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Rating: 
Summary: An uneven combination
Review: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 I read this book well before a movie was even conceived, yet I will take the heretical view that the movie was better. The movie distilled what the book was about, Josh and his father, and excised the two weak sections. The parts of this book that deal with Fred and his feelings about his son's chess genius are very well done. Waitzkin writes in a congenial, easy to read fashion that communicates the story well. He neither presents himself as a saint, nor a sinner. The weak parts are the two digressions. The first is the trip to the now defunct Soviet Union with Bruce and Josh to watch the ill-fated first Karpov-Kasparov match. Though the politics of the old Russian chess scene can be of interest, they are jarring in this book of a father and his son. The second weak section is Fred's trip to California to try to find Fischer. Of course he doesn't so we are treated to 2nd and 3rd or worse stories of Fischer's descent into his own world. Again, Fischer's life is interesting in a cautionary trainwreck way but is not really properly part of Fred and Josh's story. Though this is not a chess book per se, an appendix with some of Josh's games would have been a nice thing to have. However, I'm not subtracting from my rating for that, just a suggestion. The story of Josh and Fred and their journey through competitive childhood sport, chess here could be replaced by anything, is wonderful. The sidetrips however should have been edited.
Rating:
Summary: An uneven combination
Review: 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 I read this book well before a movie was even conceived, yet I will take the heretical view that the movie was better. The movie distilled what the book was about, Josh and his father, and excised the two weak sections. The parts of this book that deal with Fred and his feelings about his son's chess genius are very well done. Waitzkin writes in a congenial, easy to read fashion that communicates the story well. He neither presents himself as a saint, nor a sinner. The weak parts are the two digressions. The first is the trip to the now defunct Soviet Union with Bruce and Josh to watch the ill-fated first Karpov-Kasparov match. Though the politics of the old Russian chess scene can be of interest, they are jarring in this book of a father and his son. The second weak section is Fred's trip to California to try to find Fischer. Of course he doesn't so we are treated to 2nd and 3rd or worse stories of Fischer's descent into his own world. Again, Fischer's life is interesting in a cautionary trainwreck way but is not really properly part of Fred and Josh's story. Though this is not a chess book per se, an appendix with some of Josh's games would have been a nice thing to have. However, I'm not subtracting from my rating for that, just a suggestion. The story of Josh and Fred and their journey through competitive childhood sport, chess here could be replaced by anything, is wonderful. The sidetrips however should have been edited.
Rating: 
Summary: Look at chess world at large.
Review: Fred Waitzkin gives insight to both the world of his son, who in the book is fast becoming one of the best chess players in the United States for his age, and the chess world in general. His profession as a writer gave him access to a lot of behind-the-scenes politics, for example with the World Championship match and also meeting Boris Gulko, a Soviet champion who was ostracized, beaten, and otherwise abused because his political views were not aligned with the dominant Soviet view at the time. He contrasts this "celebrity" or "public figure" status that Soviet chess players had to those of American masters, who travel around the country trying to make ends meet playing in tournament after tournament, while most are considered eccentric and some are even homeless. I enjoyed Fred Waitzkin's writing style and having played competitive chess and actually seeing or meeting some of the characters he mentioned was very interesting. A couple other reviews gave low ratings because it seemed like it was misleading as only parts of the book are about his son, but I think Waitzkin's comprehensive view of the chess world at large and the contrast between this and his own personal chess life is interesting.
Rating:
Summary: Father and Son
Review: Fred Waitzkin's "Searching for Bobby Fischer" is a fine account of the inner turmoil experienced by a mediocre chess-playing father who has a gifted chess-playing son. Mr. Waitzkin, who began playing chess when Bobby Fischer was single-handedly dismantling the Russian chess monolith, is obviously pleased (to put it mildly) when his son Joshua displays enormous ability at a very early age. Mr. Waitzkin nurtures his son's talent, most notably by hiring the acclaimed Bruce Pandolfini as his chess coach. Mr. Pandolfini evolves into a mentor and friend, and much of the book analyzes the (often strained) relationship between the son and his two fathers. Mr. Waitzkin ponders whether he is doing the right thing by encouraging his son to devote so much time and energy to a game that can become all-consuming. Chessplayers can become as obsessive as body-builders, and chess lore is filled with tales of the strange, and often downright psychotic, behavior of some of its adherents. Mr. Waitzkin recounts many such tales and also highlights the religious grandiosity the game can inspire: the mother of one young player confides that when her son is playing well she feels like "... the mother of Jesus", and a woman friend of Bobby Fischer's thinks that Mr. Fischer is "... pure, like Jesus". Whew. It is a credit to Mr. Waitzkin that he didn't blindly succumb to the "genius" blandishment routinely hung on youthful chess wizards but agonized over every important decision affecting his son. It is a further credit to him that his son has grown into a splendid young man. Joshua Waitzkin is Ivy League graduate, a world-class athlete, and a teacher. Yes, he still plays chess-he'll one day be a grandmaster-but he couldn't be further from the stereotype of the chessplayer as a myopic, stoop-shouldered, one-dimensional automaton. He is a son to make any father proud. Though the "Searching" in the title refers more to the metaphysical search by the chess world for its next boy-king, Mr. Waitzkin does make a literal, if half-hearted, search for the elusive Bobby Fischer in Los Angeles with the hope that he, a stranger, could prevail where those who knew Mr. Fischer had failed and persuade him to return to his arena. Mr. Waitzkin never gets to meet Mr. Fischer, who never defended the World Championship he won in 1972 by defeating Boris Spassky, yet does give a lucid and unsparing account of both Mr. Fischer's unprecedented triumphs at the chess board and his meglomania, paranoia, and anti-Semitism away from it. A friend of Mr. Fischer's tells Mr. Waitzkin that Mr. Fischer is "...convinced that the Jews were controlling the country and that the Holocaust was a self-serving fantasy created by Zionists". This same friend further informs Mr. Waitzkin that Mr. Fischer had the fillings removed from his teeth so he wouldn't "...pick up radio transmissions". Mr. Waitzkin is no Fischer apologist but a significant portion of the world chess community is. Mr. Waitzkin has used the Fischer saga to portray his own paternal angst and he has done it well.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Review: Have the book and movie on DVD. This is one of my favorite books and movies. Though they weren't searching for Bobby Fischer himself, the move shows the progress of a talented chess kid.
