''The Master Game'' is a
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
production of televised
chess tournament
A chess tournament is a series of chess games played competitively to determine a winning individual or team. Since the first international chess tournament in London 1851 chess tournament, London, 1851, chess tournaments have become the standard ...
s that ran for eight series on
BBC2
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matter, incorporating genres such as comedy, drama and ...
from 1976 to 1983.
Presented by
Jeremy James with expert analysis from
Leonard Barden
Leonard William Barden (born 20 August 1929, in South Croydon, London) is an English chess master, writer, broadcaster, journalist, organizer and promoter. The son of a dustman, he was educated at Whitgift School, South Croydon, and Balliol ...
and, later,
Bill Hartston, ''The Master Game'' was noted for its innovative style, in which a display board with animated
figurines
A figurine
A figurine (a diminutive form of the word ''figure'') or statuette is a small, three-dimensional sculpture that represents a human, deity or animal, or, in practice, a pair or small group of them. Figurines have been made in many med ...
and
move notation, shown centre-left of screen, was accompanied by footage of the players cogitating, their thoughts during the game heard in voice-over.
As a theme tune, the later series of this programme used the Disco '78 version of
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone ( , ; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, Orchestration, orchestrator, conductor, trumpeter, and pianist who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 film score, scores for cinema and televisi ...
's "Come Maddalena".
History and technique
''The Master Game''s producer, Robert Toner, recalled previous work for the coverage of the
Fischer-Spassky 1972 World Championship match: "Marsland Gander, then TV critic of the ''
Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a British daily broadsheet conservative newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed in the United Kingdom and internationally. It was foun ...
'', wrote, 'The manner in which the games are presented, with experts standing in front of magnetic boards, moving pieces by hand, shows that television has made no technical progress with chess for the past twenty years'. He was right – from that time I began to wrestle with the problem."
The result was the creation of a special invitational
knock-out tournament
A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses:
# One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...
. The games were played away from the television studio, the audio recordings of the players' thoughts being made immediately afterwards. The players would later be filmed in a studio reconstruction of the game, made to match the audio recordings.
Added to this intensive, unorthodox production method were the ground-breaking animated board and pieces created by designer John Bone and the technicians at BBC Bristol. This effect was achieved using a glass chess table on which the moves were made by a cloaked and gloved player. The piece symbols seen on-screen were actually on the underside of the pieces themselves, which were filmed from beneath in reflection, to correct for the left/right reversal that resulted. In addition to this, the expert commentator could use an electronic pointer, illuminating the squares to graphically indicate the ideas being discussed. The effect that combining all of these elements produced had never been previously achieved and is remarkably similar to a high quality, digitally produced, modern multimedia chess presentation, yet was created using only puppetry techniques,
fairy lights
Christmas lights (also known as fairy lights, festive lights or string lights) are lights often used for decoration in celebration of Christmas, often on display throughout the Christmas season including Advent and Christmastide. The custom g ...
, mirrors and much editing.
Series details
The series were variously directed by Geoff Walmsley, Sandra Wainwright and Jill Dawson.
''Knock-out format, domestic field:''
* Series One (1975-76)
First Prize: £250
Participants:
George Botterill,
Bill Hartston (winner),
Jonathan Mestel
Andrew Jonathan Mestel (born 13 March 1957 in Cambridge, England) is a British mathematician and chess grandmaster. He holds the position of Professor of Applied Mathematics at Imperial College London. He worked on magnetohydrodynamics and biol ...
,
Tony Miles
Anthony John Miles (23 April 1955 – 12 November 2001) was an English chess player and the first Englishman to earn the International Grandmaster, Grandmaster title.
Early and personal life
Miles was born on 23 April 1955 in Edgbaston, a sub ...
,
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn (born 25 April 1955) is an English chess grandmaster, a three-time world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician. He is one of England's strongest chess players and was form ...
,
Jonathan Speelman
Jonathan Simon Speelman (born 2 October 1956) is an English chess grandmaster and author.
Early life and education
Jonathan Simon Speelman was born on 2 October 1956 in Marylebone, London. He was educated at St Paul's School, London, and Worcest ...
(runner-up),
Michael Stean
Michael Francis Stean (born 4 September 1953) is an English chess grandmaster, an author of chess books and a tax accountant.
Early life and junior career
Stean was born on 4 September 1953 in London. He learned to play chess before the age o ...
, Howard Williams.
* Series Two (1976-77)
Participants:
George Botterill, Peter Clarke,
Jana Hartston,
Bill Hartston (winner),
Julian Hodgson
Julian Michael "Jules" Hodgson (born 25 July 1963 in London) is a British chess player, grandmaster, and former British chess champion.
Biography
He first came to the notice of the chess world for his achievements as a junior, whilst at H ...
,
Tony Miles
Anthony John Miles (23 April 1955 – 12 November 2001) was an English chess player and the first Englishman to earn the International Grandmaster, Grandmaster title.
Early and personal life
Miles was born on 23 April 1955 in Edgbaston, a sub ...
,
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn (born 25 April 1955) is an English chess grandmaster, a three-time world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician. He is one of England's strongest chess players and was form ...
