Top 3 Chess Movies To Watch

I've been a chess player and lover for as long as I can remember. Growing up, I watched my brother and uncle play—they never allowed me to join them, but I often sat with them and watched them play. From watching them, I learnt how to arrange the pieces on the board and the basic moves as well. For more than a decade now, I've been hooked on the game, never wanting to let go. However, there was a time when I had to take a long break from playing chess. I had just gotten admission into the university. Not only was I figuring out how to place myself in a new environment, but bad network and other issues also contributed to my taking a break. I have never once thought about giving up on the game, despite blunders and losses, especially games I knew I could easily win but ended up losing.

Looking back, one of the top reasons that always inspires me to keep learning and getting better is the chess movies I have seen. As a chess lover, whether you are a newbie or an oldie in the system, nothing beats watching an inspiring chess movie. The first time I watched a chess movie was when I had just graduated from high school. The plot inspired me so much that for the next months, I kept practicing back to back—wanting to be like the protagonist. “I want to play better moves like the main character in Queen of Katwe.” These movies not only inspired and motivated me to learn better, they also heightened my love for the game. In this post, I'll share my top 3 chess movies. Not only will they motivate and educate you, they’ll also inspire you to pick up the board again if you've given up.

QUEEN OF KATWE

Queen of Katwe is the first chess movie I saw and of all the chess movies I have seen, Queen of Katwe is my favorite. The story is based on a true story and is set in Katwe, Uganda. The story revolves around a character, Phiona who grew up in the slums with her single mother. She gets introduced to the game, falls in love with it and becomes a master at it. The story reminds me of Tunde Onokoya—a Nigerian chess player, who, like Phiona, grew up in the slums. Like chess changed Phiona’s life, chess also changed Tunde’s life. Tunde now goes around teaching kids in slums how to play chess. He is the brains behind “Chess in Slums.”

THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT

Another chess movie I enjoyed watching is The Queen’s Gambit. Unlike Phiona in Queen of Katwe, Beth is a young orphan with a prodigious talent for chess. It was as if chess was mixed with her genes and just waiting to be discovered. Beth Harmon was abandoned as a child and thrown in the orphanage. There, she falls in love with the boardgame, even beating her teaching. Although Queen of Katwe is my favorite chess movie, this one inspired me more. For a long time, I wanted to be like Beth Harmon.

SEARCHING FOR BOBBY FISCHER

If you love intelligent and well-written movies, then this one is for you. Searching for Bobby Fischer is also based on a true story. In the movie, Josh’s father discovers his son is a chess prodigy and he acted on it immediately. This is one reason I enjoyed watching the movie. From watching chess at the park, to checkmating his dad, and becoming a chess grandmaster, this movie is spectacular. Chess is more than a game, it is a mirror of life, and these movies will help you rediscover your love for the game, and if you're not a chess lover, they’ll help you fall in love with the board game.

Images in this post are mine.

Thanks for reading.