Tobey Maguire plays Bobby Fischer in "Pawn Sacrifice"

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Tobey Maguire is starring in a new movie called "Pawn Sacrifice" It's about a time in the life of the late chess legend Bobby Fischer.

Maguire plays Fischer, the American chess player who many consider the best who ever played the game.

"I learned a lot about what it takes to be a good chess player, and enough to understand that that was not in my near future," Maguire said.

The movie tells the story of Fischer getting ready to take on Boris Spassky, the reigning world champion from Russia. But as he's trying to do that, you also witness him coming apart at the seams.

Beyond the eccentricities, Fischer was troubled, with many believing he was mentally ill.

"Your compassion for him, even as he is behaving badly and inappropriately, come to understand that you are rooting for him to overcome this," said director Ed Zwick.

"Pawn Sacrifice" is rated PG-13 and opens Wednesday.