The Story Behind Bobby Fischer “Pawn Sacrifice”

By GIOIA SACCO

Copy Support

Actor Tobey Maguire brings moviegoers together over a game of chess and insanity as he plays the role of Bobby Fischer, the greatest and most well-known chess player of all time.

“It’s a war of perception, this poor kid from Brooklyn against the whole Soviet Union” said Michael Stuhlbarg, actor. Robert “Bobby” James Fischer was the youngest grandmaster of the chess world. Winning the grand title at only 13-years-old, he astounded audiences with his brilliance.

To some, the man on the screen is radical, insane and scared, but to others, there is a sign of brilliance and integrity within him. Fischer was self-taught at a young age, and started studying how Russians played the game of chess for eighteen hours everyday for more than four years.

Fischer’s ultimate goal was to be the greatest chess player in the world, and to beat the Russians, who were the best in the world at that time. Based on a true story set at the height of the Cold War, GMK Productions brings the tension to life in Pawn Sacrifice.

However, the war is not fought with military threats, but with chess pieces and 30 billion moves on one board. Throughout Fischer’s journey to becoming the best in the world, one is able to experience the paranoia and the delusional psychosis that he felt throughout his young adult years.

From outrageous demands, checking to see if the phones were bugged, ripping apart paintings and much more, the audience feels just as frightened as Fischer – who is in fact stuck in the rabbit hole of chess. The game itself is a never-ending hole, one that no one can escape.

One’s mind can deteriorate into a mental state that they are not prepared for. This movie is different to the norm that the audiences witness in the theaters today.

“Pawn Sacrifice” is able to capture the mind and soul of any audience member and brings out wonder and imagination to the human eye. “Pawn Sacrifice” is now in national theaters. Buy a ticket and take a seat, one might just learn something new.

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