WIN: BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD On DVD

Dogwoof proudly presents Award-winning filmmaker Liz Garbus’s fascinating portrait of one of the most intriguing and enigmatic figures of the 20th century – World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer.

By Matt Holmes /

Bobby Fischer. Available on DVD 12th September, a week after the iTunes release, Bobby Fischer Against the World traces the Grand Master from child prodigy to Cold War hero to controversial recluse. Cutting interviews with Bobby and the people who knew him with footage and news reports, Bobby Fischer Against the World is a mesmerising portrait of the rise and bizarre fall of one of the great American icons. With DVD extras including three short films, selected trailers and €œTaking on a Grandmaster€ clips; this is a DVD must buy for all chess fans or anyone wanting an insight into troubled genius. To be in with a chance of winning one of two copies of the DVD we have to give, simply email contest@obsessedwithfilm.com with the e-mail header Bobby Fischer. Make sure you leave your full name and address and please only enter if you are 12 or over, if not ask parents permission. Winners will be notified in October. Synopsis: In 1958, 14-year old Robert James €œBobby€ Fischer stunned the chess world by becoming the youngest Grand Master in history, launching a career that would make him a legend. Raised by his mother in Brooklyn, he taught himself to play chess at the age of six and started beating seasoned adult chess players at eight. Throughout the sixties, as his star rose, Bobby would appear regularly on TV and tour the world resoundingly beating all. His career highlight came in 1972 when he played the Russian Grand Master and reigning champion Boris Spassky - a series that was equally tied in with the Cold War as it was with chess. After his victory Bobby became the most famous person on the planet, and his already erratic behaviour began spiralling out of control, turning this genius into an unrecognisable recluse and pariah. Director Liz Garbus (Emmy Award® winning Ghosts of Abu Ghraib and Academy Award® nominated Street Fight) has crafted a complex film of a complex persona, exploring issues such as whether Bobby was ever equipped to deal with the fame and the pressures of being in the public eye; how his fractious relationship with his mother may have contributed to this; and how he propelled chess to a world-wide phenomenon, boosting it to a level of popularity not seen since. Truly unique, Bobby Fischer still stands as the most famous Grand Master, a life devoured by his obsession with chess and whose death revealed nothing about what eventually destroyed him. €œChess is like my alter ego€ €“ Bobby Fischer Special features: Trailer Kings in the Ring (short) Taking on a Grandmaster Additional film trailer History of Chess (short) Battle for Bobby Fischer€™s Estate (short) Available on DVD 12th September.

Advertisement