Tony nominee Ramin Karimloo (Les Misrables, Anastasia) and Samantha Barks (Pretty Woman, Les Misrables) co-star in the Benny Andersson-Bjrn Ulvaeus musical Chess at the Umeda Arts Theater Main Hall in Osaka, Japan (January 2528) and at the Tokyo International Forum Hall C in Tokyo (February 19).

Karimloo plays Anatoly with Barks (soon to star in Frozen in London) as Florence, Luke Walsh (Rock of Ages) as Freddie, Takanori Sato as the Arbiter, Eliana as Svetlana, and Hideya Masuhara as Molokov. In the video above Karimloo, Barks, Walsh, and the rest of the company rehearse for the limited run; watch portions of The Story of Chess, Nobody's Side, Pity the Child, and Anthem.

The ensemble includes Megumi Iino, Hiroaki Ito, Takashi Otsuka, Kana Okamoto, Naoki Shibahara, Tatsunori Senna, Kota Someya, Tomohiko Nakai, Nanaka, Ai Ninomiya, Ami Norimatsu, Maaya Harada, Kan Muto, Daisuke Moriyama, Sayaka Watabiki, and Kiyoka Wada.

Nick Winston directs and choreographs.

Chess tells a story of love and political intrigue, set against the background of the Cold War in the late 1970s-early 1980s, in which superpowers attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political ends.

In an earlier statement director Winston said,I am delighted to be returning to Japan to direct and choreograph Chess, the epic rock opera about love, set against the backdrop of the Cold War. I cannot wait for audiences to experience this new production, with an exceptional cast and orchestra delivering this iconic score. The innovative creative team and I will bring a fresh dynamic to this beloved political thriller to produce an electrifying night in the theatre.

Karimloo added,Chess is one of the greatest scores ever written and has some of the most iconic songs that are still relevant today. I am thrilled to be coming back to Japan in this production of Chess to play Anatoly.

The 1984 musical features music by ABBA songwriters Andersson and Ulvaeus and lyrics by Tim Rice. The original 1986 London production ran for nearly three years in the West End. Despite a brief, two-month Broadway run in 1988, Chess has amassed a legion of fans who are drawn to its operatic rock score that features such songs as I Know Him So Well, Nobodys Side, Someone Elses Story, Pity the Child, and the stand-out single, One Night in Bangkok.

Michael Mayer directs the semi-staged concert presentation of the operatic pop-rock musical that features a revised book by Danny Strong.

(Updated January 25, 2020)

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Ramin Karimloo and Samantha Barks Star in Chess, Beginning January 25 in Japan - Playbill.com

Currently the chief adjudicator at the Women's World Chess Championship held in Russia and China, Shohreh Bayat says she fears arrest after a photograph of her was taken during the event and was then circulated online in Iran.

"They are very sensitive about the hijab when we are representing Iran in international events and even sometimes they send a person with the team to control our hijab," Bayat told CNN Sport in a phone interview Tuesday.

Bayat said she had been wearing a headscarf at the tournament but that certain camera angles had made it look like she was not.

"If I come back to Iran, I think there are a few possibilities. It is highly possible that they arrest me [...] or it is possible that they invalidate my passport," added Bayat.

"I think they want to make an example of me."

'A very hard situation'

The photographs were taken at the first stage of the chess championship in Shanghai, China, but Bayat has since flown to Vladivostok, Russia, for the second leg between Ju Wenjun and Aleksandra Goryachkina.

She was left "panicked and shocked" when she became aware of the reaction in Iran after checking her phone in the hotel room.

The 32-year-old said she felt helpless as websites reportedly condemned her for what some described as protesting the country's compulsory law.

Subsequently, Bayat has decided to no longer wear the headscarf.

"I'm not wearing it anymore because what is the point? I was just tolerating it, I don't believe in the hijab," she added.

"People must be free to choose to wear what they want, and I was only wearing the hijab because I live in Iran and I had to wear it. I had no other choice."

Bayat says she sought help from the country's chess federation. She says the federation told her to post an apology on her social media channels.

She agreed under the condition that the federation would guarantee her safety but she said they refused.

