Josh Waitzkin: The Inspiration for "Searching for Bobby Fischer"

One of the most puzzling and intriguing aspects of the legendary Bobby Fischer’s career was his disappearing act in 1975 after refusing to defend his world title against Anatoly Karpov. While New Yorkers would spend two decades looking for a glimpse of him on the street, hoping he would reemerge, the phrase “searching for Bobby Fischer” took on a whole different meaning. Chess teachers and parents everywhere were searching for the “next” Bobby Fischer, hoping to find a prodigy who would follow in the famous grandmaster’s footsteps. One of these hopefuls was Josh Waitzkin, a young phenom who was active in chess from 1982 to 1999. You may know his name from the book and movie, “Searching for Bobby Fischer,” which chronicled his early years in chess. There are a lot more chapters to Waitzkin’s life, however, and they are no less interesting.

Chess Finds a New Talent

Josh Waitzkin found the game of chess at age six. He was walking through New York City with his mother when he saw the chess hustlers in Washington Square. Fascinated, he stopped to watch, absorbing it all. It wasn’t long before he was playing himself, and his parents discovered he had a natural talent for the game. While he eschews the term “prodigy,” it’s an apt descriptor.

In order to nurture that talent, the Waitzkins turned to Bruce Pandolfini, the US National Master and legendary teacher. While the hustlers in Washington Square had the flash and dazzle of quick moves and daring strategies, Pandolfini provided the classical chess education Waitzkin needed to excel. Soon, chess consumed Waitzkin’s young life.

His first national tournament was a disappointment. He narrowly missed the title, and at the age of eight had a crisis of confidence. Losing that tournament made him question whether he was good at chess, whether he’d let his parents down, and what there might be to life other than chess. He credits that loss as a defining moment in his life. His ability to come back with a renewed commitment to chess was the beginning of his lifelong growth philosophy.

His second national tournament, the National Primary Championship in 1986, had a much different ending.This match is featured in the film “Searching for Bobby Fischer.” However, artistic license was used to show that Waitzkin was able to win over Jeff Sarwer after offering a draw that Sarwer refused. In reality, while Sarwer declined the draw offer, the match ended in a draw due to insufficient material, and both boys were declared primary co-champions. 

Making the Movie of Your Life

Many people will already be familiar with Josh Waitzkin’s incredible story through the book and movie chronicling his early career, “Searching for Bobby Fischer.” Based on the book by Fred Waitzkin about Josh’s early years, the movie follows Josh’s discovery of chess up to his win at the National Primary Championship in 1986. The film starred some big names, including Joe Mantegna as Fred Waitzkin and Laurence Fishburne as “Vinnie,” a park hustler. Josh Waitzkin has a cameo toward the end in the tournament scene—see if you can spot him.

It’s a remarkable story and a fabulous family film for movie night. One of the themes of the movie is the question of balance. How much do we, as parents or interested spectators, demand from children who display superhuman talents? How can they still experience the significant milestones of childhood while exploring the immense potential of their gift? The movie ends on a high note, but there was certainly more to the story.

Cruising to the Top…and Then Taking the Off-ramp

Josh Waitzkin didn’t stop with one national championship. He won a total of eight national championships, the last being the US Junior Championship in 1994. The movie was released the year prior, and the attention put even more pressure on Waitzkin to win and advance as the public watched. While some would be encouraged or energized by this, Waitzkin found it to be the final straw. He ended his competitive career and, a few years later, walked away from chess.

While there is a similarity between Bobby Fischer and Josh Waitzkin in their respective exits from the sport, their reasons are very different. Fischer became a recluse, hiding away after episodes of increasingly erratic behavior. His stated reasons for leaving chess had to do with grievances for the most part, but it’s also likely his mental health was suffering too much to keep up his career. Waitzkin, on the other hand, has articulated his reasons for quitting chess:

Another difference in their exits was what followed after. Fischer lived for decades in seclusion, emerging to become an international fugitive and finish his life in exile. Waitzkin was already competing in Tai Chi Chuan and simply moved to his next cycle of learning and mastery.

Flowing Into the Next River

After his soul-searching discovery, Waitzkin made a clean and decisive break with chess. He’d been competing in Tai Chi Push Hands, a one-on-one combat sport using the traditional forms of tai chi, for years with great success. While he took up martial arts with no intention of competing, his natural drive inevitably led him to the arena.

His pursuit of quality and intense training mindset led him to many national championships in multiple divisions of tai chi competition. The pinnacle of his career was achieving the Middleweight World Champion title in Fixed Step Push Hands in 2004 in Taiwan. He was also the Middleweight World Co-Champion of Moving Step Push Hands that year.

Even as he distilled his knowledge and training philosophies into his book, “The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance,” a disturbing tai chi match where he broke an opponent’s arm sent him reeling. Tai chi became associated with that tragic act, and he was reluctant to keep going. Enter his next cycle of being a beginner: Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Grappling with Heartbreak

Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) is a tough ground combat sport. Waitzkin was cross-training in the sport as early as 2002, but he devoted himself to it fully after around 2005. He began his training with BJJ legend John Machado, but found his home with Marcelo Garcia in New York City. Not only did he find a Brazilian jiu-jitsu master, he found a kindred spirit in the relentless drive for improvement and quality.

They opened the Marcelo Garcia Academy in New York City in 2009. It remains a powerhouse in BJJ. Waitzkin was a brown belt training to ascend to the top levels of yet another discipline when his jiu-jitsu intentions came to an abrupt halt. A training mishap resulting in a broken back left him unable to train or even pick up his newborn son. Not one to be deterred, he ramped his training back up while recovering, receiving his black belt and some bad news. His doctors told him he needed to quit BJJ or risk a crippling injury. You may be able to guess the next part—he moved on to become a beginner again, this time in the ocean.

Life After Combat

After becoming a father, Waitzkin felt himself moving away from combat sports, and spent some time seeking what the next thing might be. He ended up in the sea, a familiar companion during long summers in the Bahamas as a child. He learned to work with the waves and read the ocean. Foiling was a natural fit for someone at home with the vastness of the sea.

Hydrofoiling (commonly shortened to "foiling") is a wave-riding sport using a board with hydrofoils submerged below the surface. The board does not maintain contact with the water, creating less friction and allowing greater freedom. The rider uses a mast to control the foils, enabling them to ride a wider range of waves and ocean conditions. It’s a sport that suits a continuous learner and a strategic risk-taker like Waitzkin.

The Future

The common undercurrent in all of Josh Waitzkin’s disciplines has been his approach to training. It could be said that his true talent is his ability to focus on a sport and fully immerse himself in the process of learning and improving his skills. The premise of the movie about Josh Waitzkin’s early career may have been about finding the next Bobby Fischer, but Waitzkin has made it clear that he is his own person, not to be defined in the shadow of anyone else.