The Masters of Disaster

Source catalog description

This description refers to material held by Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Visual details below describe the original material.

A documentary film with the title The Masters of Disaster. It consists of a single reel of color 16mm polyester film with optical sound. The film profiles an Indiana elementary school chess team that calls themselves The Masters of Disaster. In the opening scene, elementary school teacher and chess coach Bob Cotter is seen practicing with the team while criticizing one of the boys, Thomas, for prioritizing basketball over chess; Cotter also motivates the young men in his monologue. In one scene, some of the boys tell an interviewer what they would say to President Reagan in the event that they met him, and in the subsequent scene they are seen with President Reagan in the Oval Office. Additionally, several of the boys' parents describe the impact chess has had on them. Towards the end of the documentary, one of the boys, Rabbit, defeats the mayor of the city in front of a packed auditorium.

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