Campfire Chess

Welcome to Campfire Chess!

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On January 12, 2015

In Blog Updates

I am very excited to reveal the next generation of OffMyChess.com! As part of the natural evolution of this site into a more diverse coverage of chess topics, OffMyChess.com has officially been rebranded as Campfire Chess. Inspired by ghost stories, smores, and games by the camp fire, Campfire Chess will continue to focus on my personal chess improvement, but will also begin working in the local community to promote chess.

Most of the website content has been migrated from the OffMyChess.com server, but there are some outlying elements that still need to be migrated. Please be patient as I continue to work out all of the bugs on the new server to ensure the site is fully operational before regular posting resumes.

The Sad State of Chess on Mac

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On January 11, 2015

In ChessBase, Computer Chess, Reviews

Prior to 2009, I was a die-hard Windows user. Once a year I would order a collection of parts from NewEgg and Tiger Direct to build myself a custom PC or upgrade an older system with new memory or storage space. In addition to my custom desktop machine, I would carry around a Toshiba Windows laptop and I also had an early edition Acer AspireOne 10″ netbook with a keyboard almost too small for my hands. In the Spring of 2009, I began experimenting with Apple products thanks to my new obsession with my iPod Touch. It was not long before every computer in my home sported the i-prefix: an iMac desktop machine, a Macbook, and countless iPods and iPads. It was at that time when my chess studies waned significantly and I refocused myself to studying the Bible and working on my Masters of Divinity. This type of study lent itself well to the Apple ecosystem with Logos Bible Software running with lightning-fast precision on my MacBook Air.

However, my interest in chess took center stage in 2014 when I started OffMyChess.com and began a serious and regimented focus on my chess studies. I soon realized that the Apple ecosystem, as beautiful as it is, remains a wasteland of broken chess interfaces and is devoid of any true competitor to ChessBase, the king of chess databases. Unfortunately, ChessBase runs only on Windows PCs and I learned the hard way that it is not compatible with Windows emulation software such as CrossOver. I was able to successfully install ChessBase Reader 2013 on my MacBook Air under OS X Mavericks, but the full edition of ChessBase 12 and Deep Fritz 14 simply would not install on the system without resorting to extreme measures. At the end of this post, I will examine two ways that I have learned to use ChessBase in combination with the Apple ecosystem and offer tips on how it is possible to run full-edition ChessBase and all ChessBase products within OS X itself.

OS X Chess

In my opinion, there is very little to say about this program. It is a visual and cognitive disgrace that I am surprised has consistently passed the rigorous quality assurance processes in Cupertino. The Apple computer line has long prided itself as the preference of intellectuals and artists, which are two categories that encompass a significant portion of the chess community. Chess is the most popular mind sport in the world1, it is difficult to imagine why Apple did not dedicate a little more time and effort to refining the appearance and function of this program. Even Winboard and its derivatives are more useful for even the moderately responsible chess player than this program. There are no portable game notation (PGN) options in this program, which is pretty much a necessity when playing to improve. If a simple game of chess with basic functions and below-average playing skill and strength, then let the default chess program in OS X answer your prayers.

Shredder for OS X

Shredder is an immensely strong chess engine that has user interfaces available for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. I used Shredder on iOS to practice my tactics for years before migrating to chess on the desktop. However, the OS X chess user interface and overall implementation of Shredder on the Mac is truly horrific. The program itself is split into multiple windows, which is an old-school way of creating OS X applications. The lack of a unified interface makes it difficult to work with games and in trial runs with OS X Mavericks and Yosemite, there seemed to be a myriad of stability issues that made the entire user experience less than stellar.

A ChessBase-like Database?

Apple’s reputation for creating first-class operating systems and computer hardware does not extend to most of its applications. Utilities available to manage files and hardware in OS X are among the best out there, but Apple’s applications are often lacking key features and dependent on specific hardware configurations to work. This has left the open source community to pick up the pieces that are often lacking in OS X. The curiously titled Shane’s Chess Information Database (SCID) is perhaps as close as a person can get to having a native version of ChessBase running under OS X. The program is incredibly stable, has excellent support from its community contributors over at SourceForge and contains many useful features necessary for serious chess study. SCID also features an interface for using the Free Internet Chess Server. If there was simply no way to access ChessBase resources on a Mac, then SCID or a combination of SCID and HiARCS Chess Explorer would be the way to go.

