The unusual phenomenon behind the popularity of chess during the Cold War is at the centre of this opera, brought to audiences by young composer Kristaps Pētersons. The so-called Wizard of Riga – the multi-award winner and Grandmaster of chess, Mikhail Tal – plays a significant role in the opera. The opera’s musical dramaturgy is precisely based on the 1960 Moscow World Championship match, in which Tal won against the seemingly unbeatable Soviet Union chess master Mikhail Botvinnik. This legendary match will be replayed in a multimedia-lecture format, emphasizing both the ideological meaning of chess in the Soviet Union, and Tal’s intuition and improvisation-based tactics, which helped him defeat the rational and academic Botvinnik. The creative team for this project will consist of bright young Latvian artists who are accomplished both in Latvia and abroad.

Performed in Russian, surtitled in English, Latvian.

From 7 until 31 May 2021 audiences are offered a chance to view a recording of the opera “Mikhail and Mikhail Play Chess” ONLINE. When purchasing the ticket, you’ll receive an e-mail with a link to the recording and an access code. In the set time frame the recording will be available an unlimited number of times. Tickets are available at www.bilesuparadize.lv. 

Supported by

A cooproduction with