Critical Acclaim!

Reviews of Chess Kids are posted here in their entirety!

CHILD MAGAZINE • BILLBOARD • CHILDRENS'S BOOKWATCH • FAMILY FUN MAGAZINE
LIBRARY JOURNAL • PUBLISHERS WEEKLY • SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
SIGHTS & SOUNDS • TAMPA TRIBUNE • VIDEO LIBRARIAN

Here's what the critics are saying:

"One of the best videos of 1997."
--Child Magazine

"The most realistic portrayal of tournament chess I've seen."
--Jack Peters, Los Angeles Times

"One of the finest kids' videos Child's Play has seen lately..."
--Moira McCormick, Billboard

"First there was Searching for Bobby Fischer... now add Chess Kids to the list of must-see films involving children and chess."
--John Donaldson, Inside Chess

"Inspirational... a great way to recruit girls to the game!"
--Liz Moya, elementary school teacher and chess coach

"... this charming film has a message about determination for everyone."
--Fritz Mitnick, School Library Journal

"Highly Recommended... exceptionally entertaining."
--Randy Pitman, Video Librarian

"Lynn Hamrick's Chess Kids was the sleeper of the 1996 Taos Talking Picture Festival."
--Andrew Stiny

Amid the intense pressure of a world-class youth tournament, Hamrick shows a number of child chess prodigies doing what they do best. But more amazingly, she also catches them playing soccer, chewing gum, twirling their hair and well, just being kids. In the course of this video, viewers will meet Josh Waitzkin, subject of the book and of the subsequent feature fillm Searching for Bobby Fischer, as well as Hungarian phenomenon Judit Polgar, currently ranked as the eighth best chess player in the world. By refusing from a young age to compete in the female categories (she plays with the boys), she changed the face of tournament chess. The 1990 World Youth Chess Festival for Peace in Fond du Lac, WI, provides Hamrick with an international kaleidoscope of subject matter. Tremendously gifted kids from a variety of countries share their thoughts on winning, competition and the lifelong benefits of their hobby. A seven-year-old player explains the paramount importance of keeping a nonexpressive face during games; a preteen Waitzkin admits to being distracted by playing against female challengers; and several competitors give humurous accounts of what runs through their minds during a game. Balancing her subject, Hamrick wisely asks some tough questions about parental and coach pressure and the emotional and financial cost of tournament-level play. In the end, Hamrick's fine documentary provides young chess aficionados with an adrenaline rush, and perhaps offers novices some incentive to take up the game. Ages 6-up.
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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 other 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 film. Highly recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P (R.Pitman)
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Lynn Hamrick, the film's producer/director/writer, was intrigued by Judit Polgar, a Hungarian girl who became the youngest international chess master ever. Hamrick took her camera to the World Youth Chess Tournament for Peace in 1990, the largest youth chess tournament of its kind ever to be held in the U.S. Children from 44 countries were there to compete, and although Polgar did not give an interview, other children openly discussed the controversy about boys vs. girls. At the tournament there was only same sex competition, although Polgar competed in the boy's division. Josh Waitzkin, the real life subject of Searching for Bobby Fischer, and other children ages 7-14 discuss their reasons for competing, their demeanor and facial expressions during tournaments, and coaches. Parents and coaches are interviewed as well. The children's responses are often humorous and never summarized or debated. Footage of Hamrick playing against Polgar in an earlier tournament is of lesser quality, but otherwise the sound and visual clarity is very good. The film, narrated by Hamrick, is an accurate portrayal of the feel of a tournament. Don't expect to learn how to play the game or see the moves that defeat the masters. Chess clubs (and libraries affiliated with them) are the most likely purchasers, but this charming film has a message about determination for everyone.
-Fritz Mitnick, Shaler North Hills Library, Glenshaw, PA
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The World Youth Chess Festival draws the brightest under-14 players from around the world. This fascinating documentary centers on the 1990 tournament when female phenomenon Judit Polgar of Hungary was vying for the boy's championship. The camera captures the excitement with quick shots of many matches but doesn't linger on specific games. Director Hamrick spends much more time away from the chessboards, eliciting insightful comments from players (though not Polgar), parents, and coaches. Charming seven-year-old Andrea Peterson confesses that she doesn't want to participate in any more tournaments, and affable Josh Waitzkin, 13, relishes competition and refutes all stereotypical notions about how chess prodigies should look and act. Highly recommended for public libraries.
-Will Hepfer, SUNY at Buffalo Libs.
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Viewers will discover an unforgettable world of 7 to 14 year-old chess prodigies as they go behind the scenes at the World Youth Chess Tournament (the largest ever held in the United States). Chess Kids showcases the best young chess players of our decade, the kids who've been playing chess since they learned to walk. They will meet Josh Waitzkin, the real-life subject of Searching for Bobby Fischer, and Judit Polgar, the best female player of all time. They will hear children as young as seven reveal how they ace the world's oldest game. Chess Kids will appeal to the non-player as well as the chess-obsessed. Chess Kids is highly recommended for school and community library video collections - and would make a terrific chess club recruitment film!
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CHECKMATE: We're pleased to report that Chess Kids by Lynn Hamrick Productions in Taos, N.M. has racked up a number of awards.

