Editing Searching for Bobby Fischer (section)

==Reception==
Both the film and book received positive reviews from critics. Waitzkin's book was praised by grandmaster [[Nigel Short]],<ref>''The Spectator'', April 8, 1989, pp. 30–31</ref> and journalist [[Edward Winter (chess historian)|Edward Winter]], who called it "a delightful book" in which "the topics [are] treated with an acuity and grace that offer the reviewer something quotable on almost every page."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Searching for Bobby Fischer (Josh Waitzkin)
| author= Edward Winter
| year = 1989
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201125050308/https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/waitzkin.html
| archive-date= 25 November 2020
|url=https://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/waitzkin.html|access-date=8 January 2023|website=www.chesshistory.com}}</ref> Screenwriter and playwright [[Tom Stoppard]] called the book "well written" and "captivating".<ref>''The Observer'', April 2, 1989, p. 45</ref>

The film has a 98% rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 45 reviews, with an average rating of 8.00/10. The site's consensus reads: "As sensitive as the young man at its center, ''Searching for Bobby Fischer'' uses a prodigy's struggle to find personal balance as the background for a powerfully moving drama."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/searching_for_bobby_fischer/|title=Searching for Bobby Fischer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210416210709/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/searching_for_bobby_fischer|archive-date=April 16, 2021|url-status=live|work=Rotten Tomatoes}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]] the film has a score of 89 based on reviews from 23 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web|title=Searching for Bobby Fischer|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/searching-for-bobby-fischer|website=Metacritic}}</ref> Audiences surveyed by [[CinemaScore]] graded the film "A" on scale of A to F.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/|title=Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)|work=CinemaScore|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220122629/https://www.cinemascore.com/publicsearch/index/title/|archive-date=20 December 2018}}</ref>

[[Roger Ebert]] gave the film a score of four stars (out of four), calling it "a film of remarkable sensitivity and insight", adding, "by the end of [the film], we have learned […] a great deal about human nature."<ref>{{cite web|date=August 11, 1993|last1=Ebert|first1=Roger|author1-link=Roger Ebert|title=Searching for Bobby Fischer|url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/searching-for-bobby-fischer-1993|website=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|publisher=RogerEbert.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311222354/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F19930811%2FREVIEWS%2F308110301%2F1023|archive-date=11 March 2013}}</ref> [[James Berardinelli]] gave the film three stars (out of four), calling it "an intensely fascinating movie capable of involving those who are ignorant about chess as well as those who love it."<ref>{{Cite web
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203184917/http://preview.reelviews.net/movies/s/searching.html
| archive-date= 3 February 2019
| last = Berardinelli | first = James
| year = 1993
|title=Review: Searching for Bobby Fischer|url=https://preview.reelviews.net/movies/s/searching.html|access-date=8 January 2023|website=ReelViews}}</ref>

Bobby Fischer himself never saw the film and claimed that it violated his privacy by using his name without his permission. Fischer never received any compensation from the film, calling it "a monumental swindle".<ref>{{cite book|last=Brady|first=Frank|author-link=Frank Brady (writer)|title=Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall – from America's Brightest Prodigy to the Edge of Madness|publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group|Crown]]|year=2011|edition=1st|pages=267–68|isbn=978-0-307-46390-6}}</ref>

{{Anchor|Awards|Accolades}}
The film was nominated for Best Cinematography ([[Conrad Hall|Conrad L. Hall]]) at the [[66th Academy Awards]] for 1993 but lost to [[Janusz Kaminski]] who won for ''[[Schindler's List]]'', which was also written by Steven Zaillian. It won the category at the [[American Society of Cinematographers]] the same year. The film also ranked No. 96 in [[AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers]].