"My husband is in Iran, my parents are in Iran, all my family members are in Iran. I don't have anyone else outside of Iran. I don't know what to say, this is a very hard situation," she said.

CNN contacted the Iranian Chess Federation on Tuesday but has yet to receive a response.

FIDE, the international federation for chess, has provided support to Bayat saying it leaves "total freedom to the individual" when it comes to religious symbols or clothing.

However, due to the law being enforced by the Iranian government, FIDE said the situation escapes its influence.

"In FIDE we respect all cultures, but above everything, we respect the individual's freedom of choice," FIDE said in a statement sent to CNN.

"And it is solely a decision of Ms. Bayat: wearing or not the headscarf is ultimately her choice, which we will duly respect as it is in no way contradicts FIDE statutes.

"She is a great professional, one of our best international arbiters and the first woman arbiter in Asia to reach the highest category in her field.

"We regret that she finds herself in this situation, and she will have our support whatever she does."

Original post:
Iranian chess referee Shohreh Bayat remains scared to return home to her family over headscarf controversy - CNN International

The SLU chess team finished 2019 with a string of high finishes in recent tournaments. They now look forward to the Presidents Cup, or Final Four, the collegiate national championship of chess in early April.

After taking the Midwest Collegiate Chess and Blitz Championships in October, the team travelled to China in November and took third place at the World Prestigious University Chess Invitational, placing ahead of prestigious universities such as Harvard and Oxford. The team also defeated its host, Nankai University.

SLU chess team coach and grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez, the first grandmaster from Central America, stated that this was the teams first time competing internationally as a team, although most of the teams members have competed extensively as individuals in the past.

Then, SLU finished again in third place at the competitive Pan-American Intercollegiate Chess Tournament, which determines which teams compete in the Presidents Cup in New York. The Pan-American Tournament is different from most collegiate chess tournaments in its structure.

Ramirez explained, Its a very unforgiving tournament, simply because its a very short event. Tournaments of this strength are usually nine rounds long, which gives a little more wiggle room for mistakes In this case we had it really rough. We got defeated by Texas Tech, which is one of the best universities in the country, and the fact that we got matched in the last round with number one by rating, which is Webster University.

SLU went on to defeat Webster, which has won five of the last seven national championships, in the last round of the Pan-American Tournament. SLU Chess Team grandmaster Alex Ipatov, currently ranked 142nd amongst active players in the world by the International Chess Federation, defeated Aleksander Lenderman, ranked 131st, of Webster, which Ramirez said was the highlight of the tournament. Ipatov commented, [Beating Webster] felt very good. They are our arch-rivals and the highest ranked collegiate team in the nation. We are second.

In 2018, SLU placed fourth at the Presidents Cup. Fellow St. Louisian Webster University also qualified, whose team has won the Presidents Cup five times in the last seven years. SLU will again face off against Webster and Texas Tech, as well as the University of Texas at Dallas in New York this April. In contrast to other tournaments, the Presidents Cup features only classical chess, in which matches can last for hours as opposed to minutes in blitz or other formats. In addition, teams aggregate scores are as important to winning the tournament as victory in individual matches.

Founded in 2015, the team has expanded from five to thirteen members, which allows them to field multiple sets of players within a single tournament. The SLU Chess Team features six male and two female grandmasters. Ramirez commented that the team has also grown closer and developed more chemistry in a relative short period of time since its founding.

Another factor conducive to the teams success and in attracting new talent is St. Louiss chess environment. Ramirez said, Theres no other city that has the current chess ambiance in the U.S. or maybe in the world. I think for chess players its kind of a mecca. Theres always top level chess, lectures, opportunities we have the resources to be one of the best.

Continued here:
SLU Chess Looks Ahead to Final Four - The University News

Woman afraid to return home after images showing her without hijab draw negative comments

VLADIVOSTOK, Russia: An Iranian chess referee who has been accused of violating her countrys Islamic dress code while adjudicating a womens tournament says she does not want to return home from Russia out of fear for her safety.

Shohreh Bayat, 32, told Reuters she would not travel back to Iran unless she was given security guarantees in writing from the countrys chess federation.

