About

This highly acclaimed musical develops the ancient and distinguished game of chess into a metaphor for romantic rivalries and East-West political intrigue.  The principal pawns form a love triangle – the loutish American Grandmaster, the earnest Russian champion and the Hungarian-American female chess second, who arrives at the international championships with the American but falls for the Russian.  From Tyrol to Thailand the players, lovers, politicians, CIA and KGB make their moves to the pulse of this monumental rock score.  Several numbers, including “One Night in Bangkok” and “I Know Him So Well” are international hits.

Synopsis

“CHESS” is allegory for romantic rivalries and the US/Soviet rivalry during the Cold War.  The main characters form a love triangle – the ill-mannered American Grandmaster, the intense Russian champion who plans on defecting to the West, and the Hungarian-American female chess second, who arrives at the international championships with the American but falls in love with the Russian.  From Bangkok to Budapest, the players, lovers, politicians and spies all struggle to get the upper-hand.

The story begins in the Italian city of Merano.  Anatoly, the Russian world chess champion, falls in love with his American opponent's second, Florence.  Anatoly defeats the American, Freddie, and defects to the West to be with Florence.  The second act takes place in Bangkok, where Anatoly defends his title against the next challenger, a Russian.  However, Molokov, Anatoly's second and probable KGB agent, is keen to get Anatoly back to his motherland.  Initially he thinks Anatoly's Russian wife might do the trick, so the KGB flies her to Bangkok.  When this fails, they concoct a story about Florence’s father wanting to leave communist Hungary for freedom in the West.  Appealing to his altruistic sensibility, they succeed in persuading Anatoly to return to Russia, in exchange for Florence’s father’s freedom.  Unfortunately in the end, the deception is revealed; the father had died some time ago, and the person released is a CIA spy.  Anatoly is a mere pawn in the ruthless Cold War.