CHESS: The MusicalLocation

Song Characters

London

Merano Mayor, Citizens, The American

London

The Russian & Molokov / Where I Want to Be

Molokov, The Russian

London

The Opening Ceremony Arbiter, Chorus, Diplomats, Molokov, Merchandisers

London

Quartet (A Model of Decorum & Tranquility)

Molokov, Florence, Arbiter, The Russian

London

The American & Florence / Nobody's Side

The American, Florence, Choir

London

Chess None (Instrumental)

London

The Mountain Duet Florence, The Russian

London

Florence Quits The American, Florence

London

Embassy Lament Civil Servants

London

Anthem The Russian

London

Bangkok / One Night in Bangkok

The American, Chorus

London

Heaven Help My Heart Florence

London

Argument Florence, The Russian

London

I Know Him So Well Florence, Svetlana

London

The Deal (No Deal) The American, The Russian, Florence

London

Pity The Child The American

London

Endgame Molokov, The American, Florence, Svetlana, The Russian, Choir, Crowd

London

Epilogue: You & I /The Story of Chess

Florence, Svetlana, The Russian

Merano

CITIZENS OF MERANO:O light the heartThat lingers in MeranoMerano! The spa noConnoisseur of spas would missSo healthyHighly recommendedIs this sweet metropolisMental and physical bliss!

The gods have smiledAnd bless-ed is MeranoMerano! There are no

Fitter burghers to be foundSuch vigour!Take the time to taste usWe'll give you a welcome that's typically TirolFor then we are sure of our groundRight now we're Italian -- we used to be GermanThe border keeps shifting around

MAYOR:Speaking as one of the patriarchsI don't mind taking your lira or marks

CITIZENS:Oh I get high when I saunter by the mountains of MeranoRosy-cheeked MeranoFlourishing to a faultThe sparkling streams, the bracing airThe therapeutic saltI'd have to be carried away to call a halt!

Oh I feel great in this bouncing state o hail to the MeranoHearty hale MeranoAny objections? Nein!Where breathing in will turn you onWhere water tastes like wineGet out your get up and go and get in lineIt's living your life in a show by Rodgers and Hammerstein!

O sad the soulWho passes by MeranoMerano! so far noSoul has ever passed us byThey love usWhy not stay forever?Oh so many reasons whyAll those in favour say "Aye"Aye!

So sing a songLet's hear it for MeranoMerano! SopranoAlto, tenor, bass agreeWe're wholesomeWhat a happy havenThis is a place where your arteries softenCholesterol hasn't a chanceFrom mountain to valley the natural goodnessIs fighting pollution's advance

MAYOR:So come to us and feel the forceAll major credit cards taken of course

CITIZENS:Oh I get high when I saunter by the mountains of MeranoRosy-cheeked MeranoFlourishing to a faultThe sparkling streams, the bracing airThe therapeutic saltI'd have to be carried away to call a halt

Once in a while all the gods will smile on little old MeranoHumble shy MeranoSuddenly hits the pressAnd I report with all the prideAnd joy that I possessHalf of the world and his wife has our addressOur little town will be rife with games of chess!

CITIZENS: (after a good whistle)Get up your get up and go and get in lineIt's living your life in a show...

THE AMERICAN:What a scene! What a joy!What a lovely sightWhen my game is the big sensation!Has the mob's sporting tasteAltered overnight?Have they found new sophistication?

Not yet! They just want to seeIf the nice guy beats the bumIf it's East-WestAnd the money's sky-highThey all come

You can raise all you wantIf you raise the roofScream and shout and the gate increasesBreak the rules -- break the bankI'm the living proofThey don't care how I move my pieces

I know I'm the best there isBut all they want is a showWell that's all right -- I'll be glad to obligeAll right! I'll be glad to obligeAll right! I'll be glad to obligeS.R.O. S.R.O.

MAYOR & CITIZENS:Oh I get high when I saunter by the mountains of MeranoRosy-cheeked MeranoFlourishing to a faultThe sparkling streams, the bracing airThe therapeutic saltI'd have to be carried away to call a halt

Oh I feel great in this bouncing state o hail to the MeranoHearty hale MeranoAny objections? Nein!Where breathing in will turn you onWhere water tastes like wineGet out your get up and go and get in lineIt's living your life in a show by Rodgers and Hammerstein!

