My Favorite Chess Movie

 

Hey, my name’s Alec, I’m twenty-three, and I used to be addicted to playing chess. So much so, in fact, that my fellow chess players (as well as those more or less foreign to our game) have asked me in the past - and still do occasionally, thank God - whether I was inspired by the cinematic classic "Searching for Bobby Fischer." Well, I'm not Josh Waitzkin, and I’m definitely no prodigy. But if there's anyone besides the real-life Josh who most closely resembles his character from the film - and there are quite a few people in twenty-seventeen to choose from who either play or have played chess, partly thanks to the efforts of the more than awesome ChessKid team - then fine! I guess it would just have to be me, okay? (Wouldn't it though?)

But seriously, even though my life journey may have mirrored Josh's character in some “obvious" respects, the inspiration from (and the intimate connection that I feel to) the film actually lies beyond what superficially meets the eye. Of course, it's no secret that I and the movie character have a lot in common: I grew up in the very same city, played chess in the very same places and had the very same chess rise and fall as “Josh” did. But I also - and you ChessKids are the lucky ones to first know publicly - had that same conflicting attitude towards chess that the character portrays and which is at the heart of the movie's theme. For my young chess opponents, our game was a sport; for me and for the film's protagonist, it was first and foremost an art form. My support system kept wishing for me to win and then some, but all I ever wanted was to have fun and to enjoy myself. And every time I re-watch by far my favorite movie of all time (as you might have guessed by now), I still get emotional goosebumps from how close to home and how truly deeply some of the scenes hit me.

Anyways ... I seem to have found myself starting this kind of blog in which I'll share with you my experiences as an ex-ChessKid. Now that I’m finally “cured" of my chess-playing addiction, I’m hoping to pass on my wisdom by letting you know what I think you cool ChessKids - as well as your biggest fans, your parents and coaches - can learn from the lessons of each Searching for Bobby Fischer clip that I'm planning to show. A personal interpretation of the film (based on my true story) will just maybe remind you - as you too make your way in the jungle that is the chess world - that playing our royal game isn’t about getting hooked on and ideally being successful with chess. The real function of chess, especially in the twenty-first century, is simply to allow one to grow as a kid (in chess or otherwise) and to explore one's subjective self in a day and age where, in all seriousness, stone-cold objectivity threatens to overtake our humanity.

So, that’s my story. Now sit back, relax and enjoy!