Cuban world chess champion José Raúl Capablanca is the inspiration for this stylish drama set in 1925, part sports pride, part tragic love story.
The man who created a revolution in the game of science, goes to Moscow to test his strength and falls in love with a Bolshoi ballerina. The brilliant chess player José Raúl Capablanca (1888-1942), is an icon to many Cubans: inspiring generations to learn the game, while Fidel Castro himself promoted it as a tool in educational development. The Cuban world chess champion 1921-1927 is the subject of this film, charismatically played by César Évora. Directed by Manuel Herrera, the drama is set in 1925, a decisive moment in Capablanca’s life, when he arrives in Moscow, to participate in an international tournament but falls in love with a Bolshoi ballerina. Despite embellishing the truth, the Cuban-Soviet production was a big hit in both countries: part sports pride, part tragic love story.
Although the film is made in full colour, the stylish use of black and white elements reflects the chess board. The film was lost to Cuba since the 1990s until 2024, when a complete print was discovered in the Moscow film archives making possible a beautiful restoration by Russian and Cuban specialists.