Now for the sellWe put the ice into paradise, we are the salt of the earthSound as a bell

Check out the watersAnd check out the hygieneAt which we excelCheck into an hotelAnd schnellBody and soulGet well!

The Russian and Molokov/Where I Want to Be

MOLOKOV:The man is utterly mad -- you're playing a lunatic --

THE RUSSIAN:That's the problem. He's a brilliant lunatic and you can't tellwhich way he'll jump -- like his game he's impossible to analyse -- youcan't dissect him, predict him -- which of course means he's not alunatic at all.

MOLOKOV:What we've just seen's a pathetic displayFrom a man who's beginning to crackHe's afraidHe knows he isn't the player he wasAnd he won't get it back

THE RUSSIAN:Nonsense!Why do my secondsAlways want to believeThird-rate propaganda --

MOLOKOV:My friend, please relaxWe're all on your sideYou know how you need us --

THE RUSSIAN:I don't need my army of so-called 'advisors'And helpers to tell meThe man who's revitalised chess single-handedIs more or less out of his brainWhen it's very clearHe's sane

MOLOKOV:Listen, we don't underestimate anyoneWe won't get caught in that trapAfter all, winning or losing reflects on us all --

THE RUSSIAN:Oh don't give me that crap!I win -- no one else doesAnd I take the rap if I lose

MOLOKOV:It's not quite that simpleThe whole world's tuned in

We're all on displayWe're not merely sportsmen --

THE RUSSIAN:Oh please don't start spouting that old party lineYes I know it's your job butJust get out and get me a chess-playing secondIn thirty-six hours we beginThat is if you want to win!

Who needs a dream?Who needs ambition?Who'd be the foolIn my position?Once I had dreamsNow they're obsessionsHopes became needsLovers possessions

Then they move inOh so discreetlySlowly at firstSmiling too sweetlyI opened doorsThey walked right through themCalled me their friendI hardly knew them

Now I'm where I want to be and who I want to be and doing what Ialways said I would and yet I feel I haven't won at allRunning for my life and never looking back in case there's someoneright behind to shoot me down and say he always knew I'd fall.

When the crazy wheel slows downWhere will I be? Back where I started.

Don't get me wrongI'm not complainingTimes have been goodFast, entertainingBut what's the pointIf I'm concealingNot only loveAll other feeling.

Now I'm where I want to be and who I want to be and doing what Ialways said I would and yet I feel I haven't won at allRunning for my life and never looking back in case there's someoneright behind to shoot me down and say he always knew I'd fall

When the crazy wheel slows downWhere will I be? Back where I started.

The Opening Ceremony

ARBITER:I've a duty as the refereeAt the start of the match

On behalf of all our sponsorsI must welcome youWhich I do -- there's a catch

I don't care if you're a championNo one messes with meI am ruthless in upholdingWhat I know is rightBlack or white -- as you'll see

I'm on the caseCan't be fooledAny objectionIs overruledYes I'm the Arbiter and I know best

CHORUS:He's impartial, don't push him, he's unimpressed

ARBITER:You got your tricksGood for youBut there's no gambit I don't see throughOh I'm the Arbiter I know the score

CHORUS:From square one he'll be watching all 64

ARBITER:If you're thinking of the kind of thingThat we've seen in the pastChanting gurus, walkie-talkies,Walkouts, hypnotists,Tempers, fists -- not so fast

This is not the start of World War ThreeNo political ploysI think both your constitutions are terrific soNow you know -- be good boys

I'm on the caseCan't be fooledAny objectionIs overruledYes I'm the Arbiter and I know best

CHORUS:He's impartial, don't push him, he's unimpressed

ARBITER:You got your tricksGood for youBut there's no gambit I don't see throughOh I'm the Arbiter I know the score

CHORUS:From square one he'll be watching all 64

ARBITER:Yes I'm the Arbiter I know the score

CHORUS:From square one he's watching all 64

DIPLOMATS:No one can deny that these are difficult times...

It's the U.S. versus U.S.S.R.Yet we more or less are --

No one can deny that these are difficult times...

-- to our credit putting all that asideWe have swallowed our pride

These are dangerous and difficult times...