HiARCS Chess Explorer

In the world of computer chess, there remains a dispute over the title of the reigning chess engine champion. In the not too distance past, Rybka, which boasted that it was the strongest engine ever created, had its World Computer Chess Championship title stripped when it was revealed that some of the code lines were plagiarized from another engine. These days, the HiARCS chess engine is the reigning computer chess World Champion, and its authors have created native user interfaces for both Microsoft Windows and OS X. These interfaces are identical on both operating systems, which makes HiARCS Chess Explorer the best native OS X chess interface out there. This program utilizes the HiARCS chess engine by default, but easily allows for the installation of 3rd-party universal chess interface (UCI) engines such as Stockfish, Shredder, Rybka, and older versions of Fritz. The database options in the program are basic, but highly functional for collecting and analyzing different games. I also found great use of the engine match function where the user can program two chess engines to compete against each other. HiARCS Chess Explorer is a light in the dark chasm of OS X chess, and it is probably the best bang for your buck if the user seeks something strictly native to OS X.

ChessBase Under OS X

The only way to access ChessBase or its myriad of DVDs and resources is to install a program that allows crossover applications from Microsoft Windows to function on OS X. The most popular (and stable) of these options are CrossOver and Oracle VM VirtualBox. However, each of them have some limitations that must be considered when installing and operating ChessBase:

  • CrossOver

    • This application installs on OS X and allows native integration for Windows-based programs with OS X. The major limitation to this program is that it creates virtual bottles where individual operating system settings are stored and virtual drives are created to install Windows-based programs. I made several attempts to install ChessBase 12 and Deep Fritz 14 on OS X using CrossOver, but the installer failed on each attempt. Fortunately, I was successful at installing ChessBase Reader, which is included with every edition of ChessBase Magazine. However, this is the extent to which ChessBase is available as a natively integrated OS X application.

  • Oracle VM VirtualBox

    • By far, this is the most effective way that I have found to install and use Windows-based software on OS X. Using VirtualBox, the end user can create a virtual computer to install a myriad of operating systems including multiple Windows and Unix flavors. The program itself contains multiple control options that allow the user to determine the amount of RAM, hard drive space, and processor resources used to run the software. There are some limitations that must be considered before taking this route:
      • The user must own a legal copy of a compatible Windows operating system.
      • If installing on a MacBook Air, the user should be mindful of hard drive space requirements to install a Windows operating system, ChessBase, and its database extensions. To alleviate this problem, I recommend installing the operating system on the Air’s SSD and using a 128 GB SD card as an external hard drive to install ChessBase databases, DVDs, and ChessBase Magazines.
    • Running Windows on OS X will have a significant impact on a MacBook’s battery life, so close attention should be paid to the amount of power being utilized for analysis and game annotation.

Without a doubt, the best chess experience on an Apple computer comes in the form of the Windows environment. If the user owns a MacBook or MacBook Air and does not want to run Windows in a virtual environment under OS X, then the option to install Windows under BootCamp is available. This allows the user to install Windows on a separate hard drive partition and run the operating system without running OS X. As with the limitations of running Windows in VirtualBox under OS X, the user must own a legal copy of Windows and install it on the BootCamp partition for this to work properly.

Wrapping This Up

The OS X chess experience is less than stellar, which was a huge disappointment for me when I transitioned from Microsoft Windows to exclusively using Mac products. Much of the chess software available on the Mac will perform basic functions, but do not come close to the depth of function and resources that ChessBase and similar applications offer on the Windows platform. Hopefully ChessBase, ChessOK, and other companies will realize the growing OS X audience and offer alternatives to running this programs exclusively on the Microsoft platform. Until then, those of us in the Apple ecosystem will have to step outside of the walled garden to find our slice of heaven on the board.

