Movies like Checkmate (2017)
The best movies like Checkmate (2017) are Life of a King (2013), What Maisie Knew (2013) and Queen of Katwe (2016). If Checkmate hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedBeast (2026)7.5/10 from 227 votes
- NewestBeast (2026)Released 2026
- In HindiHomebound (2025)Also in Hindi
Life of a King (2013)
The true story of one man's mission to give inner city kids of Washington DC something he never had - a future. After being incarcerated for eighteen years, Eugene Brown established the Big Chair Chess Club to get kids off the streets and working towards lives they never believed they were capable of. This is his inspirational story.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhat Maisie Knew (2013)
In New York City, six-year-old Maisie is caught in the middle of a bitter custody battle between her self-absorbed parents—an aging rock singer mother and a distracted art dealer father. As both quickly marry new partners to strengthen their legal standing, Maisie is shuttled back and forth in an endless game of emotional point-scoring. Yet amid the chaos and upheaval, Maisie begins to find true comfort and affection in her new step-parents.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisQueen of Katwe (2016)
A young girl overcomes her disadvantaged upbringing in the slums of Uganda to become a Chess master.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Young One (1960)
A jazz musician seeks refuge from a lynch mob on a remote island, where he meets a hostile game warden and the young object of his attentions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFast Girls (2012)
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHomebound (2025)
Two childhood friends from a small North Indian village chase a police job that promises them the dignity they’ve long been denied. But as they inch closer to their dream, mounting desperation threatens the bond that holds them together.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTrue Colors (1991)
Two law school friends find themselves at odds when one becomes a Justice Department lawyer and the other goes into politics.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAdopt a Highway (2019)
Russ Millings has just been released from prison after serving 21 years for a 3rd strike conviction for possessing an ounce of marijuana. As he tries to adapt to a world he doesn’t recognize – including trying to learn how to use the internet – he finds an abandoned baby in a dumpster behind the fast food restaurant where he works as a dishwasher. Unsure of what to do, and caught between impulses of kindness and panic, Russ soon realizes this could be his chance at redemption.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Nest (2020)
Rory is an ambitious entrepreneur who brings his American wife and kids to his native country, England, to explore new business opportunities. After abandoning the sanctuary of their safe American suburban surroundings, the family is plunged into the despair of an archaic '80s Britain and their unaffordable new life in an English manor house threatens to destroy the family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGracie (2007)
A teenager faces an uphill battle when she fights to give women the opportunity to play competitive soccer.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSergio (2020)
A sweeping drama set in the chaotic aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq, where the life of top UN diplomat Brazilian Sérgio Vieira de Mello hangs in the balance during the most treacherous mission of his career.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCardboard Boxer (2016)
Gentle and broken, a homeless man fights others on video for money but soon finds comfort in an unlikely friend and the lost diary of a young girl.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisJungleland (2020)
Stanley manages his boxer brother Lion but when a devastating loss in the ring leaves the pair in debt, an opportunity to recoup the cash leads to a series of misadventures that threaten to break the bond between them.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTalhotBlond (2012)
Thomas Montgomery, a married father of two young daughters, gets seduced by the world of online gambling and chat rooms where a virtual romance and sexual obsession ultimately leads to the murder of an innocent man.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMost (2003)
A poetic and powerful story of a father forced to choose between love and duty.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Cut (2025)
A retired boxer intends to return to the ring for one last shot at the title, but first he must make the weight. Holed up in a room in Las Vegas with an unscrupulous trainer, he embarks on an intensive and illegal weight-cutting program.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisBeast (2026)
MMA legend Patton James, now a commercial fisherman, is pulled back into the cage when his brother is in danger. Reuniting with his old coach Sammy, he commits to one final fight in one championship against the brutal champion Xavier Grau.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004)
