As the story progresses Josh learns to put chess in perspective and teaches his father and his opponents the meaning of sportsmanship. The film is based on a true story about Josh Waitzkin as told by his father Fred Waitzkin in his autobiography. This film explores the competitive pressures of the world of children's chess tournaments and children's competitions in general. Bobby Fischer is Josh's hero, but by the end of the movie, Josh has surpassed Fischer as a human being, if not in his technical prowess at chess. The film also shows us several men whose lives have become obsessed with the game.
Chess is a game of strategy and skill.
Modified by the Persians and the Arabs, the game came to Europe in the 10th century. The modern version of chess was developed in Italy in the 14th Century. Since about the 15th Century the game has been extremely popular, with the best players writing manuals and books on the theory of chess, which attain wide circulation. Great competitions between masters of the game have been a feature of the sport since the 1700's. Since the advent of computers there has been an effort to get them to compete with men in playing chess.