’s a must-read for any chess player, woman, athlete, or frankly anyone who knows any of the previous three, aka everyone!” – Siva Sankrithi, Math Teacher & Chess Coach, Lakeside Upper School, Seattle WA. Now, without further ado, grab some popcorn and soda, because we are starting now!
This story takes place in Uganda, specifically Katwe, where a young girl named Phiona Mutesi was living in poverty on the streets; no toilets, showers, clean water, or any of the basic amenities we take for granted. Her father passed away when she was only three years old, so she tried selling maize with her mom and her brothers at a street market to make ends meet. She then found a little house where people were playing chess. Phiona found chess parallelled her life in many ways, a real battle but one where she could triumph and find joy. Phiona got teased by many initially, but this movie shows how her love for the game, deep desire to create a better life for her family, and incredible resilience can overcome adversity.
Coach Robert Katende saw Phiona’s potential and before long, she was beating some of his top students on his team, The Pioneers. The movie explores Phiona’s coming of age, not only as a chess player, but as a person. She thinks of chess as life and the movie beautifully highlights how finding the safe square on the chess board mirrors finding a safe shelter for her family. Madina Nalwanga, who plays Phiona, brilliantly showcases all the firsts that happen for her, first car ride, first plane ride, first tournament, and how these experiences are wildly different, for better or worse, than her life in Katwe. As you watch this film or any chess film, when you see a fun chess position, pause it, turn on your Jeopardy music, and guess the move! For my fellow musicians and music fans, the soundtrack for Queen of Katwe is fire and you’ll be moving and grooving along throughout the movie! I don’t want to spoil too much about the film, so go get it through Disney Plus or other streaming services and enjoy!
Phiona and Benjamin Mukumbya, a strong young player seen frequently in the film, actually both went to Northwest University in Kirkland, WA, near Seattle, and got trained by local PNW legend National Master Elliott Neff for the 2014 and 2016 Olympiads! We’ve actually played tournaments they played in! Elliott and Chess4life also donated lots of chess materials to support chess in Uganda via the Robert Katende Initiative and his SOM Chess Academy whose mission is to “transform lives through chess one move at a time”.
Here’s a cool position from Phiona’s win with Black at the 2012 Istanbul Olympiad against Yeonhee Cho of South Korea. Both players are now Woman Candidate Masters (WCMs). You can view the whole game here: Yeonhee Cho vs Phiona Mutesi (2012)
Phiona is down a bishop for two pawns in this position after 23. Re1. Do you see how she’s completely winning though? This is a beautiful example of her sharp, tricky, attacking style! Phiona found the brilliant move 23… Rxe3! If 24. Qxe3 happens, as it did in the game, it’s forced mate in 2, namely 24… Rxf1+ 25. Kxf1 Qxg2#. Note White could’ve survived a bit longer with some “inconvenience” moves like 24. Qd2 Rxe1 25. Qxe1 Qxe1 26. Kh2 and at this point Black is up more than a Queen and has great mating threats.
Now let’s stay in the Disney/Pixar world and turn it over to my little brother, The Legend Vivaan, to talk about a revolutionary animated short film from when our Dad was between our ages!
Sunshine, Chess, and Smiles:
Geri’s Game
The Legend Vivaan
Hey Friends! It’s The Legend Vivaan! Geri’s Game is an awesome under five-minute computer-animated film from 1997, 21 years before I was born! It was written and directed by Jan Pinkava, and you can watch the entire film here. It became one of the most watched shorts, shown in theaters with A Bug’s Life. Geri’s Game won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film!
This film was revolutionary because it was Pixar’s first with a human main character and the first of its kind to have lifelike facial movements, skin tone, body and clothes movements, etc. Some of the new animating techniques used were facial rigging and cloth handling. Facial rigging is an animating process to produce realistic facial movements in a computer environment. Cloth handling does similar for clothing.
What I loved most about this show was that it was super funny! Though there was no talking, the sounds Geri made and his expressions were incredible and made me laugh so much! I think what makes this story so great is its simplicity. I don’t want to give away the whole thing, but I’ll say a little bit.
On a beautiful, sunshiny fall day, Geri plays chess in the park. White is shy, scared to make moves, and blunders often. Black is confident, bold, and plays very aggressively. The prize? The ability to smile! You’ll see what I mean when you watch it! Trust me, you’re in for some wild surprises!
Geri’s Game reminded me of our visit to Paris in 2024. We played chess in the beautiful Jardin du Luxembourg on the outdoor chess tables. Here’s me when I was six playing a blitz game against a nice college student named Lysander at the park. I won but more importantly made a friend.
That’s all for today! We hope you enjoy Searching for Bobby Fischer, Queen of Katwe, and Geri’s Game and that they inspire you to play even more chess!
Depending on your age and comfort level, consider checking out the popular current Netflix chess shows: Queen of Chess about Judit Polgár, and Untold: Chess Mates about some cheating controversies at the top level. There’s also Queen’s Gambit there, which helped grow the popularity of chess during the COVID-19 pandemic. We’ve also blogged about Brooklyn Castle, a documentary film we love, in two past blogs: Black Brilliance and Back to School Time!
Three Cheers, Fellow Future Master Chess Friends!
The Man Benji, The Myth Sarang, The Legend Vivaan
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