Chess Movies and Tv Series. Movies and Tv Series based around Chess.
by KyaBakwaasHai | created - 19 Sep 2021 | updated - 19 Sep 2021 | PublicChess Movies. Movies based around Chess.
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1. Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
PG | 109 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A prepubescent chess prodigy is encouraged to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.
Director: Steven Zaillian | Stars: Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, Max Pomeranc, Joan Allen
Votes: 42,410 | Gross: $7.27M
"Searching for Bobby Fischer" inspired a scholastic chess boom in the United States. With a star-studded cast of actors including Joe Mantegna, Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne, and Joan Allen, the film was destined to deliver. The movie was based on the book "Searching for Bobby Fischer" by Fred Waitzkin which detailed his son Josh Waitzkin's journey though the world of chess. Josh went on to become a strong international master and eventually left chess to pursue martial arts.
2. Pawn Sacrifice (2014)
PG-13 | 115 min | Biography, Drama, History
Set during the Cold War, American chess prodigy Bobby Fischer finds himself caught between two superpowers and his own struggles as he challenges the Soviet Empire.
Director: Edward Zwick | Stars: Tobey Maguire, Liev Schreiber, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg
Votes: 49,271 | Gross: $2.44M
This much anticipated 2014 drama "Pawn Sacrifice" is based on the story of Bobby Fischer's rise through chess all the way up to the world championship. Actor Tobey Maquire plays the role of Bobby Fischer, while Liev Scheiber plays Soviet World Champion Boris Spassky. The film explores the dark side of Fischer's paranoia. Part of the film visits Fischer's rise through chess as a young kid from Brooklyn, how he became obsessed with the game, and how he pushed to win every game he played. The mental stress Fischer put himself through leading up to winning the world championship is shown to have damaged him, and he disappears from the public into hiding.
3. The Queen's Gambit (2020)
TV-MA | 57 min | Drama
Orphaned at the tender age of nine, prodigious introvert Beth Harmon discovers and masters the game of chess in 1960s USA. But child stardom comes at a price.
Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Chloe Pirrie, Bill Camp, Marcin Dorocinski
Votes: 553,107
4. The Dark Horse (2014)
R | 124 min | Biography, Drama
A brilliant but troubled New Zealand chess champion finds purpose by teaching underprivileged children about the rules of chess and life.
Director: James Napier Robertson | Stars: Cliff Curtis, James Rolleston, Kirk Torrance, James Napier Robertson
Votes: 6,584 | Gross: $0.06M
5. Queen of Katwe (2016)
PG | 124 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A Ugandan girl sees her world rapidly change after being introduced to the game of chess.
Director: Mira Nair | Stars: Madina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong'o, Martin Kabanza
Votes: 18,678 | Gross: $8.81M
The 2012 book made into a movie "Queen of Katwe" is a 2016 film based on the life of Ugandan chess player Phiona Mutesi, a Ugandan girl growing up in the slums of Katwe. Phiona, played by actress Madina Nalwanga, would frequent the local center where chess is taught by Robert Katende, played by actor David Oyelowo. At first her motivation is that the students would receive a free meal for attending the class, and then it was realized that Phiona has talent for chess which evolves into a love for the game. After successes in local tournaments, Phiona is challenged playing chess on an international level and learns of life outside of Katwe.
6. The Luzhin Defence (2000)
PG-13 | 109 min | Drama, Romance
Two worlds collide when an eccentric genius falls in love with a strong-willed society beauty.
Director: Marleen Gorris | Stars: John Turturro, Emily Watson, Geraldine James, Stuart Wilson
Votes: 4,705 | Gross: $1.05M
The 2000 film "The Luzhin Defense" was a dramatic portrayal of a talented chess player named Aleksandr Ivanovich Luzhin played by actor John Turturro. The film is based on the book "The Defense" by author Vladimir Nabokov. Luzhin travels to Italy to compete in a prestigious tournament where he also meets and falls in love with Natalia Katkov played by award-winning actress Emily Watson. During this period, the film reflects back to the childhood of Luzhin and the family stresses that he endured. Luzhin's opponent Dottore Salvatore Turati, played by Fabio Sartor, is advised by Luzhin's old chess coach Leo Valentinov, played by Stuart Wilson, that he cannot handle pressure.
