here have been countless biopics of historical figures throughout history. Now comes the time for the story of chess master, Bobby Fischer, to shine on the silver screen.

“Pawn Sacrifice” recounts the rise of the child prodigy up to the 1972 battle royale chess match against Russian World Champion, Boris Spassky.

Toby Maguire fills the role of Fischer and performs exceptionally well. Maguire, along with Liev Schreiber as Spassky, are two of the high points of the film. Shown through quick camera manipulation and audio distortion, it is revealed early on that Fischer has mental issues. This mysterious problem is what gives Fischer such an aptitude for chess playing, allowing him to map out moves, memorize strategies and even replay entire games all in his head. But this intense focus and heightened sensibility comes at a cost; he is easily distracted by ambient noise or sudden, intrusive sounds.

This, along with Fischer’s increasing confidence in his ability, brings with it extremely specific demands when it comes to playing official games, such as moving to an entirely separate room away from an audience to finish a game. These disruptions and setbacks actually happened to the real Bobby Fischer, and Toby Maguire pulls off the agitation and decreasing mental health of Fischer remarkably well. However, the plot of the movie soon becomes, “What outlandish demands will Bobby Fischer make next?” or, “How much exasperation will Bobby cause until he gets his way?”

As stated before, these are all real events, but that’s all the film relies upon to move the plot along. While the storyline does get repetitive, the chess games are visually engaging. With smash cuts and close ups of the pieces and players and tense scenes, especially during the final matches between Fischer and Spassky, parts of the movie become very exciting and engaging.

Overall, “Pawn Sacrifice” doesn’t blaze any new ground in the biopic genre. It’s very formulaic and predictable. Granted, the story of Fischer is, indeed, intriguing. But the film should have presented it in a better way with more cinematic substance and solidity.