  1. Raymond Keene, Chess Secrets (The Times Little Books) (London, UK: HarperCollins, 2013), 1. ↩

Move by Move – Surber vs. 1057

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On January 7, 2015

In Game Analysis

Every so often, a chess player experiences a game that challenges them to move beyond basic strategy and tactics to explore the core of what embodies the fighting spirit of chess. For the first edition of Move by Move, we will examine a game that I played in December of 2014 against a player with an ELO of 1057 on Chess.com.

Life and the Luzhin Defense

By

On January 4, 2015

In Literature, Movies

In the 1930s, the world was entering into a time of upheaval. The Soviet Revolution had solidified itself into the lives of the Russian people and Germany was in the midst of economic transitions that would give way to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Among the turmoil, Russian author Vladimir Nabokov was inspired by the life of his friend, Curt von Bardeleben, a chess master who died after falling out of a window in 19241, to pen a story for a Russian quarterly. Some people believe that if Nabokov had not written his 1955 masterpiece, Lolita, that his 1930 work for the quarterly, called The Defense, would be known today as his greatest work. Most chess players are familiar with the book, which was republished years later as The Luzhin Defense or by the film of the same name starring John Turturro, and opinions vary widely. The purpose of this entry is to examine The Luzhin Defense and its portrayal of life, love, and the stereotype of chess madness.

The premise of the Luzhin Defense is that Aleksandr Ivanovich Luzhin, the book’s protagonist, grows up in a high class family with exceptional education opportunities, but his homely appearance and lack of academic ability quickly earn him disdain from his family until it is discovered that he was born with a significant aptitude for chess. The novel and the movie portray this aptitude as a double-edged sword: Luzhin’s ability to play propels him to fame as a world-class chess player, but his obsession with the game is a hindrance to his social life and his ability to establish dynamic and meaningful connections with other people. This becomes most apparent when the father of Luzhin’s prospective bride makes a spontaneous “small talk” inquiry about the difficulty of playing chess. Luzhin’s calm and distant demeanor shifts to excitement as he arranges tabletop items into chess patterns and explains his thoughts and feelings about key opening moves. The father is obviously overwhelmed by the information and attempts to dismiss Luzhin’s ranting by playing off his words with a simple response, “Yes, a fascinating and difficult thing, this chess.”2 The scene appears in the book and the film and is a brutally honest evaluation of the public’s most typical perception of chess players. The game is viewed unfortunately viewed by many as a trivial pursuit3, and much more so during Luzhin’s era than today. For example, there are photos of Bobby Fischer, Paul Morphy, Alexander Alekhine, and other great chess players along with chess boards and art representing the game scattered throughout my office at work. While there are some serious chess players in my hospital, most people enter the room and look at the chess memorabilia in a way that clearly says, Look at the cute chess pieces, and belies the depth of meaning these items convey to me and so many others. The social challenges faced by Luzhin off the chess board are something that most players can relate to, but the stigma of chess madness is the epicenter of division of opinions on the merits of The Luzhin Defense.

Chess and the Psychosis Factor

It is said that life often imitates art, with most film and literature about chess emphasizing the social awkwardness and psychosis that accompany some of the greatest chess minds in history. Paul Morphy and Bobby Fischer are as famous for their mental collapses as they are for their chess brilliance. After leaving highly publicized and successful chess careers, each of them succumbed to unusual behavioral patterns that indicated possible psychosis and eventually died in exile. I mention possible psychosis because neither player was ever formally given a psychiatric diagnosis. Unfortunately for modern chess, Garry Kasparov and Magnus Carlsen may not be widely known outside the world of chess unless they suffer a significant psychological break or are involved in some form of controversy. Instead of chess greatest, the world tends to remember chess devastation and disappointment such as Bobby Fischer’s disappearance after his 1972 World Championship victory. Some people would consider this a chess-specific problem, but most professional baseball players are unknown outside of their home markets unless they commit a crime. The difficulty for many chess players with The Luzhin Defense is that it seems to perpetuate many of the stereotypes connecting chess players and psychosis because as it was with Morphy and Fischer, Luzhin meets an untimely end in the book’s final pages.