It really doesn't matter who comes out on top, who gets the chopNo one's way of life is threatened by a flop --But we're gonna smash their bastardMake him wanna change his nameTake him to the cleaners and devastate himWipe him out, humiliate him

We don't want the whole world sayingThey can't even win a gameWe have never reckonedOn coming secondThere's no use in losing

It's the U.S. versus U.S.S.R.Yet we more or less are --

No one can deny that these are difficult times

-- to our credit putting all that asideWe have swallowed our pride

These are very difficult and dangerous times...

The value of events like this need not be stressedWhen East and WestCan meet as comrades, ease the tension over drinksThrough sporting linksAs long as their man sinks

MERCHANDISERS:Whether you are pro or antiOr could not care lessWe are here to tell youWe are here to sell you chessNot a chance of you escaping from our wilesWe've locked the doors, we've blocked the aislesWe've a franchise worth exploitingAnd we will -- yes we will!When it comes to merchandisingWe could kill

When you get up --When you get up in the morning

Till you crash at nightYou will have to live your lifeWith bishop, rook and knightClean your teeth with chequered toothpasteWear our vestsOur kings and queens on bouncing breastsYou could even buy a setAnd learn to playWe don't mind we'll sell you somethingAnyway

We've done all our market researchAnd our findings showThat this game of chess could be aroundA month or soMaybe it's a bit confusingFor a gameBut Rubik's Cubes were much the sameIn the end the whole world bought oneAll were goneBy which time we merchandisersHad moved on

By which time we had moved on!

ARBITER:I'm on the case, can't be fooledAny objection is overruledDon't try to tempt me -- you've no hopeI don't like women, I don't take dopeI'm the Arbiter I know the score

CHORUS:From square one he'll be watching all 64

ARBITER:You got your tricks -- good for youBut there is no gambit I don't see throughI'm the Arbiter and I know best

CHORUS:He's impartial don't push him he's unimpressed

ARBITER:I'm the Arbiter my word is law

CHORUS:From square one he'll be watching you...

EVERYONE (except the players and seconds):Don't you find it rather touching to beholdThe game that came in from the coldSeen for what it is -- religion plus finesseCountries, classes, creeds, as one inLove of chess

Quartet (A Model of Decorum and Tranquillity)

MOLOKOV:We wish, no must, make our disgust at this abuse perfectly clear.We're here for chess -- are the U.S.? If so, why foul theatmosphere?

FLORENCE:I must protest -- our delegation has a host of valid points to raise,Our player's sporting attitude's beyond all praise, as any neutral wouldattestBut we concede the fact his masters bend the rules is not a player's fault--We'll overlook their crude political assault and under protest will proceed

MOLOKOV:We wish, no must, make our disgust at this abuse perfectly clearWe're here for chess -- are the U.S.? How can you make such a claim?

MOLOKOV: ARBITER:If your man's so sweet Point 17Then why his fighting talk? No one-way screenIf he's not a cheat Will be allowedThen why on earth In the hallDid he go take a walk?

FLORENCE:Why let him loose? I am not surprisedHe'll soon reduce He wanted fresher airThis great event Once he realizedTo a brawl There was no hopeOf your lot playing fairIt's very sad How sadTo see the ancient and To seeDistinguished game What usedThat used to be To beBOTH:A model of decorum and tranquillityBecome like any other sportA battleground for rival ideologiesTo slug it out with glee

THE RUSSIAN: MOLOKOV:Through the elegant yelling We wish, no must, make our disgustOf this compelling dispute At this abuse perfectly clearComes the ghastly suspicion We're here for chess -- are the U.S.?My opposition's a fruit If so, why foul the atmosphere?

FLORENCE: ARBITER:I don't suppose Point 23You'd understand the strain The board will beand pressure getting where Made in Swedenhe's gotFor then you'd simply call him Non-aligned woodhighly strung and notImply that he was one of those

THE RUSSIAN: MOLOKOV:But how can you It seems to usWork for one who There's little point in waiting hereTreats you like dirt? all night for his return

Pay must be good And since a peaceful match is our sole concernWe won't make an official fussFLORENCE:I'm not getting rich In short we riseMy only interest Above your guy'sIs in something which Tantrums, dramas,Gives me the chance Dirty tricksOf working with the best.ARBITER:THE RUSSIAN: Point 31I can only say No game begunI hope your dream comes true By noon goes onTill that far-off day After sixI hope you copeWith helping number two.

