Tal; Lasker; Steinitz; Alekine; Botvinnik; Smyslov;

Spassky; Euwe; Fischer; Petrosian; Anderson; 

Capablanca; Morphy; Karpov;

(In the concept album the names are listed in chronological order, here they are in the order in which they are sung)    



CHOIR

1866 Wilhelm Steinitz

1894 Emanuel Lasker



MOLOKOV

How straightforward the game 

When one has trust in one's player  (Choir 1921 Jose Capablanca)     

And how great the relief

Working for one who believes in

Loyalty, heritage, true to his kind come what may



CHOIR

1927 Alexander Alekine



THE AMARICAN

Though it gives me no joy   (The Russian 1935 Euwe)

Adding to your satisfaction   (Choir 1948 Mikhail Botvinnik)

You can safely assume

That your late unlamented employee

Knows if he wins then the only thing won is the chess



CHOIR

1957 Vasily Smyslov



MOLOKOV

It's the weak who accept   (Florence 1960 Tal)

Tawdry untruths about freedom   (Choir 1963 Tigran Petrosian)

Prostituting themselves

Chasing a spurious starlight

Trinkets in airports sufficient to lead them astray



CHOIR

1969 Boris Spassky 



FLORENCE

Does the player exist   (Choir 1972 Bobby Fischer)

In any human endeavour   (Choir 1975 Anatoly Karpov)

Who's been known to resist

Sirens of fame and possessions ?

They will destroy you, not rivals, not age, not success



THE RUSSIAN

They all think they see a man

Who doesn't know

Which move to make

Which way to go

Whose private life

Caused his decline

Wrecked his grand design



Some are vicious, some are fools

And others blind

To see in me one of there kind



Anyone can be

A husband, lover

Sooner them than me

When they discover

Their domestic bliss is

Shelter for their failing



Nothing could be worse 

Than self-denial

Having to rehearse

To endless trial

Of a partners rather sad 

Demands prevailing



SVETLANA

As you watch yourself caring

About a minor sporting triumph, sharing

Your win with esoterics,

Paranoids, hysterics,

Who don't pay any attention to 

What goes on around them

They leave the one they love the way they found them

A normal person must

Dismiss you with disgust 

And weep for those who trusted you



THE RUSSIAN

Nothing you have said

is revelation 

Take my blues as read

My consolation -



Finding out that I'm my one true obligation

(Crowd cheer)



SVETLANA AND THE CROWD

Listen to them shout 

They saw you do it 

In their minds no doubt

That you've been through it

Suffered for your art

But in the end a winner   



Who could not be stirred

Such dedication

We have never heard 

Such an ovation

Skill and guts a model 

For the young beginner



They're completely enchanted

But they don't take your qualities for granted

It isn't very often 

That the critics soften

Nonetheless you've won their hearts

How can we begin to

Appreciate the work that you've put into

Your calling through the years 

The blood, the sweat, the tears

The late, late nights, the early starts

There they go again!

Your deeds enflame them

Drive them wild, but then

Who wants to tame them

If they want a part of you

Who'd really blame them ?

(Crowd cheer louder still)



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 understood



SVETLANA

Liar!



THE RUSSIAN

Never!



BOTH

Nothing you have said

Is revelation

Take my blues as read 

My consolation -



SVETLANA

Finding out that I'm my only obligation



THE RUSSIAN

Is there no one in my life

Who will not claim

The right to steal 

My work, my name

My success, my fame

And my freedom