Joshua Waitzkin (born December 4, 1976) is an American former chess player, martial arts world champion, and author.

Waitzkin first noticed the game of chess being played while walking with his mother in New York City's Washington Square Park at the age of six.

[2] During his years as a student at Dalton he led the school to win seven national team championships between the third and ninth grades, in addition to his eight individual titles.

[3][4] At ten years old, Waitzkin played a notable game featuring a sacrifice of his queen and rook in exchange for a checkmate six moves later.

[10]The script for Paramount Pictures' 1993 film Searching for Bobby Fischer (released in the United Kingdom as Innocent Moves) was based on a 1988 book by Waitzkin's father, Fred Waitzkin: Searching for Bobby Fischer: The Father of a Prodigy Observes the World of Chess.

Waitzkin makes a cameo in the film, in a scene in the last quarter of the movie (at 1:21:52) where his father is watching a young Josh play Vinnie (Laurence Fishburne) from a bench.

He holds several US national medals and a 2004 world champion title in the competitive sport of tai chi pushing hands.