THE RUSSIAN & FLORENCE:How sadTo see

ARBITER & MOLOKOV:It's very sad to seeThe ancient and distinguished game that used to be

ALL:A model of decorum and tranquillityBecome like any other sportA battleground for rival ideologiesTo slug it out with glee

The American and Florence/Nobody's Side

FLORENCE:You want to lose your only friend?Well, keep it up, you're doing fineWhy this humiliation?Why treat me like a fool?I've taken shit for seven yearsAnd I won't take it anymore

THE AMERICAN:

I'm only teasing SovietsWith gentle bonhomieAnd you've a better reason to be anti-them than me.

FLORENCE:

There's a time and there's a place.

THE AMERICAN:

Is this the girl who always saidShe wants to know the truth?

FLORENCE:

There's a time and there's a place...

CHORUS (repeating):

1956 -- Budapest is rising1956 -- Budapest is fighting1956 -- Budapest is falling1956 -- Budapest is dying

THE AMERICAN:

I'd have thought you'd supportAny attack on these peopleOn the people who ranMindlessly over your childhoodDon't let them fool you forThirty years on they're the same

They see chess as a warPlaying with pawns just like PolandIf you walk out on meThey will have won their first battleWouldn't your fatherHave begged you to stay in the game?

FLORENCE:

He would -- but he didn't know youHe'd loathe your behaviour and so do I --Why'd you have to do this to me?

What's going on around meIs barely making senseI need some explanations fastI see my present partnerIn the imperfect tenseAnd I don't see how we can lastI feel I need a change of castMaybe I'm on nobody's side

And when he gives me reasonsTo justify each moveThey're getting harder to believeI know this can't continueI've still a lot to proveThere must be more I could achieveBut I don't have the nerve to leave

Everybody's playing the gameBut nobody's rules are the sameNobody's on nobody's sideBetter learn to go it aloneRecognize you're out on your ownNobody's on nobody's side

The one I should not think ofKeeps rolling through my mindAnd I don't want to let that goNo lovers ever faithfulNo contract truly signed

There's nothing certain left to knowAnd how the cracks begin to show!

Never make a promise or planTake a little love where you canNobody's on nobody's sideNever stay too long in your bedNever lose your heart, use your headNobody's on nobody's side

Never take a stranger's adviceNever let a friend fool you twiceNobody's on nobody's sideEverybody's playing the gameBut nobody's rules are the sameNobody's on nobody's side

Never leave a moment too soonNever waste a hot afternoonNobody's on nobody's sideNever stay a minute too longDon't forget the best will go wrongNobody's on nobody's side

Never be the first to believeNever be the last to deceiveNobody's on nobody's sideNever make a promise or plan...

Mountain Duet

FLORENCE:This is the one situation I wanted most to avoidNothing I say will convince him this isn't a trick.

THE RUSSIAN:A drink on a clear moonlit night -- I relax, she smilesThere's something peculiar going on.

FLORENCE:So with immaculate timing, I'm left to carry the canEmbarrassed, outnumbered, marooned --

THE RUSSIAN:Now she can't be working for them -- I mean us --She seems so very straightforward -- but where is he?

FLORENCE:He has to come back -- he wanted this meeting, well didn't he?

THE RUSSIAN:Maybe he's scared -- just as scared as he was in the game.

FLORENCE:Oh, I just couldn't care lessHe can go right ahead, go and wreck his career, I know I've donemy best

THE RUSSIAN:Well at least she's a good-looking spy.

FLORENCE:What if my Russian friend thinks that my plansAre more of an intimate kind?If I don't say something else soonHe'll go -- Nobody's on nobody's side!

THE RUSSIAN:Listen, I hate to break up the moodGet to the point, begin the beguineHaven't you noticed we're a protagonist shortIn this idyllic, well-produced scene?

FLORENCE:All I can say is moments agoHe was right here ready and waiting

THE RUSSIAN:Never mind him -- I haven't missed him so far.

BOTH:Maybe it won't do any harmTo struggle on without his charmFunny how all at once I feel that he can go jump off the mountainI won't care

FLORENCE:This is the one situation I wanted most to avoid

THE RUSSIAN:My dear opponent -- I really can't imagine why

FLORENCE:So I am not dangerous then? -- what a shame!

THE RUSSIAN:Oh, you're not dangerous -- who could think that of you?

BOTH:You -- you are so strange -- why can't you be what you ought to be?You should be scheming, intriguing, too clever by half --

THE RUSSIAN:I have to had it to youFor you've managed to make me forget why I ever agreed to thisfarce.

