Chess

Custom Made Theatre
533 Sutter St San Francisco

Who knew a game would serve as the perfect metaphor for romantic rivalries, cunning gamesmanship and political tensions? And no, it's not Candy Land. The world's ancient game of strategy makes its move at San Francisco's Custom Made Theatre with the stirring rock musical Chess. Featuring music by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (Mamma Mia) and lyrics by Tim Rice (Evita), this musical drama involves a love triangle between two top chess players -- an American and a Russian -- and the woman who manages one and falls in love with the other. Loosely based on the lives of chess grandmasters Anatoly Karpov and Bobby Fischer, the rock opera plays out against the Cold War struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union, with each wanting to win international tournaments for purposes of propaganda.