Tim Rice - The Story of Chess lyrics

[The Arbiter] Each game of chess Means there's one less Variation left to be played Each day got through Means one or two Less mistakes remain to be made [Soloists 1 & 2] Not much is known Of early days of chess Beyond a fairly vague report-- [Soloist 3] That fifteen hundred years ago Two princes fought Tough brothers For a Hindu throne [Soloist 4] The mother cried For no one really likes Their offspring fighting To the d**h She begged to stop The slaughter With her every breath [Soloist 5] But sure enough One brother died [Soloists 4 & 6] Sad beyond belief She told her winning son [Soloist 6] "You have caused such grief I can't forgive This evil thing you've done." [Soloist 3 & 7] He tried to explain How things had really been [Soloist 7] But he tried in vain No words of his Could mollify the queen [Soloist 8] And so he asked The wisest men he knew The way to lessen her distress [The Arbiter] They told him he'd be Pretty certain to impress By using model soldiers On a checkered board To show it was his brother's fault-- [All] They thus invented chess [Male Soloists] Chess displayed no inertia Soon spread to Persia Then west [Female Soloists] Next the Arabs refined it Thus redesigned, it Progressed [Soloist 9] Still further yet And when Constantinople Fell in 1453 One would have noticed Every other refugee Included in his bags a set [Soloist 10] Once in the hands And in the minds Of leading figures Of the Renaissance-- [Soloist 2] The spirit and the speed Of chess made swift advance Through all of Europe's vital lands [Female Soloists] Where we must record The game was further changed-- Right across the board The western touch Upon the pieces ranged [Male Soloists, simultaneous with Female Soloists above] Each game of chess Means there's one less Variation left to be played [All soloists] King, and queen, and rook And bishop, knight, and pawn All took on the look We know today-- The modern game was born [The Arbiter] And in the end We see a game That started by mistake In Hindustan-- And boosted in the main By what is now Iran-- Become the simplest And most complicated Pleasure yet devised For just the kind of mind Who would appriciate this Well-researched, and fascinating Yarn [The Arbiter, spoken] The World Chess Federation, of which I have the honour of being president, announces that the next world championship will take place here in Merano, Italy The current world champion Frederick Trumper of the United States of America will defend his title again Anatoly Sergievsky of the Soviet Union The first player to achieve six victories will be declared Champion. The first game will begin on March 27, 1979 Welcome, world, to Merano!