BOTH:I don't know why I can't think of anythingI would rather doThan be wasting my timeOn mountains with you.

Florence Quits

THE AMERICAN:

So you got what you wantWhat a nasty ambition!Set me up, pull me downThen exploit my conditionI should have guessed, womanThat if pressed, womanYou're on nobody's side but your ownAnd you're behavingLike a mere womanIt's so clear, woman --It's your sex!Once they start getting old and getting worriedThey let fly, take it outOn the one who supports them --That's you I'm talking about

THE AMERICAN & FLORENCE:Who'd ever think it?Such a squalid little endingWatching you descendingJust as far as you can goI'm learning things I didn't want to knowWho'd ever guess it?This would be the situation --One more observation --How'd we ever get this farBefore you showed me what you really are?

FLORENCE:You'll be lost without meTo abuse like you're used to

THE AMERICAN:Go away! Just get out! Be someone else's parasite!

I'm not the kind to be vindictiveHolding some childish grudgeHow could I be? I'm in the spotlightHalf of the world my judge

All I demand is those I work forThose I give all my skillsAll my time and painThose that I entertainGive me the same compassion in returnBut the fools never learn!

Embassy Lament

CIVIL SERVANTS:Oh my dear how boringHe's defectingJust like all the othersHe's expectingUs to be impressed with what he's done hereBut heHasn't stopped to think about the paperworkHis gesture causes

We've an embassy to run hereIf these people can't strikeBlows for freedomWith a valid visaWe don't need 'emIf we seem offhand then please rememberThis is nothing very specialHe's the fourth we've had since last NovemberWho do these foreign chappies think they are?And when he's safely in the WestHe'll be the hero to discussThe media will lionise himFame and fortune plusNo-one will recall it'sThanks to us

Have you an appointmentWith the consul?If you don't we know what hisResponse'llBe, he will not see you, with respect itBuggers up his very taxing schedulePushing peace and understandingLet us hope this won't affect itFar too many jokersCross the borderNot a single documentIn orderRussia must be emptyThough we're all forBasic human rights it makes you wonderWhat they built the Berlin wall forWho do these foreign chappies think they are?And when you've filled in all the formsAnd been passed clear of all diseaseDebriefed debugged dedrugged disarmedAnd disinfected pleaseDon't forget the guysWho cut your keys

Anthem

THE RUSSIAN:No man, no madnessThough their sad power may prevailCan possess, conquer, my country's heartThey rise to failShe is eternalLong before nations' lines were drawnWhen no flags flew, when no armies stoodMy land was born

And you ask me why I love herThrough wars, death and despairShe is the constant We who don't careAnd you wonder will I leave her -- but how?I cross over borders but I'm still there now

How can I leave her?Where would I start?Let man's petty nations tear themselves apartMy land's only borders lie around my heart

One Night in Bangkok

THE AMERICAN:Bangkok, Oriental settingAnd the city don't know that the city is gettingThe creme de la creme of the chess world in aShow with everything but Yul Brynner

Time flies -- doesn't seem a minuteSince the Tirolean spa had the chess boys in itAll change -- don't you know that when youPlay at this level there's no ordinary venue

It's Iceland -- or the Philippines -- or Hastings -- or -- or this place!

COMPANY:One night in Bangkok and the world's your oysterThe bars are temples but the pearls ain't freeYou'll find a god in every golden cloisterAnd if you're lucky then the god's a sheI can feel an angel sliding up to me

THE AMERICAN:One town's very like anotherWhen your head's down over your pieces, brother

COMPANY:It's a drag, it's a bore, it's really such a pityTo be looking at the board, not looking at the city

THE AMERICAN:Whaddya mean? Ya seen one crowded, polluted, stinking town --

COMPANY:Tea, girls, warm, sweetSome are set up in the Somerset Maugham suite

THE AMERICAN:Get Thai'd! You're talking to a touristWhose every move's among the purestI get my kicks above the waistline, sunshine

COMPANY:One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humbleNot much between despair and ecstasyOne night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumbleCan't be too careful with your companyI can feel the devil walking next to me

THE AMERICAN:Siam's gonna be the witnessTo the ultimate test of cerebral fitness

This grips me more than would aMuddy old river or reclining Buddha

And thank God I'm only watching the game -- controlling it

I don't see you guys ratingThe kind of mate I'm contemplatingI'd let you watch, I would invite youBut the queens we use would not excite you