It is difficult to peer through the bias and prejudice that some people may have about the stereotypes The Luzhin Defense to see the story for what it is: the authentic psychological condition and experiences of a man whose life was held together by chess. Chess often carries the stigma that it drives its players insane, but the story of Luzhin’s life seems more like that of Morphy and Fischer in that chess was the force that held his life together. In times of chaos, people will search desperately for a way to control the world around them. Control is an illusion in itself, but a person experiencing a perceived loss of total control can become depressed or psychotic if the condition is left untreated. In the case of Alexander Luzhin, chess was the lifeblood that held his world together. He was unable to reconcile his physician’s instructions to give up the one thing that formed the fabric of his universe. Chess creates obsession in its players for various reasons, but Luzhin’s obsession had nothing to do with simple aesthetics or competition. Instead, chess represented a deeply philosophical and existential paradigm in his life. This depth of knowledge and experience within the game itself is why the love of chess has persisted throughout civilization for centuries. It is believed that chess originated as a way for military commanders to simulate battle line movements in combat4 and has been applied far beyond the military to finances and social networking. It is this apparent universalism and beautiful complexity that has cemented chess in the world’s psyche as a deeply intellectual and multidimensional game. Chess was the only thing that Luzhin had ever learned to control in his life. We may never know for sure if this was the case for Morphy or Fischer, but once Luzhin was ordered by physicians to stop playing chess or risk dying as a result, he found new ways to integrate chessic thinking into his everyday life. A simple “Hello” to a passerby could be represented by a pawn to e4, or a cordial meeting could be represented by a Knight to f3.

The Heart of a Woman

There are many fascinating parts of The Luzhin Defense story and its characters, but I believe that none are as fascinating as the unnamed young lady who marries Luzhin and becomes his rock of support through his downward spiral. It is safe to say that the story is less about chess and more about the human spirit of love and compassion in the face of hopelessness. Mrs. Luzhin, as she is referred to through the second half of the book, is arguably one of the most patient and devoted women in the history of literature. Despite Luzhin’s odd behavior and his obsession with chess, she remains a passionate and dedicated wife. In a sense, Mrs. Luzhin represents the unconditional love that only comes from the deepest and most personal place in our hearts. While most people would probably have discarded Luzhin, her open heart accepted his faults because she saw more in him as a person and recognized the elegance of a soul buried under decades of torment and despair. For a man who has known this kind of love from a woman, the story is intoxicating. For a man who yearns for this kind of love from a woman, the story is viciously inspiring. I wholeheartedly believe that if we as a people can believe the story of Alexander Luzhin’s psychosis through chess without blinking an eye, we can accept the unconditional love of a woman in the same manner. It is Mrs. Luzhin whose kindness and devotion reminds us that when the world is spiraling out of control, there is no safer place than in the heart of someone who loves us.

Are We Crazy or What?

Alexander Luzhin was probably crazy. Paul Morphy was probably crazy. Bobby Fischer was probably crazy. You are probably crazy. I am probably crazy. Do you see a pattern emerging? In some aspects, psychosis is in the eye of the beholder since what might be crazy in one culture or setting is perfectly normal in another setting. There are a growing multitude of examples where chess has proven to increase aptitudes in math and science and to help deter early onset dementia. I find it difficult to believe that chess itself is responsible for psychosis such as seen in Alexander Luzhin. Moreover, I believe that Luzhin already suffered from a psychiatric condition and that chess was a vehicle that provided him the ability to control that psychosis. Maybe someday a comprehensive study will be conducted into the development of psychiatric conditions and chess, but until then these stories will continue to exist only in the realm of conjecture, urban legend, and first-class fiction.

  1. Lasker, Edward (1951). Chess Secrets I Learned from the Masters, pp. 20-21, in the section on Curt von Bardeleben. New York, 1951. Retrieved from http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/winter55.html ↩

  2. Vladimir Nabokov, The Luzhin Defense (New York, NY: Vintage International, 1964), Kindle, Location 1407. ↩

  3. Ibid, Location 1293. ↩

  4. David Shenk, The Immortal Game: A History of Chess (New York, NY: Anchor Books, 2006), Kindle, Location 295. ↩

OffMyChess.com Yearbook Now Available!