This works to Turati's advantage as the game is adjourned. Once the game was adjourned, Valentinov kidnapped Luzhin and abandoned him bringing back painful memories of his childhood. The trauma lands Luzhin in a hospital due to mental exhaustion where doctors forbid him to play chess. Luzhin's stress and exhaustion drives him to leap from a window committing suicide. His fiancée Natalia finds Luzhin's notes to the adjourned game and finishes the winning moves against Turati.
7. The Chess Players (1977)
Not Rated | 129 min | Comedy, Drama, History
In 1856, two obsessed noblemen ignore everything while playing chess and fail to notice British rule extending into their Indian province.
Director: Satyajit Ray | Stars: Sanjeev Kumar, Saeed Jaffrey, Shabana Azmi, Farida Jalal
Votes: 4,064
8. The Seventh Seal (1957)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Fantasy
A knight returning to Sweden after the Crusades seeks answers about life, death, and the existence of God as he plays chess against the Grim Reaper during the Black Plague.
Director: Ingmar Bergman | Stars: Max von Sydow, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe
Votes: 198,439
9. The Chessplayer (2017)
98 min | Drama, History, War
Leaping from Spain's civil war to German occupied France, this period drama follows a chess master who is falsely accused of being a spy and sent to an SS prison in Paris.
Director: Luis Oliveros | Stars: Marc Clotet, Melina Matthews, Alejo Sauras, Lionel Auguste
Votes: 874
10. The Tournament (2015)
83 min | Drama, Sport
Budapest International Chess Tournament. The most likely winner: Cal Fournier (22), French champion, immature genius, socially awkward, compulsive player. But this time, an unusual 9-... See full summary »
Director: Élodie Namer | Stars: Michelangelo Passaniti, Lou de Laâge, Magne-Håvard Brekke, Viktoria Kozlova
Votes: 500
11. A Little Game (2014)
PG | 92 min | Adventure, Family
A young girl finding her way around the city and her own life through chess lessons. This is also about being open to all the clues about your life and your options that surround you everyday.
Director: Evan Oppenheimer | Stars: F. Murray Abraham, Ralph Macchio, Olympia Dukakis, Janeane Garofalo
Votes: 791
12. Life of a King (2013)
PG-13 | 100 min | Drama
Ex-felon, Eugene Brown, establishes a Chess Club for inner city teenagers in Washington, D.C.
Director: Jake Goldberger | Stars: Cuba Gooding Jr., Dennis Haysbert, George Dick, Thurston Hill III
Votes: 7,635 | Gross: $0.01M
13. Computer Chess (2013)
Not Rated | 92 min | Comedy
A 1980s-set story centered around a man vs. machine chess tournament.
Director: Andrew Bujalski | Stars: Kriss Schludermann, Tom Fletcher, Wiley Wiggins, Patrick Riester
Votes: 4,851 | Gross: $0.10M
14. Brooklyn Castle (2012)
PG | 101 min | Documentary
Amidst financial crises and unprecedented public school budget cuts, Brooklyn Castle takes an intimate look at the challenges and triumphs facing members of a junior high school's champion chess team.
Director: Katie Dellamaggiore | Stars: Je'Daiah Ballantyne, Michelle Ballantyne, Rochelle Ballantyne, Pamela Ballard
Votes: 1,017 | Gross: $0.22M
"Brooklyn Castle" came out in 2012 and was an instant hit with chess fans, educational professionals, and parents. The documentary film follows the successful Intermediate School 318 (I.S. 318) along with head chess teacher Elizabeth Spiegel in Brooklyn, New York over the course of a year though the ups and downs of competitive chess. I.S. 318 overcame budget cuts to become the most successful chess program in the country, winning more championships than any other schools in the country. I.S. 318 was the first middle school team to win the National High School championships! A must watch!
15. Ivory Tower (2014)
PG-13 | 90 min | Documentary, Family, History
A documentary that questions the cost -- and value -- of higher education in the United States.
Director: Andrew Rossi | Stars: Elizabeth Armstrong, Richard Arum, Jamshed Bharucha, David Boone
Votes: 1,400 | Gross: $0.10M
16. Queen to Play (2009)
Unrated | 101 min | Drama
A chambermaid on Corsica is obsessed with chess after seeing a US expat play it lovingly with l'Américaine. She cleans his house and now also plays with him on Tuesdays.
Director: Caroline Bottaro | Stars: Sandrine Bonnaire, Kevin Kline, Francis Renaud, Jennifer Beals
Votes: 3,190 | Gross: $0.48M
17. Qi wang (1988)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama
A xiangqi (Chinese Chess) genius is discovered by a group of youths during the "Down the Countryside" movement of the Cultural Revolution. The young man challenges nine chess experts, where he plays them all effectively blind.
