Song information On this page you can find the lyrics of the song The Story of Chess, artist - Chess In Concert. Date of issue: 11.06.2009
Song language: English
The Story of Chess |
| 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 |
| Not much is known |
| Of early days of chess |
| Beyond a fairly vague report-- |
| That fifteen hundred years ago |
| Two princes fought |
| Though brothers |
| For a Hindu throne |
| Their mother cried |
| For no one really likes |
| Their offspring fighting |
| To the death |
| She begged them stop |
| The slaughter |
| With her every breath |
| But sure enough |
| One brother died |
| Sad beyond belief |
| She told her winning son |
| «You have caused such grief |
| I can’t forgive |
| This evil thing you’ve done.» |
| He |
| Tried to explain |
| How things had really been |
| But |
| He tried in vain |
| No words of his |
| Could mollify the queen |
| And so he asked |
| The wisest men he knew |
| The way to lessen her distress |
| 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-- |
| They thus invented chess |
| Chess displayed no inertia |
| Soon spread to Persia |
| Then west |
| Next the Arabs refined it |
| Thus redesigned, it |
| Progressed |
| Still further yet |
| And when Constantinople |
| Fell in 1453 |
| One would have noticed |
| Every other refugee |
| Included in his bags a set |
| Once in the hands |
| And in the minds |
| Of leading figures |
| Of the Renaissance-- |
| The spirit and the speed |
| Of chess made swift advance |
| Through all of Europe’s vital lands |
| There we must record |
| The game was further changed-- |
| Right across the board |
| The western touch |
| Upon the pieces ranged |
| Each game of chess |
| Means there’s one less |
| Variation left to be played |
| King, and queen, and rook |
| And bishop, knight, and pawn |
| All took on the look |
| We know today-- |
| The modern game was born |
| 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 appreciate this |
| Well-researched, and fascinating |
| Yarn |
| 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 against 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! |