MARK RUBERY CHESS
Bruce Pandolfini is America’s most acclaimed chess coach. He was famously portrayed by the actor Ben Kingsley in the 1993 film ‘Searching for Bobby Fischer’ (or its other title ‘Innocent Moves’) where his character was depicted less sympathetically than in real life.
He was asked by a chess fan about a key scene in the film…
Q: In the film ‘Searching for Bobby Fischer’, there is a scene in which you sweep the pieces off the board in order to get Josh Waitzkin (played by Max Pomeranc) to analyse a position in his head. Did this really happen ? Also, did you always place such an emphasis on analysing without moving the pieces? - Sy Hartman, Riverdale, NewYork
BP: The particular scene you ‘ve asked about never took place. Over the years
I ‘ve performed many antics to get the attention of my students, but before the film I never scattered all the chess pieces with abandon, nor did I ever do anything like that with Josh Waitzkin. This dramatic device was the invention of gifted screenwriter and director Steve Zaillian. He thought it up, and I think it works very well in the picture. So well, in fact, that it inspired me to add this artifice to my arsenal of teaching tricks after the film’s release - another illustration of real life imitating art. But it didn’t go anywhere.
With regard to making students analyse in their heads, I see nothing eccentric about this. It’s the hallmark of the strong player, so why shouldn’t I require my students to practice doing this as often as possible? You’ ll find that most chess teachers also encourage their students to analyse without moving the pieces, if merely to cut down on touch-move blunders. Students naturally resist analysing in their heads at first, but regular effort on the teacher’s part, as well as a steady diet of winning because of it, can usually lessen the resistance to it over time.
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As proved by evidence, chess is more lasting in its being and presence than all books and achievements; the only game that belongs to all people and all ages; of which none knows the divinity that bestowed it on the world, to slay boredom, to sharpen the senses, to exhilarate the spirit. – Stefan Zweig