ShortList is supported by you, our amazing readers. When you click through the links on our site and make a purchase we may earn a commission. Learn more

Tobey Maguire's new film is going to make chess cool again

Tobey Maguire's new film is going to make chess cool again

Tobey Maguire's new film is going to make chess cool again

You wouldn't think that "Bishop to D6" would be the stuff of cinematic high drama - but then you've probably never watched a match being played between Spider-Man and Sabretooth.

Okay, so Pawn Sacrifice isn't pitting Marvel characters against each other in a board game show down. Set at the height of the Cold War, the film follows the true story of the rise of US chess prodigy Bobby Fischer (Tobey Maguire), and his gradual descent into madness as he challenges the Soviet Union's grandmaster Boris Spassky (Liev Schreiber) to a match that would capture tension of the wider political landscape. 

First premiered at 2014's Toronto Film Festival to glowing reviews, Pawn Sacrifice could be about to give the sport (yep) of chess a significant shot in the arm.

Watch the trailer below, and ready yourself to download that free chess app you've been meaning to have a play with. 

Pawn Sacrifice arrives in UK cinemas in September