The story of golf icon and legend, Bobby Jones, who retired from competition at the tender age of 28.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisThe Lords of Discipline (1983)
Will arrives for his last year at Military Academy, in the Deep South USA, in the 1960's. A black student, Pearce, has been accepted, for the first time and Will is asked to keep an eye out for the inevitable racism. The racists come in the form of The Ten, a secret group of the elite students. They want Pearce to leave on his own free will, but are prepared to torture him to make it 'his free will'. Will is forced to help Pearce and he is prepared to risk his own career to do so.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisVanya on 42nd Street (1994)
An uninterrupted rehearsal of Chekhov's 'Uncle Vanya' plays out by a company of actors. The setting: their run-down theater with an unusable stage and crumbling ceiling. The play is shown act by act with the briefest of breaks to move props or for refreshments. The lack of costumes, real props and scenery is soon forgotten.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFanaa (2006)
Zooni Ali Beg is a blind Kashmiri girl who travels without her parents for the first time with a dance troupe to Delhi to perform in a ceremony for independence day. On her journey, she meets Rehan Khan, a casanova and tour guide who flirts with her. Although her friends warn Zooni about him, she cannot resist falling in love with him and he takes her on a private tour of New Delhi. But there is more to Rehan than meets the eye and Zooni will have to make a heartbreaking decision.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDharti Ke Lal (1946)
Based on plays by Bhattacharya and the story Annadata by Krishan Chander. A film about the famine that swept through Indian villages in the final years of the war for independence. After natural disasters (floods and droughts), villagers seek refuge in the city.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
O Teri (2014)
Prantabh and Anand, associated with a news channel in Delhi, are in search of a big scam to prove a point to their senior. A dead body accidentally lands up in their car.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Pardesi Babu (1998)
Raju is a poor guy who wants to marry a rich girl. Her father challenges Raju to earn ₹10,000,000 within a year to prove himself first.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Farz (2001)
A veteran police officer becomes increasingly agitated when his partner is killed in the line of duty. To add to his woes, his daughter falls in love with his new daredevil partner.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Besharam (1978)
In order to prevent honest Ramchandra from being elected as Mayor, Digvijay Singh alias Dharamdas sets his men upon him, his son, Ram Kumar, and his wife, all in vain, as Ramchandra wins. Shortly after his election, Ramchandra is framed and is forced to quit office after a scandal, and he hangs himself. Ram, his mom, and his sister, Chanda, re-locate and are not heard from again. Then a young man, Prince Chandrashekar from Johanneburg, South Africa, surfaces, claims he is a multi-millionaire, and would like to go into business with Digvijay Singh. This Prince also meets with Digvijay's sister and friend, Renuka, and Manju respectively and has an on-going affair with both at the same time. Digvijay is not happy with what's going on, and he asks his men to investigate the background of this Prince, and what they find will change Digvijay's life forever.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Maya (1961)
Disillusioned with his wealthy friends, a man pretends to be poor and goes to live in the slums where he falls in love with a burglar's sister.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Black Bud (2021)
Sanya, a rebellious contemporary girl but a poet at heart, escapes her strict orthodox father's house in search of a new life.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Laddoo (2019)
Rahul, an innocent child, who is unable to feed lunch to a temple priest on his grandfather's death anniversary, reaches a mosque to fulfil the task given by his mother.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Haseena Parkar (2017)
Haseena is very close to her brother Dawood, who turns to a life of crime and rises to power in the Mumbai underworld. After the bomb blasts of 1993, Dawood escapes to Dubai and she falls in trouble.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like Checkmate and something else?
Blend two favourites and we’ll find the films in between.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Checkmate?
The closest matches to Checkmate are Life of a King (2013), What Maisie Knew (2013) and Queen of Katwe (2016). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Checkmate?
Start with Life of a King (2013), the closest match to Checkmate.
What is the highest-rated movie like Checkmate?
Beast (2026), rated 7.5/10 by 227 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Checkmate?
Beast (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Hindi movies like Checkmate?
Yes: Homebound (2025), Fanaa (2006) and Dharti Ke Lal (1946).
How are movies similar to Checkmate chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Checkmate, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.