One of the finest kid's videos Child's Play has seen lately, the 51-minute, $29.95 documentary captured top honors at the Chicago International Television Festival, the Cine Gold Eagle, and the George Sidney Independent Film Competition Award. Filmmaker Lynn Hamrick introduced her feature in person Feb.9 at the Pacific Film Archive's sixth International Children's Film & Video Festival.

Chess Kids is about the world of competitive chess at the childrren's level. It's fascinating even if you don't have any particular aptitude for the game (count us in that category)> Two young chess prodigies particularly stand out: Josh Waitzkin, the New Yorker who's the rreal-life subject of the movie Searching For Bobby Fischer, and the awesome Judit Polgar, the female Hungarian player who competes, and consistently wins, in the boy's category.

If ever there was an inspiring role model for young women, it's Polgar - she even blows Waitzkin away in an impromptu speed-chess session after she's already won top honors in the official competition. Chess Kids is not just a portrait of dazzling young talent, it'a welcome reminder that there are many good kids out there who continually challenge themselves.
-by Moira McCormick, Billboard, New York, N.Y.
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At the beginning of Lynn Hamrick's wonderfully smart documentary about pint-size chess-obsessives, a boy recalls that he was three-and-half when he asked his father to teach him the game with that checkered board, while another kid quips that he liked chess "because the pieces taste good." Set at the World Youth Chess Tournament and featuring masterminds Josh Waitzkin (the real-life subject of Searching for Bobby Fischer) and Hungarian Judit Polgar, the youngest chess master of all time, the film examines the allure of the game. These boys and girls are buzzing with energy and anxiety, but it's clear why the game has them enthralled: it's competitive, it bridges language and cultural boundaries, and, as one chess kid observes, "It teaches you how to think."
-Steven Rea is a film critic for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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Of Knights and Pawns ... Did your family see Searching for Bobby Fisher? Now you have a chance to meet the real Josh Waitzkin, as well as many other interesting young tournament wizards in Chess Kids, a new film by independent filmmaker Lynn Hamrick. Largely set at the 1990 World Youth Chess Festival for Peace, Chess Kids is a charming and fascinating glimpse into the world of competition chess.

While their accomplishments and expertise are arresting, the real attraction in this film is just the kids themselves. A sweet-faced 10-year old explains the perplexity in being trapped on the board by "a little kid" - just 7. The lisping seven-year-old demonstrates her best tournament poker face. Grinning, Josh Waitzkin admits he likes girls and gets rattled in playing them. Kids and adults debate the growing potential for girls to become world champions in this male-dominated game.

Joy, civility, intellect and childish mischief radiate from Hamrick's engaging film, and make the game itself look like real fun. The warmth between parents and children infuses the film, too, as when an Indian dad impulsively kisses his son on camera.

... [featured as] part of Cornell Cinema's ongoing IthacaKid Film Festival, cosponsered by the Ithaca Youth Bureau....
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I think this movie would interest people who like chess more than others. I like this movie for three reasons. It lets you see what goes on at a chess tournament. I think it's neat that they showed what happens before a kid plays a game. Another cool thing was, you see what went on during a tournament chess game and the special rules. I also like how they let you see how much thinking chess takes. It showed that when you're not focused, you can make a bad move and lose. They showed you how hard it is to keep a straight face so your oponent doesn't know your emotions. My favorite part was when they interviewed the children that played in the chess tournaments. The kids also told you what they do after the game to relieve stress.
-Meredith Leake, 10.
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