About the film

In 1958, 14-year-old Robert James “Bobby” Fischer stunned the chess world by becoming the youngest Grand Master in history, launching a career that would make him a legend. Over the next decade and a half, his breathtaking rise to the top echelon of the game riveted the world and inspired an international chess phenomenon. Then, at the apex of his success, Fischer disappeared from the public eye. The revealing new documentary chronicles Fischer’s meteoric rise as well as his shocking withdrawal from competition and the madness that devastated much of his life.

Directed by Academy Award nominee and Emmy winner Liz Garbus the film explores the complex life of the troubled genius whose charisma and talent spurred a worldwide fascination with the “game of kings”. Fischer’s evolution from his childhood to chess prodigy, global superstar, angry recluse and finally fugitive from the law is a spellbinding story of the making and unmaking of an American icon.

To tell Fischer’s astonishing story, the film weaves together news clips dating from the 1950s to the 2000s, photographs and letters (many never made public before) and exclusive interviews with friends, fans and colleagues for an unprecedented look at the man behind the headlines. Garbus also documents Fischer’s later years, which were marked by disastrous choices and bizarre behavior.

Wybrane nagrody i festiwale /Selected festivals and awards: 2011 - FF Full Frame/ Full Frame FF, 2011 - Festiwal Filmów Żydowskich, San Francisco/ Jewish FF, San Francisco