Things were very different during the days of the Cold War. The Soviet Union dominated their sphere of the world and they used chess as a propaganda tool to demonstrate the superiority of communism for all to see. As a result they pooled a substantial portion of their resources into cultivating and maintaining the best chess players the world had ever seen. And they weren't hesitant to stack the deck against anybody who dared to oppose them. Accordingly, for over 30 years they were successful in keeping any non-Soviet from challenging their World Champion. But everything changed when a young chess genius named Bobby Fischer came onto the scene from humble beginnings and with only one desire-to be the best chess player in the world. Unfortunately, although he was an expert in chess, he was a novice in personal and public relations and it was this flaw which would come to haunt him in later life. To that end, this documentary is similar to watching a train wreck in slow motion. You can see it coming but you're still hoping that it will somehow end differently. Anyway, this is a good film that doesn't require anybody to know anything about the game in order to understand it. And while I wish it had dealt a bit more on some of his earlier triumphs and featured more from some of his heavyweight opponents like Tigran Petrosian and Bent Larsen, it was sufficient for the most part in showcasing the rise and fall of an American star. Slightly above average.
Review of Bobby Fischer Against the World