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On January 1, 2015

In Personal Reflection, Reviews

When I began writing this blog back in May of 2014, I promised myself that I wanted it to be something simple…merely a way for me to share my chess experiences, thoughts, and passions. I have developed a significant obsession for the game over the past year or so and I am excited to announce that the first major publication from this site is now available for free download! The OffMyChess.com Yearbook 2014 is the culmination of a monumental solo-effort to compile the “greatest hits” from this site throughout the last year. There are several articles reprinted from the blog in PDF format creating an exceptional collection format.

What you will find in the yearbook:

  • God and Chess
  • Movie Review: Life of a King
  • Magnus Carlsen: The World Champion Reigns
  • Is Chess Losing Public Appeal?
  • Product reviews including Chessmate, Plycounter, and various chess boards.

Additionally, the yearbook contains 30 games annotated by myself for the OMC Weekend Review. This compilation features the news, stories, and articles from twenty weeks of OMC Weekend Review and have been revised with new annotations and diagrams to explain key moves and positions. Finally, the Yearbook is also available in ChessBase format and includes annotated copies of each game from the PDF document.

The OffMyChess.com Yearbook has been a labor of love since June of last year when I began publishing the weekly updates. It is my goal to expand on that practice through 2015 and continue to collect games that I believe are instructive and representative of the challenges that people face when undertaking a monumental task such as learning to play good chess. In the meantime, head over to the Publications page to get the PDF and ChessBase database files to enjoy the inaugural edition of OffMyChess.com Yearbook 2014!

Happy New Year!

By

On January 1, 2015

In Blog Updates

Wow! It is 2015 and I can really say is, Where did the time go? It seems like only a few months ago I was putting the finishing touches on my plan to launch this site and begin to share my chess thoughts and journeys with others. Now, we are all looking down the barrel of a new year which will bring new loves, new hopes, new hurts, and challenges. I have to wonder as time continues to pass by at what seems to be an ever-increasing rate, Are we ready for what lies ahead? The world is changing so incredibly fast and it seems to get smaller with every passing moment. Chess games that were once inaccessible to people around the world are now at the touch of our fingertips and even a patzer like Wesley Surber can create and run a moderately successful chess blog. I think it is safe to say: what is this world coming to?

What is New in 2015?

Before the new year gets into full swing, I wanted to take care of some housekeeping items around here and outline the future of this blog. Since May 2014, I have been posting weekly updates with game commentary, news, and reviews. In between those entries were other posts that included product reviews, tournament updates, and other minutia that I felt were interesting and important for chess enthusiasts. Effective today, the format of OffMyChess.com will be changing slightly. The primary focus moving forward will be on the weekly updates. OMC Weekend Review will remain the official title of these weekend posts, but they will now become the main communication method of news and reviews here on the site. However, there will be intermittent posts made throughout the week as I find necessary and possible, but these entries will no longer be a primary focus for the site. This is due in large part to the launch of my theology blog, The Narrow Path, and also to improve the quality of the game analysis and post content here on OffMyChess.com.

Chess is my game. Chess is our game. Chess is a game that belongs to the whole world, has changed the world on countless occasions, and rest assured that OffMyChess.com is in it for the long haul. So raise your glasses and let us toast to a Safe and Happy New Year as we set focus on the future and look to make a difference on and off the board.

Sincerely, Wesley Surber Editor, OffMyChess.com

Merry Christmas

By

On December 25, 2014

In Blog Updates

Merry Christmas to everyone that has supported OffMyChess.com throughout the past year! 2014 was a very exciting first year for this site and 2015 promises to bring incredible things your way. From my family to yours, have a Safe and Merry Christmas as we stop to remember the birth of Jesus Christ and to reconnect with family, friends, and loved ones from around the world. See you in 2015!

