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This is a must-see movie for everyone who loves chess, has kids, or just loves a good story. Very well done movie. You don't even have to know chess at all to enjoy it. A+!!

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Very good movie, top-notch film in every way! It has a great cast with Joe Mantegna and Joan Allen as Josh's (Max Pomeranc) parents, Ben Kingsley as Bruce Pandolfini and Laurence Fishburne as Vinnie, a speed chess player Josh meets in Washington Square. The book of the same name that the movie is based on is also very good, goes into more depth and includes a few things that were left out of the movie, such as their trip to Russia and the fathers search for Bobby Fischer.

i havent seen it yet but would love to where can i get it

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Yes, my favorite "chess" movie of all time, unfortunately there aren't too many to choose from.

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My wife and I both enjoy this movie.  It's definitly the best chess movie on the market that I've seen so far.  I still think it's strange that the boy in the movie is supposed to be the Chessmaster representative now (and a martial artist).  It's odd listening to Chessmaster's academy voiceover (with the real Josh) and seeing the kid in the movie. *shrug* I enjoy it

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As everyone else has already said, it's a great movie!  Also a great book, if you ever get the chance to read it :).

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Bloody brilliant!

Saddly, I've never seen this film.  I'll add it to my netflix list.

I once used this movie to motivate some kids I was teaching in a summer program organized by the local public library.  I often use it as an illustration for kids who don't play their best because they believe they are young and don't have to take chess seriously.  Great movie, I recommend it to everyone.

 This movie is AWSOME. I have been looking for a copy on D.V.D. Everyone should see the film. Just a little thing to say. When my dad and I play we will spend about a half an hour to 45 min. Before a piece is taken. No speed chess.When I fined a copy it's mine.

This is a great film, but in the UK they changed the title to the cheesy ' innocent moves '. YUK!!

 i read all the comments and it seems interesting, i'll check video shops and buy one..thanks to all..

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This movie thought me a lot about chess. I reccomend this movie to anyone of all ages intrested to play chess.

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I love this movie! My favorite part is "His parents gave him to me. All he does is play chess." "Certainly he goes to school?" "No." "You should be very proud of yourself." "I am." That guy is the Darth Sideous of chess.

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This movie is fantastic, both to non-chess players and the chess fanatic.  I can't find a way to not like it, as even my mom (who's never played chess) watched it with me and really enjoyed it.  Even though they only showed one real sequence of "real" chess, it's still good enough to please a chess fan like me.

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This movie influenced me to start playing chess.  It is one of my favorite movies of all time.  I highly recommend it.

I didn't hate this movie, but it isn't one of my favorite chess movies (those would be "The Seventh Seal" and "Shatranj Ke Khilari"). SFBF is a bit too schmaltzy for my taste.

This movie brings up some very interesting aspects of chess and life. I was taught by one of my parents who pushed me to play a very aggressive game. He also taught me the value of good sportsmanship. This movie shows you two children who take different paths in their learning of the game. In the end, Josh demonstrates that he is a good young man who will not take the "low" road. I've seen too many "chess parents" who live their failed lives as chess players through their kids. This can take the true joy and pleasure that comes from playing chess. As a professional musician, I see similar bad behavior in younger musicians who apply out of control egos to their craft. I have remained a nice guy and the rewards are far greater. This film really shows what most people miss when they hear a story about the latest chess prodigy on the nightly news. I have seen it man, many times and it still holds my interest. Great cast as well.

Chess is my life...teaching my two kids chess game as to develop their character and the very important is DISCIPLINE. frustrated chess player parents pushed thier son to play chess cuz...of thier own personal happines is a FAILURE, because their son can not experience the TRUE joy and pleasure that comes from playing chess,. as a parent we must motivate  them first.

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   I'm peruvian  in this country  Last year  I went to N.York to play chess at the same place  in the park . Where the movies showed ' Bobby Fisher',my son loved it.

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i love chess toomuch and i enjoyed from this . i hope that this site will improve the games to all

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Good performances by Ben Kingsley etc etc and good if you like chess, but purely on terms of how good a film it is I would say average.

