The board game with a thousand-year history has long captivated filmmakers. Cinema delves into the art of play and the brilliance of chess players. In our selection, you’ll discover the seven best films about chess, featuring the greatest minds on the planet competing for supremacy.
Content
- Fahim
- The Coldest Game
- Queen of Katwe
- Pawn Sacrifice
- Life of a King
- Queen to Play
- Searching for Bobby Fischer
Fahim
IMDb: 6.9/10
2019, Biography, Comedy, Drama
France, Unrated
Director: Pierre-François Martin-Laval
Top cast: Assad Ahmed, Gérard Depardieu, Mizanur Rahaman
The history of the chess world is filled with remarkable players, and one such player is the focus of the film Fahim. The story centers on the autobiography of young Bangladeshi chess player Fahim Mohammad, who lives in France, along with his mentor, Xavier Parmentier. Fahim left his homeland due to political tensions in the region and sought asylum in Paris with his father. From a young age, he has excelled at chess. One day, he meets Sylvain, one of France’s strongest grandmasters. Though Sylvain has a cantankerous personality and often grumbles, he unexpectedly forms a bond with the young prodigy. Together, they embark on a journey filled with brilliant victories and frustrating defeats.
The Coldest Game
IMDb: 6.2/10
2019, History, Sport, Thriller
USA, Poland, TV-MA
Director: Lukasz Kosmicki
Top cast: Bill Pullman, Lotte Verbeek, James Bloor
The Coldest Game is a chess spy thriller that portrays a fictional match set during the Cold War. Directed by Polish filmmaker Łukasz Kośmicki, the film is set in the 1960s at a chess tournament in Warsaw. The story explores the life of a former champion Joshua Mansky, who has turned away from chess and succumbed to alcoholism. At the tournament, he faced off against the Soviet champion Alexander Gavrilov. Just days earlier, U.S. intelligence services had kidnapped Mansky from a bar and forcibly taken him to the American embassy in Warsaw. With the stakes high in the confrontation between nuclear superpowers, only one can emerge victorious.
Queen of Katwe
IMDb: 7.4/10
2016, Biography, Drama, Sport
USA, PG
Director: Mira Nair
Top cast: Madina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong’o
Queen of Katwe is a classic chess biopic directed by Indian filmmaker Mira Nair. While it may seem colonial by today’s standards, the film tells the inspiring story of a missionary from the Old World who discovers a unique talent for chess in a young girl from Uganda. The screenplay is based on the life of renowned chess player Phiona Mutesi, who faced numerous challenges on her journey to success. The most significant obstacle was living in poverty in the ghettos of Uganda. The lead role is played by Hollywood star and Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o. In the film, Phiona plays chess for a bowl of porridge each day, and later, with the help of her mentor, she competes in her first professional chess tournament, where she wins a prize.
Pawn Sacrifice
IMDb: 7/10
2014, Biography, Drama, History, Sport, Thriller
USA, PG-13
Director: Edward Zwick
Top cast: Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber, Peter Sarsgaard
Big-time sports are always intertwined with politics, and Edward Zwick's film about the historical conflict of the Cold War highlights this truth. The movie features a chessboard showdown between grandmasters Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer. Pawn Sacrifice delves into the geopolitical rivalry of the era. The clash between these chess players serves as a metaphor for the intellectual confrontation between superpowers, as their match took place in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. With constant pressure and daily scandals surrounding them, either player could easily crack under the strain at any moment.
Life of a King
IMDb: 6.9/10
2013, Drama USA, PG-13
Director: Jake Goldberger
Top cast: Cuba Gooding Jr., Dennis Haysbert, George Dick
Not always does one of the most complex games in the world take center stage in grand rivalries. Life of a King, directed by Jake Goldberger, presents a more localized example based on true events. The film follows prisoner Eugene Brown, who is incarcerated for armed robbery, as his personal drama unfolds. After serving his sentence, Eugene is released with a clear conscience but empty pockets. His job prospects are unimpressive, with his best option being a janitor at a school for troubled students. The school principal offers him a role in the after-school program, and to engage the children, Brown decides to teach them chess — a skill he picked up while in prison.
Queen to Play
IMDb: 6.9/10
2009, Drama
France, Germany, Unrated
Director: Caroline Bottaro
Top cast: Sandrine Bonnaire, Kevin Kline, Francis Renaud
For centuries, chess has been considered a man's game. However, like Queen of Katwe, the Franco-German film The Chess Player vividly illustrates that women can achieve remarkable success in this arena. The heroine from Bertina Henrichs' novel of the same name proves to be just as skilled as her male counterparts on the chessboard. In her directorial debut, French filmmaker Caroline Bottaro introduces us to Éléna, a maid working in a hotel in Corsica. One day, she witnesses a chess match between a male and a female guest. Captivated by the game, Éléna attempts to spark her husband's interest in chess, but he remains indifferent. Undeterred, she begins to practice chess on her own at night. Before long, she finds herself competing in a chess tournament, where she unexpectedly wins with ease, impressing everyone around her.
Searching for Bobby Fischer
IMDb: 7.4/10
1993, Biography, Drama, Sport
USA, PG
Director: Steven Zaillian
Top cast: Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, Max Pomeranc
One more chess film based on real events is the adaptation of Fred Waitzkin’s book. The main character is American teenager Josh Waitzkin, who has a passion for basketball from a young age. However, one day he discovers chess, a game that captivates him entirely. It doesn't take long for Josh's father to realize that his son has a truly unique talent for this complex game, which relies heavily on logic and mathematical foresight. He became a student of renowned chess grandmaster Bruce Pandolfini. Whether Josh will rise to become the next Bobby Fischer or remain just one of many young talents in America is yet to be determined.
