The World Champion

This drama focuses on the high-stakes 1978 world chess championship held in the Philippines. The story depicts the intense psychological struggle and clash of personalities between the reigning champion, Anatoly Karpov, and the challenger, Viktor Korchnoi, who had previously emigrated from the USSR. The film portrays the match as more than a sporting event, emphasizing the immense pressure and personal conflict involved in the competition.

Written and directed by Alexey Sidorov, this production followed his 2018 film T-34. It was produced by Nikita Mikhalkov, Leonid Vereshchagin, and Anton Zlatopolskiy through Cinema Fund, Central Partnership, KIT Film Studio, and Studio Trite. The movie features a large cast of 49 credited performers, with lead roles played by Konstantin Khabenskiy as Korchnoi and Ivan Yankovsky as Karpov. Other notable cast members include Vladimir Vdovichenkov, Victor Dobronravov, Viktor Sukhorukov, and Diana Pozharskaya.

Produced in Russia with a budget of 8 million USD, the film has a runtime of 145 minutes. On TMDB, the movie holds a rating of 6/10 based on 39 votes.