I really hope they will provide me something to ensure I will be safe if I come back to Iran, said Bayat, who is in Vladivostok as chief referee at the Womens World Chess Championship.

But if that doesnt happen, Im just examining my options and considering anything.

The Iran Chess Federation could not immediately be reached for comment.

Bayat got into trouble during the first stage of the championship in Shanghai last week when Iranian state media criticised her for photographs in which she appeared not to be wearing a hijab.

Ever since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, all women have been required to wear the headscarf in public and sportswomen are also required to wear it abroad. Women who break the dress code can be publicly berated, fined or arrested.

Bayat says she does not agree with the hijab, but that she had been wearing a headscarf during the championships first matches, although it had been loose and was not visible from some angles in photographs of her.

Apparently it was not enough for the Iranians, she said.

Bayat also said that the Iran Chess Federation had asked her to write an apology and to post it online, something she said she had refused to do because she did not want to support the hijab publicly.

I just did not want to do that, she said.

Bayat then stopped wearing a headscarf altogether while presiding over subsequent matches.

I noticed that they have already condemned me, she said. I decided not to wear hijab because it wont change anything.

Nigel Short, the International Chess Federation vice-president, spoke out in support of Bayat on Twitter, calling her a great ambassador for her country.

Bayat is one of many Iranian sportspeople to come to blows with the authorities over the hijab and other policies.

Earlier this month, Iranian chess grandmaster Mitra Hejaziour was expelled from the national team for not wearing the hijab at the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Moscow.

Bayats decision came days after Irans only female Olympic medalist, Taekwondo champion Kimia Alizadeh, announced she had left her homeland because she had had enough of being used by its authorities as a propaganda tool.

In December, Irans Chess Federation said top rated chess champion Alireza Firouzja had decided not to play for Iran because of an informal ban on competing against Israeli players.

Read more:
Iranian chess ref in trouble over attire - Bangkok Post

An Iranian chess referee who has been accused of violating her country's Islamic dress code while adjudicating a women's tournament said that she does not want to return home from Russia out of fear for her safety.

Shohreh Bayat, 32, told Reuters she would not travel back to her homeland unless she was given security guarantees in writing from Iran's chess federation.

"I really hope they will provide me something to ensure I will be safe if I come back to Iran," said Bayat, who is in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok as chief referee at the Women's World Chess Championship.

"But if that doesn't happen, I'm just examining my options and considering anything."

The Iran Chess Federation could not immediately be reached for comment.

Bayat got into trouble during the first stage of the championship in Shanghai last week when Iran state media criticised her for photographs in which she appeared not to be wearing the headscarf.

Since Iran's Islamic Revolution, all women are required to wear the headscarf, known as the hijab, in public and sportswomen are also required to wear it abroad. Women who break the dress code can be publicly berated, fined or arrested.

Bayat says she does not agree with the hijab, but that she had been wearing a headscarf during the championship's first matches, although it had been loose and was not visible from some angles in photographs of her.

"Apparently it was not enough for the Iranians," she said.

Bayat also said that the Iran Chess Federation had asked her to write an apology and to post it online, something she said she had refused to do because she did not want to support the hijab publicly.

"I just did not want to do that," she said.

Bayat then stopped wearing a headscarf altogether while presiding over subsequent matches.

"I noticed that they have already condemned me," she said. "I decided not to wear hijab because it won't change anything."

Nigel Short, the International Chess Federation's (FIDE) vice president, spoke out in support of Bayat on Twitter, calling her "a great ambassador for her country".

Bayat is one of many Iranian sportspeople to come to blows with the authorities over the hijab and other policies.

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Earlier this month, Iranian chess grandmaster Mitra Hejaziour was expelled from the national team for not wearing the hijab at the World Rapid and Blitz Championship in Moscow.

Bayat's decision came days after Iran's only female Olympic medalist, Taekwondo champion Kimia Alizadeh, announced she had left her homeland because she had had enough of being used by its authorities as a propaganda tool.

In December, Iran's Chess Federation said top rated chess champion Alireza Firouzja had decided not to play for Iran because of an informal ban on competing against Israeli players.

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Iranian chess referee afraid to return home after being accused of violating dress code - Haaretz