Movies Like Magnus (2016)

Magnus is a 2016 documentary film from Benjamin Ree with a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Pawn Sacrifice and Searching for Bobby Fischer.

Documentary

Pawn Sacrifice

2015

American chess champion Bobby Fischer prepares for a legendary match-up against Russian Boris Spassky.

6.7

MagicScore

Searching for Bobby Fischer

1993

A seven-year-old chess prodigy refuses to harden himself in order to become a champion like the famous but unlikable Bobby Fischer.

7.1

MagicScore

The World Champion

2021

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.

6.2

MagicScore

Knight Moves

1992

A chess grandmaster is in a big tournament, and when his lover is found painted up and the blood drained out of her body he becomes a chief suspect. After he gets a call from the killer urging him to try and figure out the game, he cooperates with police and a psychologist to try and catch the killer, but doubts linger about the grandmaster's innocence as the string of grisly murders continues.

5.8

MagicScore

Queen of Katwe

2016

A young girl overcomes her disadvantaged upbringing in the slums of Uganda to become a Chess master.

7.2

MagicScore

Bobby Fischer Against the World

2011

The first documentary feature to explore the tragic and bizarre life of the late chess master Bobby Fischer.

6.9

MagicScore

Creating The Queen's Gambit

2021

A fascinating character. Exquisite sets. A wig for every era. The stars, creators and crew reveal how the hit series about a chess prodigy came to life.

7.9

MagicScore

Falsettos

2017

Jewish family man Marvin leaves his wife and son for a male lover during the height of the AIDS crisis in 1980s New York City.

8.2

MagicScore

The Seventh Seal

1957

When disillusioned Swedish knight Antonius Block returns home from the Crusades to find his country in the grips of the Black Death, he challenges Death to a chess match for his life. Tormented by the belief that God does not exist, Block sets off on a journey, meeting up with traveling players Jof and his wife, Mia, and becoming determined to evade Death long enough to commit one redemptive act while he still lives.

8.1

MagicScore

#10

Stalag 17

1953

It's a dreary Christmas 1944 for the American POWs in Stalag 17 and the men in Barracks 4, all sergeants, have to deal with a grave problem—there seems to be a security leak.

7.7

MagicScore

#11

Geri's Game

1997

An aging codger named Geri plays a daylong game of chess in the park against himself. Somehow, he begins losing to his livelier opponent. But just when the game's nearly over, Geri manages to turn the tables.

7.6

MagicScore

#12

Europa

1991

Just after World War II, an American takes a railway job in Germany, but finds his position politically sensitive with various people trying to use him.

7.4

MagicScore

#13

Fresh

1994

Death and violence anger twelve year old drug courier Fresh, who sets his rival employers against each other.

7.2

MagicScore

#14

Checkmates

2024

Candela, the headmistress of an elite school, after a traumatic divorce, returns to her old high school to lead a group of rebellious students through chess. There she will learn that in chess, and in life, it doesn't matter if you are a king or a pawn, because everyone ends up in the same box.

7.1

MagicScore

#15

The Chess Players

1977

In the year 1856, Nawab Wajid Ali Shah is the King of Awadh, one of the last independent kingdoms of India. The British intend to control this rich land and send General Outram to clear way for an annexation. Pressure is mounting amidst intrigue and political maneuvers, but the Nawab whiles away his time in pursuit of pleasure and religious practice. The court is of no help either — noblemen Mir and Mirza ignore all duties and spend their days playing endless games of chess. Based on Munshi Premchand's short story of the same name. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 2010.

7.0

MagicScore

#16

Chess Story

2021

1938. While the Nazi troops march into Vienna, the lawyer Josef Bartok hastily tries to escape to the USA with his wife but is arrested by the Gestapo. Bartok remains steadfast and refuses to cooperate with the Gestapo that requires confidential information from him. Thrown into solitary confinement, Bartok is psychologically tormented for months and begins to weaken. However, when he steals an old book about chess it sets him on course to overcome the mental suffering inflicted upon him, until it becomes a dangerous obsession.

6.9

MagicScore

#17

Gourmet Detective

2015

Famed culinary consultant Henry Ross is a charming food industry insider in San Francisco. When suspicious sabotage ends in a shocking murder at his friend’s five-star restaurant, Henry is put on the case with strong-willed police detective and single mom, Maggie Price. Despite Maggie’s protests, they must work together to decipher the clues and investigate all of San Francisco’s top culinary pros.

6.7

MagicScore

#18

The Black Cat

1934

After a road accident in Hungary, the American honeymooners Joan and Peter and the enigmatic Dr. Werdegast find refuge in the house of the famed architect Hjalmar Poelzig, who shares a dark past with the doctor.

6.7

MagicScore

#19

Night Moves

1975

Private detective and former football player Harry Moseby gets hired on to what seems a standard missing person case - a former Hollywood actress wants Moseby to find and return her daughter. Harry travels to Florida to find her, but he begins to see a connection between the runaway girl, the world of Hollywood stuntmen, and a suspicious mechanic when an unsolved murder comes to light.

6.7

MagicScore

#20

Wazir

2016

'Wazir' is a tale of two unlikely friends, a wheelchair-bound chess grandmaster and a brave ATS officer. Brought together by grief and a strange twist of fate, the two men decide to help each other win the biggest games of their lives. But there's a mysterious, dangerous opponent lurking in the shadows, who is all set to checkmate them.

6.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Magnus?

The top films similar to Magnus by MovieMagicScore are Pawn Sacrifice (6.7), Searching for Bobby Fischer (7.1), The World Champion (6.2). Each shares documentary themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Magnus worth watching?

Magnus holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.8/10 from 54 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Magnus?

Magnus (2016) is a documentary film directed by Benjamin Ree, starring Magnus Carlsen, Viswanathan Anand, Henrik Carlsen.

Where can I find more recommendations like Magnus?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more documentary recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Pawn Sacrifice Movies like Searching for Bobby Fischer Movies like The World Champion Movies like Knight Moves Movies like Queen of Katwe Movies like Bobby Fischer Against the World

About movies like Magnus

This ranked list pairs Magnus (2016), a documentary film from Benjamin Ree, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Magnus Carlsen take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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