Searching for Bobby Fischer

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Searching for Bobby Fischer

Theatrical release poster

Directed by

Steven Zaillian

Produced by

William Horberg

Screenplay by

Steven Zaillian

Based on

Searching for Bobby Fischer: The

Father of a Prodigy Observes the
World of Chess
by Fred Waitzkin

Starring

Joe Mantegna
Laurence Fishburne

Joan Allen
Max Pomeranc
Ben Kingsley
Music by

James Horner

Cinematography

John Corso
Conrad L. Hall

Edited by

Wayne Wahrman

Distributed by

Paramount Pictures

Release dates

August 11, 1993

Running time

110 min.

Country

United States

Language

English

Box office

$7,266,383

Searching for Bobby Fischer, released in the United Kingdom as Innocent

Moves, is a 1993 American drama film written and directed by Steven Zaillian. The
film was Zaillian's directorial debut, and stars Max Pomeranc, Joe Mantegna, Joan
Allen, Ben Kingsley and Laurence Fishburne. It is based on the life
of prodigy chess player Joshua Waitzkin, played by Pomeranc, and adapted from
the book of the same name by Joshua's father Fred.
Contents
[hide]

1Synopsis

2Cast

3Sarwer versus Waitzkin match

o 3.1Poe versus Waitzkin endgame

o 3.2Alternate endgame

4Reception

5References

6Further reading

7External links

Synopsis[edit]
Josh Waitzkin's family discovers that he possesses a gift for chess and they seek to
nurture it. They hire a strict instructor, Bruce Pandolfini (played by Ben Kingsley)
who aims to teach the boy to be as aggressive as chess legend Bobby Fischer. The
title of the film is a metaphor about the character's quest to adopt the ideal of Fischer
and his determination to win at any price. Josh is also heavily influenced by Vinnie,
a speed chess hustler (Laurence Fishburne) whom he meets in Washington Square
Park. The two coaches differ greatly in their approaches to chess, and Pandolfini is
upset that Josh continues to adopt the methods of Vinnie. The main conflict in the
film arises when Josh refuses to accept Fischer's misanthropic frame of reference.
Josh then goes on to win on his own terms.

Cast[edit]
Max Pomeranc as Josh Waitzkin
Joe Mantegna as Fred Waitzkin
Joan Allen as Bonnie Waitzkin
Ben Kingsley as Bruce Pandolfini
Laurence Fishburne as Vinnie
Michael Nirenberg as Jonathan Poe
Robert Stephens as Poe's teacher
David Paymer as Kalev
Hal Scardino as Morgan Pehme

 Austin Pendleton as Asa Hoffmann

Vasek Simek as "the man who beat Tal"
William H. Macy as Tunafish father
Dan Hedaya as tournament director
Laura Linney as Josh's school teacher
Some famous chess players have brief cameos in the film: Anjelina
Belakovskaia, Joel Benjamin, Roman Dzindzichashvili, Kamran Shirazi, along with
the real Joshua Waitzkin,Bruce Pandolfini, and Vincent Livermore. Chess
master Asa Hoffmann is played by Austin Pendleton; the real Hoffmann did not like
the way he was portrayed. Chess expert Poe McClinton, still a park regular, is seen
throughout the film. Pal Benko was supposed to be in the film but his part was cut
out. Waitzkin's real mother and sister also have cameos.
The Russian player in the park, played by Vasek Simek, who holds up the sign "For
$5 a photo or a game with the man who beat Tal", was based on the real life
of Israel Zilber.[1][2] Zilber, Latvian chess champion in 1958, defeated the teenage Tal
in 1952,[3] and during most of the 1980s was homeless and regarded as one of the
top players in Washington Square Park.

Sarwer versus Waitzkin match[edit]

This section uses algebraic notation to describe chess moves.

At the end of the film, Josh is seen playing a tough opponent named Jonathan Poe
in the final tournament. The character Jonathan Poe was not the actual name of
Josh's opponent; his real name was Jeff Sarwer (a boy younger than Josh). In
September 1985, Josh first played and was defeated by Jeff at the Manhattan
Chess Club. In November of the same year, Josh returned to the Manhattan Chess
Club and beat him in a rematch.[4] The film depicts their third match in the 1986 US
Primary Championship. Near the end of the game, where Josh offers Poe a draw,
Poe rejects the offer and play continues. Sarwer rejected the draw offer in the realworld game as well. Josh played Sarwer to a draw (the two kings were the only
remaining pieces on the board), and they were declared co-champions.[5][6] Sarwer
went on to win the 1986 World Championship Under-10.
"Poe vs. Waitzkin"
a

Black (Waitzkin) to move

Poe versus Waitzkin endgame[edit]

