The World Champion

2021 2h 25m RU

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 40

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Some sporting victories are about more than just claiming a title. Some of them go down in history. The film follows the most dramatic and legendary showdown in the history of chess – the match between Anatoly Karpov, then world champion, and Viktor Korchnoi, a recent emigrant from the USSR. In this battle between two outstanding chess players, a duel of personalities under immense psychological pressure, the stakes are incomprehensibly high.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Konstantin Khabenskiy
Korchnoi
Ivan Yankovsky
Karpov
Vladimir Vdovichenkov
Gradov
Victor Dobronravov
Sergey Maksimov
Viktor Sukhorukov
Viktor Baturinskiy
Diana Pozharskaya
Veronika
Anatoly Kot
Igor Zaytsev
Mikhail Troynik
Yuriy Balashov

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alexey Sidorov
Writers: Alexey Sidorov
Languages: Russian
Countries: Russia

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 5 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alexey Sidorov, shot by Mikhail Milashin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Artyom Vasilev. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dmitry Korabelnikov shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Konstantin Khabenskiy and Ivan Yankovsky and Vladimir Vdovichenkov carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt13930782 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 40 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alexey Sidorov directs. Mikhail Milashin behind the camera. Artyom Vasilev scores. Dmitry Korabelnikov cuts. Produced in Russia. Dialogue in Russian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 5 years ago.
2Directed by Alexey Sidorov, shot by Mikhail Milashin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Artyom Vasilev. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Dmitry Korabelnikov shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Konstantin Khabenskiy and Ivan Yankovsky and Vladimir Vdovichenkov carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt13930782 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 40 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.