After he beats his dad (Joe Mantegna) in a chess match, Josh Waitzkin (Max Pomeranc), a 7-year-old, gets noticed for his talent. He becomes interested in speed chess at the park and learns the game from a hustler named Vinnie (Laurence Fishburne). However, Josh’s parents invest in the services of Bruce (Ben Kingsley), a famous coach who has very different practices. Between Bruce’s methods and the stress of the competitions, Josh learns that even a chess prodigy cannot make all the right moves.
After he beats his dad (Joe Mantegna) in a chess match, Josh Waitzkin (Max Pomeranc), a 7-year-old, gets noticed for his talent. He becomes interested in speed chess at the park and learns the game from a hustler named Vinnie (Laurence Fishburne). However, Josh’s parents invest in the services of Bruce (Ben Kingsley), a famous coach who has very different practices. Between Bruce’s methods and the stress of the competitions, Josh learns that even a chess prodigy cannot make all the right moves.
"It makes for a good old-fashioned inspirational story, absorbing and pointed."
Chicago Reader
"Earnest and well-acted, Steve Zaillian's directorial debut explores the price of being a child prodigy while seeking to bring excitement to chess - becoming a kind of cerebral 'The Karate Kid.'"
Variety
"A wonderful movie, a delicate and touching drama that takes us deep inside the eccentric competitive mystique of grandmaster chess."
Entertainment Weekly