So you better go back to your bars, your temples, your massage parlours

COMPANY:One night in Bangkok and the world's your oysterThe bars are temples but the pearls ain't freeYou'll find a god in every golden cloisterA little flesh, a little historyI can feel an angel sliding up to me

One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humbleNot much between despair and ecstasyOne night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumbleCan't be too careful with your companyI can feel the devil walking next to me

Heaven Help My Heart

FLORENCE:If it were love I would give that love every second I hadAnd I doDid I know where he'd lead me to?Did I planDoing all of this for the love of a man?Well I let it happen anyhowAnd what I'm feeling nowHas no easy explanationReason plays no partHeaven help my heartI love him too muchWhat if he saw my whole existenceTurning around a word, a smile, a touch?

One of these days, and it won't be long, he'll know more about meThan he shouldAll my dreams will be understoodNo surpriseNothing more to learn from the look in my eyesDon't you know that time is not my friendI'll fight it to the endHoping to keep that best of momentsWhen the passions startHeaven help my heartThe day that I findSuddenly I've fun out of secretsSuddenly I'm not always on his mind

Maybe it's best to love a stranger

Well that's what I've done -- heaven help my heartHeaven help my heart

Argument

FLORENCE:I would have thought in the average affairThat the first hint of trouble would beOh so small; barely perceptible, easy to missWhy is ours on TV?

THE RUSSIAN:Listen -- you know as I doNothing's altered at allI have no intention --

FLORENCE:Your personal life's The lead on the news!How do we ignore that?

THE RUSSIAN:I do and I must because otherwise I sayGoodbye to my hopes of retaining my titleIf I should succumb to emotional blackmail I'm done --

FLORENCE:Looking after number one!

THE RUSSIAN:What do you mean?

FLORENCE:I mean it's always I this and I thatWhat happened to us?

THE RUSSIAN:All that I'm saying is I must make certainThat nothing distracts me from chessWhen I've wonThen I'll attend to the secondary things --

FLORENCE:Things like me I suppose!

THE RUSSIAN:No, no -- you're reactingExactly the way that they want

FLORENCE:It's the way I have to If I feel concerned I can't put it offAnd come back to it later

THE RUSSIAN:Well if you're determined to jump when they tell youThen maybe it's best that you do it alone

Watch TV, read the papers, have the miserable time of your lifeYou could even call my wife!

I Know Him So Well

FLORENCE:Nothing is so good it lasts eternallyPerfect situations must go wrongBut this has never yet prevented meWanting far too much for far too long.Looking back I could have played it differentlyWon a few more moments who can tellBut it took time to understand the manNow at least I know I know him well

FLORENCE: SVETLANA:Wasn't it good? Oh so goodWasn't he fine? Oh so fineIsn't it madnessHe can't be mine? He can't be mine?

But in the end he needsA little bit more than me --More security He needs his fantasy and freedomI know him so well.

SVETLANA:No one in your life is with you constantlyNo one is completely on your sideAnd though I move my world to be with himStill the gap between us is too wide.

FLORENCE: SVETLANA:Looking back I could Looking back I couldHave played things Have played itSome other way Differently

Learned about the manBefore I fellI was just a littleCareless maybeBut I wasEver so muchNow at least Younger thenI know him well Now at least

BOTH:I know I know him well

SVETLANA: FLORENCE:Wasn't it good? Oh so goodWasn't he fine? Oh so fineIsn't it madness

BOTH:He won't be mine?Didn't I know

How it would go?If I knew from the startWhy am I falling apart?

FLORENCE: SVETLANA:Wasn't it good?Wasn't he fine?Isn't it madnessHe won't be mine? He won't be mine?But in the end he needs aLittle bit more than me --More security He needs his Fantasy and Freedom

I know him so well It took time to understand him

BOTH:I know him so well

The Deal (No Deal)

THE AMERICAN:Communist, democratAn intriguing collusionFair exchange -- tit for tatComradeship in profusionAnd the appeal, partnerOf this deal, partnerIs we all stand to winYou and me, the lady alsoDon't break her heart partnerJust be smart partnerLet her think that her pastIs as pure as snow in Moscow

Thank god we're so civilisedAnd our word can be our bondWe can turn this into friendship for lifeAnd beyond --

THE RUSSIAN:Refugee, total shitIs how I've always seen usNot a help you'll admitTo agreement between usThere's no deal, partnerWho's your real partner?Could there be just a chanceThat you've got some heavy clients?