Rating: 
Summary: Fischer's Name = Money
Review: I have to wonder why Fred Waitzkin titled this book 'Searching For Bobby Fischer'. Maybe because if he didn't illegally attach Fischer's name on the book, nobody would have ever read or noticed it. This book and the movie are now famous, and I'm sure Fred has made some nice dollars from it. I wonder if Fischer has recieved a penny for his name being used in the movie and book? From the looks of it, he has not. Throughout the book, does Fred actually search for Bobby Fischer? He hardly lifts his pinky finger is trying to find him, but talks about stories he'd heard from other people. Doesn't really sound like he is searching for him is he?
One can say the title is metaphorical. He is not trying to find Fischer, but actually his successor, who just might be his son. Does his son show signs of being the next savior of the game of chess? Hardly, except for the fact that his son was the highest rated player for his age. Just because his son was highly rated for his age, doesn't mean he is going to be the next world champion. I can't help but feel sad that the chess world has taken advantage of Fischer's name in order to make a few cheap extra dollars. Read this book for a good read and to understand the tragedy of being a life-long chess player, but keep in mind a great player's image and stature has been exploited.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book!
Review: This book gives an interesting insight into the early chess career of a young scholastic chess player who I personally know (along with the parents Fred and Bonnie and Josh's early coach Bruce Pandolfini).
I must truley say, though the movie was excellent, the book is ten times more accurate than the movie (i.e. coach Bruce Pandolfini's real personality is more of a easy going, lay back style than the hard driving, demanding individual shown in the movie).
I personally have trained 35 first place winners in Championship Sections at the National Scholastic Championships. So I know first hand where the writter (Josh's) father is coming from. He does a wonderful job in telling things the way they are! My student Roy Runas shared the National Elementary School Championship title together in 1989 and Roy defeated Josh's best friend in the book Morgan in a dramitic game in the last round.
I must truely say, Josh and his family are nice people and Fred Waitzkin did a major service for chess when he wrote this book that became a great motion picture.
Rating:
Summary: True story better than a novel
Review: This is a gem of a book. Moreover, the movie with the same name is almost as good, a rarity in these days of manufactured characters, settings, plot and endings. Despite what one may think, the author/father is the outstanding personality in both settings. This is the story of a boy genius who happened to play chess and even more remarkably grew up to become a normal child, unlike the titled champ. The personal of Bobby Fisher imbues the story as no individual actually present could. It is the aura, the mystery, the eccentricity and the incredible brilliance of the hiding former champ that one is forced to consider throughout the book. And no, they never do meet up but his spirit is embodied in the weird, exhilirationg world of chess. This world is not a normal one in that an obsessions with an ancient board is the heart and soul of many player's lives. They eat, breathe, talk, sleep chess; they pay former masters for lessons; they forego a normal childhood of soccer and friends and cartoons to play. And, like other child stars, the parents are there to either support, guide, bully or console them. Chess players must be psychologically strong since it is a game of ultimate power - perhaps the one place where substitute armies can battle for glory. The movie's depiction of the sheer pressure on children to perform is vivid as are the mean antics, the terrible truth of seeing the end ten moves away and the ultimate glory. From budding standout to champion, this is a story of love and adventure like no other. A great read / a great movie.
Rating:
Summary: For both patzers and masters
Review: This was an excellent book about chess in the USA and of course the life a real chess prodigy. I myself love chess and am interested in it and this book totally fulfilled my longing for a chess novel. Fred Waitzkin does an excellent job writing this book about his son. He writes the book from a very honest standpoint, clearly shown when he talks about Joshua's chess tournaments. I totally agree with Fred about how Bobby Fischer has changed the chess world. Fred was interested in chess, so his son became interested in chess. Just as my father did, in the 1972 match between Fischer and Spassky, he became interested in the game, and I am now, I'm just not a chess prodigy like Josh! This is a great book giving you a greater view of chess in the USA and also in the former Soviet Union. This is a great book! Read it!
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