If you're old enough, you probably remember a song by Murray Head, "One Night In Bangkok." What most people don't know is that song is from a musical. Chess was first produced in London in 1986, and then moved to New York in 1988.
Chess was written by Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, both from ABBA, with lyrics by Tim Rice. Some of the music is good, though I don't know why "One Night In Bangkok" became so well known.
It is coming back to Broadway, though I'm not sure why. Maybe Broadway, like Hollywood, has run out of ideas. Cult Musical 'Chess' Returns To Broadway After 37 Years
The characters are loosely inspired by real chess legends, such as GM Bobby Fischer, while the Russian player has elements of both GMs Viktor Korchnoi and Anatoly Karpov.
[Lea] Michele, who returns to Broadway after an acclaimed performance in Funny Girl, is set to star as Florence Vassey, the Hungarian-born arbiter who becomes tragically caught in the dramatic love triangle with the grandmasters.
This is "I Know Him So Well" from the musical CHESS featuring vocals by Elaine Paige, and Barbara Dickson.
If you are of the certain age, you remember Murray Head and "One Night In Bangkok." I'm still at a loss when it comes to explaining why this song made the impact that it did.
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Play at this level there's no ordinary venueIt's Iceland or the Philippines or Hastings or
or this place!
Of course the best song about chess is "I've Seen All Good People" by Yes from The Yes Album (1971). ("Don't surround yourself with yourself.")
If you want to see a story about people that revolves around chess, I recommend 1994's Fresh. It doesn't star Samuel L. Jackson, but he is a major character, and he gives a pretty good performance. It is a bit violent, as it focuses on a kid caught up in the drug trade, and his efforts to survive in that world.
If you want a more suburban movie, Searching for Bobby Fischer. It is a good movie, but just a bit saccharin.
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