THE AMERICAN (& voice of MOLOKOV):That's not true, partnerHow could you, partnerThink I'd want to pursueAny deal but our alliance?

How can you only thinkOf your selfish ambition?And not of her position?

Or you'd rather perhapsSee her world collapse?For a tinpot competition!

THE RUSSIAN:There's no deal!

THE AMERICAN:Silly boy, woman whoHe should not have let walk outThere's no hitch that we twoCan't untangle or talk outAnd the appeal, partnerOf this deal, partnerIs we both stand to winWe'll bring back the golden eraStick with me, honeyLeave him be, honeyIn return I know who'llTell you all they know in Moscow

FLORENCE:Are you sick? Are you mad?You still don't understand why I loathe you, why I left you?

FLORENCE & THE RUSSIAN:Who'd ever think it?Such a squalid little endingWatch him descendingJust as far as he can goI'm learning things I didn't want to know

Who'd ever guess it?This would be the situationOne more complicationShould be neither here nor thereI wish I had it in me not to care

Let him spill out his hateTill he knows he's desertedThere's no point wasting timePreaching to the perverted

Pity the Child

THE AMERICAN:When I was nine I learned survivalTaught myself not to careI was my single good companionTaking my comfort thereUp in my room I planned my conquestsOn my own -- never asked for a helping handNo one would understandI never asked the pair who fought belowJust in case they said no

Pity the child who has ambitionKnows what he wants to do

Knows that he'll never fit the systemOthers expect him toPity the child who knew his parentsSaw their faults Saw their love die before his eyesPity the child that wiseHe never asked "Did I cause your distress?"Just in case they said yes

When I was twelve my father moved outLeft with a whimper -- not with a shoutI didn't miss him -- he made it perfectly clearI was a fool and probably queerFool that I was I thought this would bringThose he had left closer togetherShe made her move the moment he crawled awayI was the last the woman toldShe never let her bed get coldSomeone moved in -- I shut my doorSomeone to treat her just the same way as before

I took the road of least resistanceI had my game to playI had the skill, and more -- the hungerEasy to get awayPity the child with no such weaponsNo defense, no escape from the ties that bindAlways a step behindI never called to tell her all I'd doneI was only her son!

Pity the child but not foreverNot if he stays that wayHe can get all he ever wantedIf he's prepared to payPity instead the careless motherWhat she missedWhat she lost when she let me goAnd I wonder does she knowI wouldn't call -- a crazy thing to doJust in case she said who?

Endgame

CHOIR:Morphy, Anderson, Steinitz, Lasker,Capablanca, Alekhine, Euwe, Botvinnik,Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian, Spassky, Fischer, Karpov

MOLOKOV:How straightforward the gameWhen one has trust in one's playerAnd how great the reliefWorking for one who believes inLoyalty, heritage, true to his kind come what may

THE AMERICAN:Though it gives me no joy

Adding to your satisfactionYou can safely assumeYour late unlamented employeeKnows if he wins then the only thing won is the chess

MOLOKOV:It's the weak who acceptTawdry untruths about freedomProstituting themselvesChasing a spurious starlightTrinkets in airports sufficient to lead them astray

FLORENCE:Does the player existIn any human endeavourWho's been know to resistSirens of fame and possessions?They will destroy you, not rivals, not age, not success

THE RUSSIAN:They all think they see a manWho doesn't knowWhich move to makeWhich way to goWhose private lifeCaused his declineWrecked his grand designSome are vicious, some are foolsAnd others blindTo see in meOne of their kind

Anyone can beA husband, loverSooner them than meWhen they discoverTheir domestic bliss isShelter for their failing

Nothing could be worseThan self-denialHaving to rehearseThe endless trialOf a partner's rather sadDemands prevailing

SVETLANA:As you watch yourself caringAbout a minor sporting triumph, sharingYour win with esoterics,Paranoids, hystericsWho don't pay any attention toWhat goes on around themThey leave the ones they love the way they found themA normal person mustDismiss you with disgustAnd weep for those who trusted you

THE RUSSIAN:Nothing you have said

Is revelationTake my blues as readMy consolation --

Finding out at last my one true obligation

SVETLANA & CROWD:Listen to them shout!They saw you do itIn their minds no doubtThat you've been through itSuffered for your art butIn the end a winner

Who could not be stirred?Such dedicationWe have never heardSuch an ovationSkill and guts a modelFor the young beginner

They're completely enchantedBut they don't take your qualities for grantedIt isn't very oftenThat the critics softenNonetheless you've won their heartsHow can we begin toAppreciate the work that you've put intoYour calling through the yearsThe blood, the sweat and tears, theLate late nights, the early starts

There they go again!Your deeds inflame themDrive them wild, but thenWho wants to tame them?If they want a part of youWho'd really blame them?

