A Self confessed Chess Addict Bill Wall writes, “you are a chess addict, if your favorite movie is 'Searching for Bobby Fischer' or 'The Luzhin Defense'" and I guess he is right. And I also feel, You don’t need to be a chess addict like me, to love the movie 'Searching for Bobby Fischer' as it’s a very entertaining movie for everybody. Movie is about Josh Waitzkin, who was an US chess prodigy. Josh is inactive in chess circles now, and his last ELO was 2400+ with an IM grade. He was also a National champion in one form of martial Arts in the US. Those who own the software, Chess Master-10 ,can get a good idea of Josh where he gives video Analysis of own games in course of teaching the children the strategies of chess. He had come to Calicut, Kerala for world Junior championship and one of his games in that tourney (Josh Vs Suresh Kumar) is closely analyzed there in the program. This movie was released in 1993 and if you do torrents, it’s available in pirate bay in divx format. Fred Waitzkin (Josh’s Father) wrote the script, and in fact it was his book with the same title which was adapted for the movie.
Movie is about few things which a common man like you and me may not be aware of. It’s about the pleasure and pain to be someone exceptionally good in something. It’s about loving your kid and forgetting that he is a kid at times. It’s about chasing one's dream through your offspring and get yourself carried away.
In one Scene Josh's school teacher complains about his behavior at school to his parents saying "I know he may be good at the "chess thing. but..." and his father over-reacts to her like, "That’s not chess thing. It’s Chess. And he is far good in it than you or I can ever reach in anything". In fact he was comparing himself to Josh, reflecting his frustration in achieving nothing big in life even after putting efforts.
Josh loves to play blitz in the park just for his passion for the game with technically imperfect though strong passionate players. He loves to break hardcore rules of chess openings and would bring his queen at the earliest against all advices. But he is forced to leave this blitz sessions on the strict advice of Pandolfini, his coach. He is forced to train a lot and, slowly chess becomes more work than fun for him. Movie is a success as it’s beautifully portrays this painful transition, killing a player in the process of making him perfect.
Expectations are always burden and performance anxiety soon follows and you, me or everyone lose to it, and those face it easily, would make it big in life. Josh Waitzkin comes up when his people lose all hope on him, when his father reaches a level of maturity to accept it’s just a game, he comes up with winning the national title.
You see his friendly gesture, offering draw to the opponent though he knew he was clearly winning, proving it’s not win, lose or draw make a player, but passion for the game.
Searching for bobby fisher is remarkable not because of all these mentioned elements. It’s actually a search for Bobby fisher, the American genius, America’s cold and ruthless answer to the soviet domination in the game; the commies were the best with. The whole nation was searching for another Fischer and Josh was their answer, but without all ill famous ingredients of Fisher charisma, without his famous arrogance, killer spirit, hatred, josh was a soft and beautiful answer. No wonder he moved out of competitive chess and took up some other sports with the same passion.
Brilliant performances by all the actors including Ben Kingsley who played Bruce Pandolfini and Max Pomeranc who played Josh, cuter than cute with those wonderful innocent expressions. Joe Mantegna played a perfect ‘Fred Waitzkin’ with Joan Allen playing his wife to the best. 'Matrix 'fame lawrence Fishburn was also good playing Josh's friend from the park.Steven Zallion has done good job making it a very exciting directorial venture. One remarkable moment from the movie is the appearances of the 'Man who beat Tal’ in couple of times. Vasek Simek did a great effort, playing sad figure of Israel Zilber, a latvian champion Who beat World champion Tal but ended up as a blitz player who would take 5 dollars for a photograph or a game in the American park. But I guess it’s normal in US for masters to play blitz in the park, as I heard their National Champ and blitz great, Nakamura is a regular blitz man in the park.
A regular chess lover may get annoyed by the hyper melodramatic expressions of players on the board, for instance, the queening race in the King and pawn endgame where one player realize it at the last move that his opponent is going to queen with a check, as all national level players would easily resign in such positions at least couple of moves before it really happens. But this folly in the story would not be visible for those who are not so deep into the game.
Searching for bobby fisher is unavoidable for all chess freaks, with those thrilling blitz in the park, with those grueling moments for parents waiting outside the tournament halls, with that beautiful portrayal of fun and struggle in 64 squares of 'life'.
Movie is about few things which a common man like you and me may not be aware of. It’s about the pleasure and pain to be someone exceptionally good in something. It’s about loving your kid and forgetting that he is a kid at times. It’s about chasing one's dream through your offspring and get yourself carried away.
In one Scene Josh's school teacher complains about his behavior at school to his parents saying "I know he may be good at the "chess thing. but..." and his father over-reacts to her like, "That’s not chess thing. It’s Chess. And he is far good in it than you or I can ever reach in anything". In fact he was comparing himself to Josh, reflecting his frustration in achieving nothing big in life even after putting efforts.
Josh loves to play blitz in the park just for his passion for the game with technically imperfect though strong passionate players. He loves to break hardcore rules of chess openings and would bring his queen at the earliest against all advices. But he is forced to leave this blitz sessions on the strict advice of Pandolfini, his coach. He is forced to train a lot and, slowly chess becomes more work than fun for him. Movie is a success as it’s beautifully portrays this painful transition, killing a player in the process of making him perfect.
Expectations are always burden and performance anxiety soon follows and you, me or everyone lose to it, and those face it easily, would make it big in life. Josh Waitzkin comes up when his people lose all hope on him, when his father reaches a level of maturity to accept it’s just a game, he comes up with winning the national title.
You see his friendly gesture, offering draw to the opponent though he knew he was clearly winning, proving it’s not win, lose or draw make a player, but passion for the game.
Searching for bobby fisher is remarkable not because of all these mentioned elements. It’s actually a search for Bobby fisher, the American genius, America’s cold and ruthless answer to the soviet domination in the game; the commies were the best with. The whole nation was searching for another Fischer and Josh was their answer, but without all ill famous ingredients of Fisher charisma, without his famous arrogance, killer spirit, hatred, josh was a soft and beautiful answer. No wonder he moved out of competitive chess and took up some other sports with the same passion.
Brilliant performances by all the actors including Ben Kingsley who played Bruce Pandolfini and Max Pomeranc who played Josh, cuter than cute with those wonderful innocent expressions. Joe Mantegna played a perfect ‘Fred Waitzkin’ with Joan Allen playing his wife to the best. 'Matrix 'fame lawrence Fishburn was also good playing Josh's friend from the park.Steven Zallion has done good job making it a very exciting directorial venture. One remarkable moment from the movie is the appearances of the 'Man who beat Tal’ in couple of times. Vasek Simek did a great effort, playing sad figure of Israel Zilber, a latvian champion Who beat World champion Tal but ended up as a blitz player who would take 5 dollars for a photograph or a game in the American park. But I guess it’s normal in US for masters to play blitz in the park, as I heard their National Champ and blitz great, Nakamura is a regular blitz man in the park.
A regular chess lover may get annoyed by the hyper melodramatic expressions of players on the board, for instance, the queening race in the King and pawn endgame where one player realize it at the last move that his opponent is going to queen with a check, as all national level players would easily resign in such positions at least couple of moves before it really happens. But this folly in the story would not be visible for those who are not so deep into the game.
Searching for bobby fisher is unavoidable for all chess freaks, with those thrilling blitz in the park, with those grueling moments for parents waiting outside the tournament halls, with that beautiful portrayal of fun and struggle in 64 squares of 'life'.
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