Bruce Pandolfini

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Recently we watched a film in English class called Searching For Bobby Fischer. The movie talked about the child-prodigy chess player, Josh Waitzkin, who embarked on the dangerous path to become a professional chess player. Josh’s parents hired the most experienced chess teacher, Bruce Pandolfini, who patiently nurtured Josh’s chess skills. Another notable character in the movie that helped Josh become a better chess player was Vinnie. Vinnie was a drunk, homeless, and poor man who often slept on the park benches at night. Bruce and Vinnie both had an unique set of morals and ethics; however, their beliefs strongly opposed each other. Whether it may be their views on their opponents, on how chess is played, or on what chess piece to move at…show more content…
Bruce believed the only way to play like Bobby Fischer was to be like Bobby Fischer. Fischer was a chess legend who was considered the best chess player for a period of time. Fischer felt contempt for his opponent whenever he played against someone. He believed the only way to beat the opponent is to look at them with utter disdain and disapproval. Bruce reflected this horrible trait of Fischer whenever he played and taught chess. He taught Josh to not look in the eye of the opponent because they are unworthy. On the contrarily, Vinnie believed that looking at the opponent with contempt was unnecessary. He thought that winning was equally important as respecting your opponent. When Josh first played chess in the park, there were some men who sneered behind his back whenever he made a single move. This showed that the adults believed chess not played by young boys. However, Vinnie always treated young Josh with respect. He believed there was a potential chess player inside Josh. As the movie progressed, Josh picked to treat his opponents with respect. Although Bruce was disappointed at the choice Josh made, but he continued to support him because he wanted Josh to win the chess tournament. Vinnie also continued to support Josh as well. No matter how much their opinions differ from each other, their one goal was for Josh to succeed in the tournament. At the end, Josh beat his finally opponent in the chess tournament even when he showed respect toward him. This proved that feeling contempt for the opponent is not

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