Best movies like The Grand Master

Based on the true story of master shogi player, Sankichi Sakata.

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like The Grand Master Starring Tsumasaburō Bandō, Isamu Kosugi, Tatsuo Saitō, Mitsuko Mito, and more. If you liked The Grand Master then you may also like: Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story, One Down, Two to Go, Kart Racer, Knight Moves, Arena and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.

Shogi, a Japanese form of chess, is a game that requires skill and determination. When poor sandal-maker Sakata decides to pursue his dream of becoming the Shogi Grand Master Champion, everything is at stake – including his family. What will it cost for Sakata to follow his passion?

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Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story

Under the Boardwalk: The Monopoly Story shows how the classic board game has become a worldwide cultural phenomenon and follows the colorful players who come together to compete for the coveted title of Monopoly World Champion.

One Down, Two to Go

A pair of tough cops go after the mob who jinxed the martial arts tournament and injured their buddy.

Kart Racer

Fourteen-year-old Watts Davies is estranged from his dad, a former International Karting Federation (IKF) champion. Watts's resolve to race in the upcoming IKF Regional Championships rekindles their relationship as they pursue the dream together.

Knight Moves

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.

Arena

An intergalactic fighting competition between champions of various worlds has traditionally been won by a species much larger and stronger than humans. Entering the contest, a human finds he has to battle against not just his opponents and his self-doubts, but the corrupt system. Far in the future, on a distant space station, the legendary Arena is where the best fighters from every planet come to vie for the championship. But for over half a century, no Earthling has been good enough to be a contender. Until out of nowhere, comes an underdog: the great human hope, Steve Armstrong... and the best anyone's ever seen. He's been training all his life for a shot at the big time, but now he's up against some mighty big muscle: a ruthless extra-terrestrial crimelord who'll pull no punches to make sure he stops Steve dead. In the mood for hard-hitting sci-fi action? Arena will knock you out!

Bobby Fischer Against the World

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

Champions

The true story of jockey Bob Champion who overcame cancer to win the 1981 Grand National

Mortal Kombat

Washed-up MMA fighter Cole Young, unaware of his heritage, and hunted by Emperor Shang Tsung's best warrior, Sub-Zero, seeks out and trains with Earth's greatest champions as he prepares to stand against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe.

DOA: Dead or Alive

Four beautiful rivals at an invitation-only martial-arts tournament join forces against a sinister threat. Princess Kasumi is an aristocratic warrior trained by martial-arts masters. Tina Armstrong is a wrestling superstar. Helena Douglas is an athlete with a tragic past. Christie Allen earns her keep as a thief and an assassin-for-hire.

Searching for Bobby Fischer

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

Longshot

When one of the foosball team members is injured, a 14-year-old girl takes the champion's place.

The Go Master

The life of Go master Wu Qingyuan from his meteoric rise as a child prodigy to fame and fortune as a revolutionary strategic thinker, as well as the tumultuous conflicts between his homeland of China and his adopted nation of Japan.

Wizard Mode

Mastering classic pinball arcade games requires focus, agility and dedication. Robert Gagno has all these traits. It might explain why he surged from a complete unknown to one of the world's best players in five years. The achievement is even more impressive considering he was diagnosed with autism at age three. His success on the pinball circuit made him part of a community that provided acceptance and encouragement. With his parents' support and determination, Robert has exceeded every expectation placed upon him. As he approaches adulthood, his next challenge is to become more self-sufficient and gain his independence. From high-stakes tournaments across the continent to his day-to-day search for employment, we follow Robert's persistent progression to overcome obstacles and manage the highs of success and lows of falling short. In Wizard Mode, flashing lights and triple combos highlight an outstanding individual who continues to beat the odds and set records.

The Grand

The Grand is in the tradition of improvisational comedies like Best In Show and This Is Spinal Tap. The story is set in the world of professional poker and follows six players who reach the final table of the world’s second most famous high stakes tournament, the Grand Championship of Poker.

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power

A decade after An Inconvenient Truth brought climate change into the heart of popular culture comes the riveting and rousing follow-up that shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution. Vice President Al Gore continues his tireless fight, traveling around the world training an army of climate champions and influencing international climate policy. Cameras follow him behind the scenes—in moments private and public, funny and poignant—as he pursues the empowering notion that while the stakes have never been higher, the perils of climate change can be overcome with human ingenuity and passion.

