Fred Waitzkin (born 1943 in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
) is an American novelist and writer for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' ''Sunday Magazine'', ''
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
'', and ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
''. He graduated from
Kenyon College
Kenyon College ( ) is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1824 by Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase. It is the oldest private instituti ...
in
Gambier, Ohio
Gambier ( ) is a village in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,213 at the 2020 census.
Gambier is the home of Kenyon College.
History
Gambier was laid out in 1824. The village was named after one of Kenyon College's early ...
in 1965, and lives in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
and
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard, often simply called the Vineyard, is an island in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, lying just south of Cape Cod. It is known for being a popular, affluent summer colony, and includes the smaller peninsula Chappaquiddick Isla ...
.
Waitzkin is the father of
chess prodigy
Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves no hidden information and no elements of chance. It is played on a square board consisting of 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. The players, referred to ...
Joshua Waitzkin and wrote a book about his son called ''Searching for Bobby Fischer''; he felt that Joshua could be a successor to
Bobby Fischer
Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Chess Champi ...
. The book was praised by
Grandmaster Nigel Short
Nigel David Short (born 1 June 1965) is an English Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, columnist, coach and commentator who has been the FIDE Director for Chess Development since September 2022. Short earned the title of grandmaster at the ...
, as well as chess journalist
Edward Winter, who called it "a delightful book" in which "the topics
retreated with an acuity and grace that offer the reviewer something quotable on almost every page." Screenwriter and playwright
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard (; born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech-born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...
called the book "well written" and "captivating". The book was made into the Academy Award-nominated
namesake film (but released in the
U.K.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
as ''Innocent Moves''), with
Joe Mantegna
Joseph Anthony Mantegna (, ; born November 13, 1947) is an American actor best known for starring on CBS's ''Criminal Minds'' since 2007 as FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Rossi. He has voiced the recurring role of mob boss Fat Tony on th ...
playing Joshua Waitzkin's father.
Major works
*1988: ''Searching for Bobby Fischer: The Father of a Prodigy Observes the World of Chess''
*
*
*
*''The Dream Merchant''
See also
*
List of books and documentaries by or about Bobby Fischer
Many books, films and other works about Bobby Fischer have been created. Bobby Fischer (March 9, 1943 – January 17, 2008) was an American chess prodigy who rose to prominence during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1972, Fischer defeated the Soviet p ...
References
External links
*
20th-century American novelists
American male novelists
American chess writers
Jewish American novelists
Kenyon College alumni
Living people
1943 births
20th-century American male writers
20th-century American non-fiction writers
American male non-fiction writers
21st-century American Jews
{{US-chess-bio-stub