(runner-up),
Nigel Short
Nigel David Short (born 1 June 1965) is an English Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, columnist, coach and commentator who has been the FIDE Director for Chess Development since September 2022. Short earned the title of grandmaster at the ...
.
''International field adopted:''
* Series Three (1977-78)
First Prize: £1250
Participants:
Jan Hein Donner
Johannes Hendrikus (Hein) Donner (July 6, 1927 – November 27, 1988) was a Dutch chess grandmaster and writer. He was born in The Hague. His father Jan Donner was a prominent Dutch politician and judge. Donner won the Dutch Championship in 195 ...
,
Bill Hartston,
Werner Hug
Werner Hug (born 10 September 1952 in Feldmeilen) is a Swiss chess player. Hug was World Junior Chess Champion in 1971 and was Switzerland's leading player of the early 1970's. After Victor Korchnoi settled down in Switzerland, Hug remained n ...
,
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (, ; born May 23, 1951) is a Russian and former Soviet Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, former World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, and politician. He was the 12th World Chess Champion from 1975 ...
(winner),
Bent Larsen
Jørgen Bent Larsen (4 March 1935 – 9 September 2010) was a Danish chess Grandmaster (chess), grandmaster and author. Known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play, he was the second-strongest non-Soviet Union, Soviet player, behind ...
,
Tony Miles
Anthony John Miles (23 April 1955 – 12 November 2001) was an English chess player and the first Englishman to earn the International Grandmaster, Grandmaster title.
Early and personal life
Miles was born on 23 April 1955 in Edgbaston, a sub ...
(runner-up)
Helmut Pfleger
Helmut Pfleger (born August 6, 1943) is a German chess grandmaster and author. He was one of the most promising chess players in the 1960s and 1970s. From 1977 until 2005, Pfleger hosted a series of chess programs on German public TV, including ' ...
,
Lothar Schmid.
* Series Four (1978-79)
Participants:
Walter Browne
Walter Shawn Browne (10 January 1949 – 24 June 2015) was an Australian-born American chess and poker player. Awarded the title Grandmaster (GM) by FIDE in 1970, he won the U.S. Chess Championship six times.
Early years
Browne was born to ...
,
Jan Hein Donner
Johannes Hendrikus (Hein) Donner (July 6, 1927 – November 27, 1988) was a Dutch chess grandmaster and writer. He was born in The Hague. His father Jan Donner was a prominent Dutch politician and judge. Donner won the Dutch Championship in 195 ...
,
Gyozo Forintos,
Vlastimil Hort
Vlastimil Hort (12 January 1944 – 12 May 2025) was a Czech and German chess grandmaster. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the world's strongest players and reached the World Chess Championship 1978, 1977–78 Candidates Tournament for ...
(runner-up),
Bent Larsen
Jørgen Bent Larsen (4 March 1935 – 9 September 2010) was a Danish chess Grandmaster (chess), grandmaster and author. Known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play, he was the second-strongest non-Soviet Union, Soviet player, behind ...
(winner),
Tony Miles
Anthony John Miles (23 April 1955 – 12 November 2001) was an English chess player and the first Englishman to earn the International Grandmaster, Grandmaster title.
Early and personal life
Miles was born on 23 April 1955 in Edgbaston, a sub ...
,
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn (born 25 April 1955) is an English chess grandmaster, a three-time world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician. He is one of England's strongest chess players and was form ...
,
Alberic O'Kelly.
''Twin group format adopted:''
* Series Five (1979–80)
First Prize: £2500
Participants: A)
Walter Browne
Walter Shawn Browne (10 January 1949 – 24 June 2015) was an Australian-born American chess and poker player. Awarded the title Grandmaster (GM) by FIDE in 1970, he won the U.S. Chess Championship six times.
Early years
Browne was born to ...
(runner-up),
Vlastimil Hort
Vlastimil Hort (12 January 1944 – 12 May 2025) was a Czech and German chess grandmaster. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the world's strongest players and reached the World Chess Championship 1978, 1977–78 Candidates Tournament for ...
,
John Nunn
John Denis Martin Nunn (born 25 April 1955) is an English chess grandmaster, a three-time world champion in chess problem solving, a chess writer and publisher, and a mathematician. He is one of England's strongest chess players and was form ...
,
Helmut Pfleger
Helmut Pfleger (born August 6, 1943) is a German chess grandmaster and author. He was one of the most promising chess players in the 1960s and 1970s. From 1977 until 2005, Pfleger hosted a series of chess programs on German public TV, including ' ...
; B)
Robert Byrne,
Lothar Schmid (winner),
Michael Stean
Michael Francis Stean (born 4 September 1953) is an English chess grandmaster, an author of chess books and a tax accountant.
Early life and junior career
Stean was born on 4 September 1953 in London. He learned to play chess before the age o ...
,
Viktor Korchnoi
Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi (, ; 23 March 1931 – 6 June 2016) was a Soviet (before 1976) and Swiss (after 1980) chess grandmaster (GM) and chess writer. He is considered one of the strongest players never to have become World Chess Champion.