Pawn Sacrifice

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

She Ball

On a mission to save his Inglewood community center, Avery Watts enlists a talented basketball player, Shelby, to help him win the grand prize in a street ball tournament. Together, Avery and Shelby challenge local politicians, gangs and their own stereotypes to save their community.

Lady Bloodfight

Jane is a beautiful but troubled American girl backpacking through Japan, when her raw street fighting skills draw the attention of Oshima, Japanese karate champion, who recruits and trains her to fight in the vicious, all-female, underground martial arts tournament known as "The Kumite". After months of rigorous preparation, Jane is ready to face off against the deadliest female fighters in the world, including Ling, the Chinese apprentice of Oshima's nemesis. But other nefarious forces lie in the shadows, and Jane and Ling will have to unite on a journey that will take them from the gritty underworld of Hong Kong to the glitz of Macao, before deciding who really is the best female fighter on the planet.

Cashing Out

Aspiring poker player Allen sits center of a high stakes poker game as armed thieves take everyone’s cash. Once alone, Allen reveals his involvement as an inside man to the robbery. He was led to believe this would be his only involvement. However, the success of this heist leaves his partner Jaqs hungry for larger action. Allen struggles to balance caring for his ailing father, managing his feelings for Jaqs, and following his passion for poker. His life spirals out of control as a web of lies and mistakes from his past begin to have severe consequences.

Hatley High

The Canadian teen comedy Hatley High sends up high school sports rituals by placing a most unlikely competitive game at the center of its story: that of chess. Tommy (Nicholas Wright) is a new arrival in his parents' hometown of Hatley, whose mother recently died. He discovers, after the fact, that his mom was once a chess pro and thus a legend in the community. Tommy's chess-fixated peers accept him almost instantly, inferring that he must have inherited his dear mother's skills, but in time Tommy carves out a niche for himself independently of his mom's legacy, and strikes up an enduring romance with Hyacinthe (Rachelle Lefevre) a "chess cheerleader." Two fictional British filmmakers "frame" the tale by filming it for a documentary that they are producing, and thus provide witty, ongoing narration.

Bloodfist II

Jake Ray gives up his title after killing a man in the ring. When Jake goes to Manila to help an old friend, trouble awaits him! After fending off multiple attacks, Jake is finally captured and chained to a half a dozen martial arts champions. Taken to an island fortress, they are forced to battle chemically-stimulated killers in fights to the death. To win - and to live - it will take every ounce of strength and skill in their martial arts arsenal

Computer Chess

At the American Computer Chess Convention, enthusiasts gather to pit their programs against other computer chess programs and human players in a tournament for a grand prize of $7500.

Bare Knuckles

Women will go to extreme lengths for those they love and single mother Samantha Rogers is no exception. Along with her young daughter, Milla, Sam struggles to make ends meet, taking her licks as a stunt double by day and cocktail waitressing at a rowdy bar at night. When Sam uses her skills to end a bar fight between two drunk women, down and out fight promoter Sonny Cool sees an opportunity to get back into the game. He tells Sam all about the "show," a high class, underground illegal all female bare knuckle fight tournament, where brutality and elegance mix with high stakes and deception. Is the price too much for her...? Bare Knuckles..... a knockout punch of strength and determination, inspired by a true story.

The Mighty Pawns

Inner city kids are given new direction when they are convinced to join the school chess team.

Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms

The Earthrealm heroes must journey to the Outworld and fight for the survival of their homeland, invaded by the forces of evil warlord Shao Kahn, in the tournament to end all tournaments: the final Mortal Kombat.

Unrivaled

On these streets everyone is fighting for a way out, but after a lifetime of hard knocks, a down-on-his-luck cage fighter gets the opportunity of a lifetime when he is chosen to compete against the MMA world champion during a massive competition. The stakes are high and the reward great...but should he lose, it will cost him his life.

Street Fighter - Round One - FIGHT!

In Round One - FIGHT!: Ryu and Ken find themselves setting out to investigate the murder of their martial arts master. Their search for answers takes them to Japan where M. Bison and his assorted minions including Cammy, Vega, and Sagat keep a close eye on Ryu for reasons unknown.