The diagram depicts the game position in the film, with Waitzkin playing the black
pieces, before Waitzkin offers Poe the draw. This position did not occur in the real
SarwerWaitzkin game; it was contrived by Waitzkin and Pandolfini specially for the
film. The following moves are executed:
1... gxf6 2. Bxf6 Rc6+ 3. Kf5 Rxf6+! 4. Nxf6 Bxf6 5.
Kxf6 Nd7+ 6. Kf5 Nxe5 7. Kxe5??
In the October 1995 issue of Chess
Life, Grandmaster Larry Evans stated that the position
and sequence were unsound; Poe (playing White)
could still have drawn the game by playing 7.h5
instead.
7... a5 8. h5 a4 9. h6 a3 10. h7 a2 11. h8=Q a1=Q+
12. Kf5 Qxh8 01 (White resigned)

Alternate endgame[edit]
An alternate endgame position had been composed
by Pal Benko. It was supposed to have been used in
the film, but was rejected on the day before the scene
was filmed because it did not use the theme that Josh
overused his queen.
a

Black to move

In this position, Black should play:

1... Ne2
after which White is in zugzwang; he must play either
2.Bg3, losing the bishop to 2...Nxg3+, or 2.Bg1,
allowing 2...Ng3 mate.[7]

Reception[edit]
The book and the film have each received positive
reviews from critics. Waitzkin's book was praised
by Grandmaster Nigel Short,[8] as well as chess
journalist Edward Winter, who called it "a delightful
book" in which "the topics [are] treated with an acuity
and grace that offer the reviewer something quotable
on almost every page."[9] Screenwriter and
playwright Tom Stoppard called the book "well
written" and "captivating".[10]
The film currently has a 100% rating on Rotten
Tomatoes, based on 34 reviews.[11] Roger Ebert gave
the film a score of four stars (out of four), calling it "a
film of remarkable sensitivity and insight", adding, "by
the end of [the film], we have learned [] a great deal
about human nature."[12] James Berardinelli gave the
film three stars (out of four), calling it "an intensely
fascinating movie capable of involving those who are
ignorant about chess as well as those who love it."[13]
Bobby Fischer never saw the film and strongly
complained that it was an invasion of his privacy by
using his name without his permission. Fischer never
received any compensation from the film, calling it "a
monumental swindle".[14]

The film was nominated for Best Cinematography

(Conrad L. Hall) at the 1993 Academy Awards. It won
the category at the American Society of
Cinematographers the same year. The film also
ranked No. 96 in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers.

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Wall, Bill. Searching For Bobby Fischer
Trivia. Retrieved May 26, 2007.
2. Jump up^ The Games of Israel
Zilber at chessgames.com. Retrieved May 26, 2007.
3. Jump up^ Mikhail Tal vs. Israel Zilber, 01 at chessgames.com
4. Jump up^ Wall, Bill ( August 7, 2007) Searching for
Bobby Fischer (the movie) Trivia, Chess.com.
Retrieved August 16, 2014
5. Jump up^ pp. 214-22 of the book
6. Jump up^ Jeff Sarwer vs Joshua
Waitzkin at chessgames.com. Retrieved August 17,
2011.
7. Jump up^ Bruce Pandolfini, Endgame Workshop:
Principles for the Practical Player, 2009, p. 64,
Russell Enterprises, ISBN 978-1-888690-53-8
8. Jump up^ The Spectator, April 8, 1989, pp. 3031
9. Jump up^ Searching for Bobby Fischer review,
Edward Winter, Chess History, 1989
10. Jump up^ The Observer, April 2, 1989, p.45
11. Jump up^ Searching for Bobby Fischer, Rotten
Tomatoes
12. Jump up^ Searching for Bobby Fischer review,
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times, August 11, 1993
13. Jump up^ Searching for Bobby Fischer review,
James Berardinelli, ReelViews, 1993

14. Jump up^ Brady, Frank (2011). Endgame: Bobby

Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall from America's
Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness (1st
ed.). Crown. pp. 26768. ISBN 0-307-46390-7.

Further reading[edit]
"20 years of Searching", Chess Life, August 2013,
pp. 3841

External links[edit]
Searching for Bobby Fischer at the Internet Movie
Database
Searching for Bobby Fischer at AllMovie
Searching for Bobby Fischer at Box Office Mojo
Updated article from 2006 by award-winning
Esquire (UK) journalist Eamonn O'Neill

[show

Steven Za

[show

Works produced b

Categories:
English-language films
1993 films
American biographical films
American films
Chess films
Chess in the United States

Films about chess

Films shot in Toronto
Directorial debut films
1990s biographical films
1990s drama films
American drama films
1993 in chess
Paramount Pictures films
Films directed by Steven Zaillian
Screenplays by Steven Zaillian
Film scores by James Horner
Films produced by Scott Rudin

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