OMC Weekend Review (Volume 1, Issue 19)

By

On December 21, 2014

In Publications

I still have a hard time believing that we have already reached the end of 2014. Although it is hard to qualify the entire year in a single blog post, this edition of OMC Weekend Review will be the second to last post of 2014 here on OffMyChess.com. The final post of the year for the blog will appear on Christmas Day. I have enjoyed the many tournaments and games throughout the past year and I look forward to experiencing many more years of fine chess play from some of the world’s greatest players down to myself, who could be considered the world’s worst player. :)

So, grab a cup of coffee and join me as I present the final two annotated games of the year here on Off My Chess:

The first game I annotated was going perfectly and I was on track to win the game until an accidental mouse click doomed me. This was a terribly frustrating experience considering how well the game had been going. Look for the blender on move 40.

This subsequent live game has some excellent tactical principles as I was able to make use of some key exchanges to gain momentum and advantages on space.

The Best of ChessBase Magazine #163

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On December 16, 2014

In ChessBase, Reviews

I have to admit that I have become somewhat of a ChessBase fanboy over the past few months. The first time I can remember using a ChessBase product was a copy of Fritz 8 that I purchased at Hastings Entertainment in Clovis, New Mexico. I was just starting to grow my interest in chess and decided to head out to the store and pick up a program to help me learn. Fritz 8, although long superseded by Fritz 9 to Deep Fritz 14, was a powerful engine that readily defeated me in every game I played. Suffice to say that I was not impressed with it because I was unfamiliar with chess engines, chess interfaces, UCI, PGN, and the full lexicon of digital chess language that I utilize today. I took note that Fritz was created by ChessBase and decided to steer clear for awhile.

My Growing Love for ChessBase

As time has moved on, I have come to recognize the wonderful contributions to preparation and exhibition that ChessBase has brought to the world of digital chess. One night, I intended to purchase a copy of Deep Fritz 14 to assist with analyzing my games, but accidentally added a copy of ChessBase 12 to my order as well. When I sought a refund for the other, the friendly folks at ChessBase contacted me to discuss my concerns with the program and ask if there was anything they could do help. I explained that it was a mistaken purchase, but they encouraged me to try it out first before I decided if I wanted to return it. Since then, ChessBase has been critical to my growth as a player and as a blogger. As I became more reliant on ChessBase for game storage and analysis, I decided to give ChessBase Magazine and try. What I found was a digital utopia of analysis and reporting that caused me to cancel my subscription to New in Chess.

It is no secret that I was ecstatic when I arrived home on Friday evening and found ChessBase Magazine #163 waiting in my mailbox. Each magazine comes in a distinctive color, with #163 (December 2014 to January 2015) being green and featuring Fabiano Caruana, who dominated in several Grand Prix tournaments and at the Sinquefield Cup earlier this year. The booklet that accompanies each edition of ChessBase Magazine is nice and has summaries and cross tables for each tournament, but the real meat of the publication is on the enclosed DVD. On a side note, there is a download only subscription option that includes all of the DVD content and a PDF file of the booklet.

ChessBase Magazine #163

As I said, the meat of ChessBase Magazine is on the DVD that comes with each issue. In CBM 163, there are 1,463 games included in ChessBase databases with many of them being presented with video commentary by grandmasters such as Karsten Müller, Daniel King, and others. In this day and age, it is easy to find commentary on top games by grandmasters on YouTube or other chess websites, but rarely will you find these games annotated and analyzed by grandmasters and provided with commentary and analysis for further study. In this edition, several tournaments from the FIDE Grand Prix are covered including Grand Prix Tashkent and Grand Prix Baku. Daniel King gives four video commentaries on games from Grand Prix Baku and many other games are annotated and included in the database. Here is an example of what comes in CBM 163:

Of course, the video lectures are my favorite part of ChessBase Magazine, but each edition includes a number of tactics and strategy puzzles for the reader to solve. These puzzles come straight from the grandmaster games reviewed in the magazine articles and the reader engages in responsive feedback with the video system within ChessBase. For example, in CBM 163, author Oliver Reeh focuses on exchanges in a series of tactical puzzles designed to fine-tune the reader’s interpretation of appropriate piece exchanges to gain advantage over their opponent.