Slam Dunk 2: National Tournament

Is the second film from the series. It happens during Shohoku's 4th Round Qualifying game against Tsukubu High. The film features original characters including Godai, an old friend of Akagi and Kogure's, Rango, a wild show-off who is in love with Haruko and quarrels with Sakuragi, and Coach Kawasaki, a former pupil of Anzai-sensei

Endgame

Since he was 5 yrs old, Jose's abuelita taught him to play chess like his grandfather who was a champion in Mexico. Now as part of the Brownsville school team, Jose has the chance to use his skills and for once in his life, finds himself in the spotlight, as he tries to help his team make it to the Texas state finals. As their coach, Mr. Alvarado, teaches his students the meaning of perseverance and team effort in the face of adversity, Jose discovers his own strengths and uses them to bring his broken family together.

Satoshi: A Move for Tomorrow

Satoshi Murayama, the shogi (Japanese chess) master known as the arch-rival of Yoshiharu Habu, the shogi genius of the century, died of an intractable disease at age 29. Satoshi devoted his life to fighting not only the disease but also his rivals, feverishly pursuing the highest title, at risk to his life. Director Yoshitaka Mori (Hyakuhachi (2008), Space Brothers (2012)) depicts Murayama's true struggling life, full of love from his parents and teacher, based on the non-fiction novel written by Yoshio Osaki. Kenichi Matsuyama intensely portrays Satoshi and physically embodies the character.

Best Player

After his parents decide to move to a retirement home in Florida, professional gamer Quincy “Q”Johnson (Jerry Trainor) must find a way to raise 175,000 dollars to buy his family home. After hearing about a tournament for the game “Black Hole” with a grand prize of 175,500 dollars, Quincy enters the tournament, only to be faced with a new problem. An equally skilled gamer named Chris Saunders “Prodigy” (Jeanette McCurdy) has become the one block in Quincy’s plan, defeating him at every turn. So he teams up with his friend Wendell (Amir Talai) to try and find ways to stop Chris from entering the tournament.

Danny's Game

Danny Bishop is a gambling prodigy. After exiling himself to prison, he returns to his brothers home only to find himself back in the game because of a large debt for his protection in prison. He cons a group of high stakes gamblers, including his vicious rival, Alex, to a tournament. The story is a delicate balance between the tension of the game and the strained relationship with his brother.

Father and Son

This is a story about a son who pursue his career as a comedian by forming a comedy duo with his demented father. "Kazuki, are you still doing comedy?" "Yes, I am. Right now!" The Abe family is a rice farmer in Nishikan Ward, Niigata. The first son, Kazuki is unemployed, living at his parents' house, and writing comedy plot everyday. One day, his father Yoji fell down from a stroke while he was practicing for the local comedy competition. While facing the severe reality of becoming a home helper to his demented father, his companion, Masakazu told him he is giving up on comedy. Struggling between his dream and the reality, childhood and adulthood, he decides to enter the competition as a comedy duo with his demented father. Can miracle happen on stage for the father who lost his memory and the son who finally made up his mind?

The Go Masters

Ten years before the outbreak of the Second World War in Asia, a Japanese Go master and his Chinese rival meet in China to play a game of Go (loosely described as an Asian version of chess). It soon becomes evident that the Chinese master's son is the most talented player that the Japanese master has ever encountered, and he convinces the boy's father to let him bring the child back to Japan to train him as a professional Go player. Years pass, and as the young Chinese master grows to maturity in Japan, the Japanese invasion of China forces him to choose between his triumphant career and his loyalty to his native country. His decision is complicated by his marriage to the daughter of the Japanese master, with whom he has produced a child. His choice will profoundly alter the lives of two families. Their saga serves as a reflection of the tragic relations between their two great countries, and the possibility of reconciliation and healing.

The Battle of the Sexes

Tennis star and women’s rights activist Billie Jean King won a total of 12 Grand Slam titles, but the biggest match of her career took place in 1973 against former men’s champion Bobby Riggs, a self-proclaimed male chauvinist pig who declared that, even at the age of 55, he could beat any woman in the world.

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