Chess Kids

During the 1989 New York Chess Open, director Lynn Hamrick had the opportunity to play Judit Polgar, a Hungarian girl of 12 (who also happened to be the youngest international master in the history of chess) in a side match. Polgar played Hamrick and 29 others simultaneously and--I'm not sure what the technical chess terminology here is--the young lady kicked butt. The filmmaker and the chess prodigy's paths would cross again in 1990 at the World Youth Chess Festival for Peace, held in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Here, contestants from 44 countries--including the United States' Josh Waitzkin (the subject of the wonderful 1993 movie Searching for Bobby Fischer)--sat across from one another over a chess board for as many as 10 or more hours a day and played a level of chess that 99% of us can't even imagine let alone approach. Hamrick's exceptionally entertaining documentary follows the competition, interviews the strikingly eloquent young players, and subtly examines one of the most hotly debated issues in the chess world, the role of gender. To date, there has never been a female world chess champion; however, Judit Polgar, who specifically played in the boy's competition and won (she's currently ranked as the 8th best player in the world), is one of many young female chess players who may change all that in the not so distant future. Chess aficionados and people who simply enjoy a well-made documentary with fascinating interviewees will appreciate this fun film. Highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Pitman)