Finally, there is an excellent collection of “tele-chess” correspondence games presented by Juan Morgado and Roberto Alvarez. The correspondence database contains over 10,000 games with 32 of them annotated for greater emphasis and study. ChessBase Magazine #163 continues a tradition of chess journalism excellence and I highly recommend it for chess players of all levels.

Bobby Fischer Live – Avoid at All Cost!

By

On December 14, 2014

In Famous Players, Personal Reflection, Reviews

As a kid, I can remember that Searching for Bobby Fischer was one of my first real introductions to the world of competitive chess. As I watched the film during our school’s chess club, I wondered throughout the film what most people already knew: Where is this Bobby Fischer guy? I knew that he was considered the greatest chess player of all time and that he had been missing for decades, but it was difficult at the time for me to realize the metaphorical elements of the movie’s title. These days, it seems as though many directors are jumping on the bandwagon to create movies and documentaries about the now-deceased recluse. Pawn Sacrifice debuted recently to decent reviews as well as the excellent HBO documentary Bobby Fischer Against the World, which arrived on the scene a few years ago.

As a huge Bobby Fischer fan, I have read as many books and articles that I could find on him and have digested countless minutia about his life, his personality, and his incredible chess games. However, I was surprised to find a movie on Amazon.com called Bobby Fischer Live, which appeared to be a biopic about his life from early childhood up to his escape from Japanese authorities to refuge in Iceland. Bobby Fischer Live stars Damian Chapa as Bobby and includes a cast of actors you may never recognize again.

When I played this movie on Friday night, I was excited to sit back and experience the life of Bobby Fischer. However, that joy immediately disintegrated into uncertainty and panic when within the first few seconds of the film, Bobby’s mother Regina is shown taking her newborn child to an Adaption Agency to give him away. I cannot remember the last time that I witnessed a spelling error in the opening credits of a film…even from low budget and independent local films. For me, this set the tone for the rest of the film because my obsessive-compulsive senses immediately peaked and I wanted to see what other problems existed in this film. I will not even get into the violations of chess law and the history of Bobby’s style that exist in this film, but I will say that he is shown constantly using the Queen’s pawn opening of 1.d4, which was not his preferred method of starting a game.


Re-creating Bobby’s famous introduction to the world.

Bobby Fischer Live is a word-for-word recreation of famous interviews, press conferences, and the memories of his closest friends and chess players. The scenes are recreated perhaps as best as they could be given the apparently low budget of the film, but the middle-aged Chapa certainly does not have the charisma or the physical presence to portray an accurate portrait of Bobby Fischer. It is obvious that Chapa is doing his best to project Fischer’s violent anti-semitism, but it falls way flat of the real thing. The scenes involving the 1972 World Chess Championship were so incredibly amateurish and appeared to have been shot in a cheesy hotel ballroom, where the two champions battled it out against each other at a borrowed kitchen table on the same level as the audience. Furthermore, Boris Spassky’s wig in those scenes were most likely borrowed from the closet of an Elvis impersonator. The director made a feeble attempt to show the hostility between Spassky and Moscow as he refused the Kremlin’s calls to abandon the match for the sake of his reputation, but the conflict lacks any substance or depth. As Bobby grows beyond the 1972 championship, his famous rant against the United States after the 9/11 attacks is re-created and there are some segments of the film that take place in a Japanese detention center as he awaits extradition to the United States for violation of the U.S. embargo on Yugoslavia in 1992.

Chess films tend to have a certain level of professionalism because the creators of these films understand that chess players can be very picky about the details, but I tend to allow a wide latitude for creative interpretation in books and film. Incorrect chess board setups and wrong moves permeate Hollywood films, but the level of amateur development in this film is disgraceful to chess and to the memory of Bobby Fischer. Watching this film feels like the director and the actors read a book about Bobby Fischer one time, decided he was interesting, and decided to make a movie. I have a hard time believing that anyone involved with this movie truly understood the depth of Bobby’s genius and his inner struggles, because there is no struggle, no substance, and no reason to watch this blundering piece of garbage.

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