Director: Wenji Teng | Stars: Dahong Ni, Ben Niu, Yuan Xie, Liang Zhao
Votes: 37
18. Knights of the South Bronx (2005 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 89 min | Drama
A business man decides that he wants to teach school in the inner city and chooses a tough school in the South Bronx. He teaches the children how to play the game of chess, and along the way they learn a lot about life.
Director: Allen Hughes | Stars: Ted Danson, Malcolm David Kelley, Brian Markinson, Kate Vernon
Votes: 1,117
19. Critical Thinking (2020)
Not Rated | 117 min | Drama
The true story of the Miami Jackson High School chess team which was the first inner city team to win the U.S. National Chess Championship.
Director: John Leguizamo | Stars: John Leguizamo, Rachel Bay Jones, Michael Kenneth Williams, Corwin C. Tuggles
Votes: 2,747
20. Lang leve de koningin (1995)
118 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
A fairytale about a young girl who learns to play chess and at the same time finds her father.
Director: Esmé Lammers | Stars: Maya van den Broecke, Lisa de Rooy, Cas Enklaar, Derek de Lint
Votes: 1,262
21. Uncovered (1994)
R | 103 min | Mystery, Thriller
While restoring an old painting showing a woman and two men playing chess, Julia discovers the text "Who killed the knight?" underneath the paint. The painting's owner tells her that one of... See full summary »
Director: Jim McBride | Stars: Kate Beckinsale, John Wood, Sinéad Cusack, Paudge Behan
Votes: 2,710
22. Fresh (1994)
R | 114 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
Death and violence anger a twelve-year-old drug courier, who sets his employers against each other.
Director: Boaz Yakin | Stars: Sean Nelson, Giancarlo Esposito, Samuel L. Jackson, N'Bushe Wright
Votes: 14,585 | Gross: $8.09M
23. Knight Moves (1992)
R | 116 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
During a chess tournament, grand master Peter is suspected of murdering Debi after sex. He helps the police as the murders continue.
Director: Carl Schenkel | Stars: Christopher Lambert, Tom Skerritt, Codie Lucas Wilbee, Joshua Murray
Votes: 9,165 | Gross: $0.92M
24. Dangerous Moves (1984)
100 min | Drama, Sport, Thriller
During the Cold War, the World Chess Championship clashed complete opposites - personal and political.
Director: Richard Dembo | Stars: Michel Piccoli, Alexandre Arbatt, Liv Ullmann, Leslie Caron
Votes: 1,478
25. Jouer sa vie (1982)
80 min | Documentary
Directors: Gilles Carle, Camille Coudari | Stars: Anatoli Karpov, Viktor Korchnoi, Bobby Fischer, Ljubomir Ljubojevic
Votes: 42
26. Schwarz und weiß wie Tage und Nächte (1978 TV Movie)
103 min | Drama
A scientist who swore off playing chess after a nervous breakdown as a boy wunderkind, creates an undefeated chess program. But the Russian world champ beats Tommy Rosemund's masterwork in ... See full summary »
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Bruno Ganz, Gila von Weitershausen, Ljuba Tadic, Gudrun Vaupel
Votes: 166
27. Brainwashed (1960)
102 min | Drama, Sport, War
In 1938 Austria shortly after the Nazi occupation, a prominent Viennese intellectual, Werner von Basil, is arrested for smuggling art treatures out of the country and imprisoned by the ... See full summary »
Director: Gerd Oswald | Stars: Curd Jürgens, Claire Bloom, Hansjörg Felmy, Mario Adorf
Votes: 656
28. Belyy sneg Rossii (1980)
91 min | Biography, Drama
In the center of the story is the fate of the fourth world chess champion Aleksandr Alyokhin in one of the most tragic periods of his life: from 1927 to 1946, that is, from winning the ... See full summary »
Director: Yuri Vyshinsky | Stars: Aleksandr Mikhaylov, Vladimir Samoylov, Yuriy Kayurov, Natalya Gundareva
Votes: 77
"White Snow of Russia — is a Soviet feature film directed by Yuri Vyshinsky based on the novel "White and Black"by Alexander Kotov. In the center of the story is the fate of the fourth world chess champion Alexander Alekhine in one of the most tragic periods of his life: from 1927 to 1946, that is, from winning the title of champion to death.
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