Chess is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating board games. Especially since it’s about more than simply following the rules. At the heart of the royal game is often a strategic confrontation between two players. This fascination has also long since been discovered by the cinema.The parlor game is one of the most important cultural assets of mankind and has a long history. Chess in particular is one of the most complex board games known worldwide. In movies, the game is often used to depict a strategic confrontation between two characters. It can be quite exciting to follow the different strategies of the players involved in the movie. The chess motif appears in many well-known flicks and often reflects the intelligent conflict between two different views. Thus, there are a number of absolutely worth watching movies and series that use the game of chess as a means of play.
Basically, the game of chess is used in different forms in movies. Thus, there are a number of films that highlight the life and impact of individual brilliant chess players. Here, the focus is usually on the genius of a particular chess player. Also the conflict between “man and machine” can be realized cinematically through the game of chess.
The Queen’s Gambit
The miniseries “The Queen’s Gambit” centers on Elizabeth Beth Harmon (Anya Taylor-Joy), who grows up in an orphanage in the USA (Kentucky) in the 1950s. It is here that the young woman first comes into contact with the game of chess. Her enormous talent for the game quickly becomes apparent. Quickly there are hardly any opponents worth mentioning for Beth. When she is adopted and leaves the orphanage, her steep career begins. She quickly makes a name for herself in the male-dominated world of chess grandmasters. Unfortunately, the young woman has recurring problems with drugs and alcohol, which, however, intensifies her obsession with chess. Especially since she plays brilliantly, especially when under the influence of drugs. Her only goal is a game against the world’s best chess player. Even though the story is fictional, there are some parallels to actual chess players. The series is based on the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis. The Queen’s Gambit is currently considered the most successful Netflix series. In the first month after the series was released, over 60 million people are said to have watched it on the streaming service.
Chess Novella
Chess Novella is a film based on the literary novel by Stefan Zweig. The plot takes place in 1938, shortly before the Nazi regime invades Austria. The lawyer Josef Bartok tries in vain to escape, but is arrested. At the Gestapo he is supposed to reveal the access for funds that are abroad. However, since he refuses, he is imprisoned for a long time.
The lawyer Josef Bartok tries in vain to escape, but is arrested. At the Gestapo he is supposed to reveal the access for funds that are abroad. However, as he refuses, he is put in solitary confinement in a hotel for a long time. In his desperation, he discovers a chess book. With the help of a chess set made of bread and the book with various chess games, he develops into an obsessive player who competes against the head of the Gestapo.
Pawn Sacrifice – Game of Kings
The film reflects the eccentric life of the gifted chess player Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire). The focus is on the legendary confrontation with the then reigning Russian world champion Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber). The action took place in the midst of the Cold War between the Western powers and the Eastern bloc. Thus, the game is synonymous with the conflict between the great power blocs of the time. The then World Chess Championship in 1972 went down in the history of chess as the match of the century, which Fischer won sccbuzz.