THE RUSSIAN:And so you're letting me know --

SVETLANA:For you're the only one who's never suffered anything at all

THE RUSSIAN:How you've hated my success --

SVETLANA:Well I won't crawl --And you can slink back to your pawns and to your tarts

THE RUSSIAN:And every poisoned word shows that you never understoodNever!

SVETLANA:Liar!

BOTH:

Nothing you have saidIs revelationTake my blues as readMy consolation --

SVETLANA:Finding out that I'm my only obligation

THE RUSSIAN:

Is there no-one in my lifeWho does not claimThe right to stealMy work, my nameMy success, my fameAnd my freedom?

Epilogue: You And I/The Story of Chess

THE RUSSIAN:Knowing I want youKnowing I love youI can't explain why I remainCareless about you

FLORENCE:I've been a fool to allowDreams to become great expectations

THE RUSSIAN:How can I love you so much yet make no move?

BOTH:I pray the days and nightsIn their endless weary processionSoon overwhelm my sad obsession

You and IWe've seen it allChasing our hearts' desireBut we go on pretendingStories like oursHave happy endings

THE RUSSIAN:You could not give meMore than you gave meWhy should there be something in meStill discontented?

FLORENCE:I won't look back anymoreAnd if I do -- just for a moment

THE RUSSIAN:I'll soon be happy to say I knew her when

BOTH:

But if you hear todayI'm no longer quite so devotedTo this affair, I've been misquoted

You and IWe've seen it allChasing our hearts' desireBut we go on pretendingStories like oursHave happy endings

CHOIR:Each game of chess means there's one lessVariation left to be playedEach day got through means one or twoLess mistakes remain to be made

Not much is knownOf early days of chess beyond a fairly vague reportThat fifteen hundred years ago two princes fought,Though brothers, for a Hindu throne

Their mother criedFor no one really likes their offspring fighting to the deathShe begged them stop the slaughter with her every breathBut sure enough one brother died

Sad beyond beliefShe told her winning sonYou have caused such griefI can't forgive This evil thing you've done

He tried to explainHow things had really beenBut he tried in vainNo words of his Could mollify the queen

And so he asked The wisest men he knewThe way to lessen her distressThey told him he'd be pretty certain to impressBy using model soldiers on A chequered board to show it was his brother's faultThey thus invented chess

Chess displayed no inertiaSoon spread to PersiaThen westNext the Arabs refined itThus redesigned, itProgressed

Still further yetAnd when Constantinople fell in 1453One would have noticed every other refugeeIncluded in his bags a set

Once in the hands

And in the minds of leading figures of the RenaissanceThe spirit and the speed of chess made swift advanceThrough all of Europe's vital lands

Where we must recordThe game was further changedRight across the boardThe western touchUpon the pieces ranged

King and queen and rookAnd bishop, knight and pawnAll took on the lookWe know todayThe modern game was born

And in the endWe see a game that started by mistake in HindustanAnd boosted in the main by what is now IranBecome the simplest and most complicatedPleasure yet devisedFor just the kind of mindWho would appreciate this well-researched and fascinating yarn

FLORENCE:This is an all too familiar scene

THE RUSSIAN:Hopeless reflections on what might have been

BOTH:From all sides the incessant and burning question:

FLORENCE:"Bearing in mind your predicament now --

THE RUSSIAN:-- what you did then --

BOTH:-- we're just dying to know would you do it all again?"

CHOIR:Each day we get through means one less mistake there for the making

BOTH:But they know full wellIt's not hard to tellThough my heart is breakingI'd give the world for that moment with youWhen we thought we knewThat our love would lastBut the moment passedWith no warning, far too fast

You and IWe've seen it allChasing our hearts' desireBut we go on pretending

Stories like oursHave happy endings