Are you looking for a good movie about Chess to watch? If so, this page is for you. In our last list post, we went over the best Chess memes and jokes from around the internet. Now in this post, we talk about the best chess movies to watch this year.
Most movies involving Chess are not the best in terms of actual Chess. Meaning the actual Chess games in the movies are not the most realistic or practical compared to reality. They tend to be more focused on the entertainment factor. This is good for the audience, but bad for any actual Chess players in the audience.
This is why the series The Queens Gambit, featuring Beth Harmon who’s character was likely inspired by Bobby Fischer, is so great as it has both the entertainment factor as well as reputable games of Chess because all of the Chess games throughout the series were based on real games between real players in the past.
This list of movies was made with that in mind. All of these movies are good as a movie in general, and the chess shown in the film is also on par. Let’s start with the list.
Searching For Bobby Fischer
Searching For Bobby Fischer has been one of the most popular movies about Chess since it came out in 1993. The story is about a 7 year old boy named Josh Waitzkin who enjoys being a normal 7 year old. Oh, and he’s also a Chess prodigy at just 7 years of age.
This film is also based on a true story, Josh Waitzkin is a real person who was a prodigy becoming one of the best Chess players in the world. Josh then continued on to become world class in multiple disciplines. He also wrote the book “The Art of Learning’, which is highly recommended.
Life of a King
Starring Cuba Gooding Jr, Life of a King is about an ex-felons path of redemption and opens a Chess Club in Washington, D.C. with hopes of helping the inner-city teenagers.
Queen to Play
Queen to Play is about a French chambermaid discovering her talent for the game of Chess. This discovery leads her to pursue a tutelage from an American doctor who transforms both of their lives as the story progresses.
Dangerous Moves
Imagine the safety of you family being threatened and the outcome of a Chess match will determine their well being. Dangerous Moves introduces a Soviet chess champion who must claim victory against a former student in the World Championship. Threatened by Soviet authorities, the Chess champion’s, named Akiva Liebskind, family is is danger. This movie is full of high-stakes Chess, threats, high-pressure, and dangerous outcomes will be determines by just a few moves on a Chess board.
Pawn Sacrifice
Pawn Sacrifice is based on a true story about Chess prodigy and one of the best American Chess players of all time, Bobby Fischer, playing against one of the best Chess players of all time, Boris Spassky.
The movie features one of the best Chess games ever played.
This game is based on the game between Fischer and Spassky in the World Championship in 1972.
So if you’re more interested in Chess rather than gaining entertainment as the cost of Chess and want to see a glimpse into the history of chess based on true events from some of the most monumental moments in Chess, you will like Pawn Sacrifice.
Fresh
My personal favorite and also the movie responsible for so many epic memes, Fresh is a story about a 12 year old boys struggles with poverty and racial tension in Brooklyn, New York. In terms of location, the New York Chess scene is hard to beat. Chess isn’t the main theme of the movie, however it’s a primary theme throughout the entire story.
The character named “Fresh” is the boys father who teaches him to play Chess. As the boy excels in the game, the benefits of Chess rub off in other parts of his life.
That concludes the list of the best Chess movies to check out if your a fan of Chess. If you like Chess, you’ll likely like every single one of these movies.