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I liked this movie a lot. The story is great - the chess played in the movie, not so much. I just can't see how a chess prodigy (Josh's opponent) in the final game would not have seen that his position was lost. Oh well - other than that small point - great fun.

 

I see someone also suggested "The Seventh Seal" - Now THAT is a fantastic movie. It may not have enough chess overtones for some peoples tastes though. The only chess movie I have seen where the chess actually played was GM class is a made for TV German movie - Black and White as Day and Night. The quality of the production is poor but the story, performances, and (most importantly) the chess played in the movie are fabulous. (German with English sub-titles). Schwarz und Weiss wie Tag und Nacht.

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This is a movie to encourage you to really enjoy and live chess like you do with basketball or football, I love how young kids get excited even if they don't understand the game yet, another movie that gave me the same feeling was Lushin's defense, althought for kids is a hard movie to understand (I translated the title into english from spanish, not so sure what's the original title) 

Love this movie.  It works on so many levels.

People please note that the seventh seal is not a movie about chess, it is a film about a soldier returning home from the crusades to a land infected by the plague, he meets Death in the beginning of the film and he promises to keep him alive for the duration of a played game, with the soldier winning his life back if he can beat him. It is more about the concepts of god, hell and the questionable life after death than anything, the chess playing is just more of a romantic theme.

 To those who may be disappointed finding out it's not all about the game itself.

 With searching for bobby fischer, it's very impressive, quite long, and it has Laurence Fishburne in it.

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this is a great movie.  maybe the best chess movie ever made.  my favorite aspect of the movie is the way it deals with the dicotomy of chess (tricotomy?  quad-cotomy) with the two totally different coaches...is chess a sport?  a science?  or an art?  or as the laura linney character thinks, "just a game."

 my favorite line, (after josh says "I can't see it")  "let me make it easier for you"  and bruce sweeps the pieces off the board onto the floor.

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Good story based on real events... must see for chess lovers of all ages!

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it has allready been said on this Forum - I found it one of the most thoughtful, inspirational, delightful, poingniant, experiences of my life

Movie was great, but I enjoyed the book even more.

I love this movie! One of my favorites.

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good movie

well, i haven't seen the movie but i will request it to my teacher in school who is teaching us to play chess.

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amazing movie!!

i've watched that movie 2 times and it was a great movie i love it it is very nice

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Very nice i loved it, but i could only watch half of it 5 years ago...

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great movie

To melzerth, the position that u love is stupid & it's fake & not instructional for the way you run it...

Actually, in this given position, it's not supposed to go like that cause :

1- If the pawns rush forward, unlike the description, black wins & doesn't lose , because he doesn't need to push his pawn like a fool, he will push it only untill white's pawn is on h6, & only at this moment the black king will go after the white pawn & he'll capture it plus he'll promote his own pawn...

BUT:

Knowing this fact , white isn't supposed to just push his pawn to help black win the game, but he'll push his pawn until the black pawn is on a4... When the black pawn reaches a4, the white king must just go for the black pawn to capture it on time before it promotes. BUT: here in this moment the black's king can't go after his own pawn & trying to promote it by force, cause he ll end up without being able to stop white's king from blockading & aslo he won't be able to stop white's pawn from promoting on the other side of the board...

SO, the only logical play from both sides in order to save their skins is that each of the kings run to the opponent pawn in order to stop the promotion leading to a fair & square perfect draw....

So actually,Josh's idea is stupid & not great at all & should had made him lost the game & never won it if the other player knew how to play chess...

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It is inspiring movie to be watched by kids who had a potential in chess. I was amazed by Pandolfini ways using visualization removing all the pieces on the board and make moves on mind.

I THINK BLACK WAS ABLE TO WIN???????????
WHAT IS YOUR OPINION

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This is an excellent movie.  Very inspiring.  A must see movie for fellow chess afficiandos.

OH MY GOD I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS MOVIE!!! 5 STARS RIGHT AWAY! Isn't this supposed to relic Josh Waitzkin's chess story or something like that?

This is the reason I picked up Chess again. They should make more movies about Chess. There is enough Material!

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the film is ok not a masterpiece but like most people would like to see more chess films i sew a film about a year ago with that ted danson in that was better

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Cool moive

this movie is awsome