Bor ...
.
* Series Six (1980-81)
First Prize: £2500
Participants: A)
Robert Byrne,
Svetozar Gligorić
Svetozar Gligorić ( sr-Cyrl, Светозар Глигорић; 2 February 1923 – 14 August 2012) was a Serbian and Yugoslav chess grandmaster and musician. He won the championship of Yugoslavia a record 11 times, and is considered the best ...
,
Vlastimil Hort
Vlastimil Hort (12 January 1944 – 12 May 2025) was a Czech and German chess grandmaster. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the world's strongest players and reached the World Chess Championship 1978, 1977–78 Candidates Tournament for ...
,
Nigel Short
Nigel David Short (born 1 June 1965) is an English Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, columnist, coach and commentator who has been the FIDE Director for Chess Development since September 2022. Short earned the title of grandmaster at the ...
(winner); B)
Jan Hein Donner
Johannes Hendrikus (Hein) Donner (July 6, 1927 – November 27, 1988) was a Dutch chess grandmaster and writer. He was born in The Hague. His father Jan Donner was a prominent Dutch politician and judge. Donner won the Dutch Championship in 195 ...
,
Bent Larsen
Jørgen Bent Larsen (4 March 1935 – 9 September 2010) was a Danish chess Grandmaster (chess), grandmaster and author. Known for his imaginative and unorthodox style of play, he was the second-strongest non-Soviet Union, Soviet player, behind ...
,
Tony Miles
Anthony John Miles (23 April 1955 – 12 November 2001) was an English chess player and the first Englishman to earn the International Grandmaster, Grandmaster title.
Early and personal life
Miles was born on 23 April 1955 in Edgbaston, a sub ...
(runner-up),
Lothar Schmid.
* Series Seven (1981-82)
First Prize: £2500; Second Prize: £2000
Participants: A)
Andras Adorjan (runner-up),
Larry Christiansen
Larry Mark Christiansen (born June 27, 1956) is an American chess player of Danish ancestry. He was awarded the title Grandmaster by FIDE in 1977. Christiansen was the U.S. champion in 1980, 1983, and 2002. He competed in the FIDE World Champ ...
,
Hans-Joachim Hecht,
Nigel Short
Nigel David Short (born 1 June 1965) is an English Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, columnist, coach and commentator who has been the FIDE Director for Chess Development since September 2022. Short earned the title of grandmaster at the ...
; B)
Walter Browne
Walter Shawn Browne (10 January 1949 – 24 June 2015) was an Australian-born American chess and poker player. Awarded the title Grandmaster (GM) by FIDE in 1970, he won the U.S. Chess Championship six times.
Early years
Browne was born to ...
,
Raymond Keene
Raymond Dennis Keene (born 29 January 1948) is an English chess grandmaster, a FIDE International Arbiter, a chess organiser, and a journalist and author. He won the British Chess Championship in 1971 and was the first player from England t ...
,
Eric Lobron
Eric Lobron (born 7 May 1960) is a German chess grandmaster. A former two-time national champion, he has been awarded the title Grandmaster by the World Chess Federation (FIDE).
Biography
Born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United ...
(winner),
Miguel Quinteros
Miguel Ángel Quinteros (born December 28, 1947, in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine chess player who received the FIDE title of Grandmaster (GM) in 1973.
Chess career
He won the Argentine Chess Championship in 1966 at the age of 18, the younges ...
.
* Series Eight (1983) - "The 'missing link", never broadcast due to industrial action. The programmes, taped in English in Bath, was later dubbed into German and shown by NDR.
Participants: A)
Anatoly Karpov
Anatoly Yevgenyevich Karpov (, ; born May 23, 1951) is a Russian and former Soviet Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster, former World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion, and politician. He was the 12th World Chess Champion from 1975 ...
(runner-up), Walter Browne,
Murray Chandler
Murray Graham Chandler (born 4 April 1960, Wellington, New Zealand) is a New Zealand chess Grandmaster (chess), grandmaster. In the 1980s, he gained British citizenship and represented England at six Chess Olympiads. He has since returned to Ne ...
,
Ian Rogers; B)
Tony Miles
Anthony John Miles (23 April 1955 – 12 November 2001) was an English chess player and the first Englishman to earn the International Grandmaster, Grandmaster title.
Early and personal life
Miles was born on 23 April 1955 in Edgbaston, a sub ...
(winner),
Vlastimil Hort
Vlastimil Hort (12 January 1944 – 12 May 2025) was a Czech and German chess grandmaster. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the world's strongest players and reached the World Chess Championship 1978, 1977–78 Candidates Tournament for ...
,
Guillermo Garcia Gonzales
Guillermo () is the Spanish form of the male given name William. The name is also commonly shortened to 'Guille' or, in Latin America, to nickname 'Memo'.
People
* Guillermo Amador (born 1974), American musician
*Guillermo Amor (born 1967), Spanis ...
,
Stefan Kindermann.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Master Game, The
British sports television series
Television shows about chess
Chess in the United Kingdom
1975 in chess
1983 in chess
1975 British television series debuts
1983 British television series endings
BBC Two original programming