Chess Rhapsodies

Here's a little something from the lighter side of chess: A chess fan from Rome, Italy has put together some nice compilations of the many chess scenes from movies and television history. They're all set (and well edited) to beautiful music. Chess is a popular plot point in fiction, so there's plenty of material to work with here, and the end results are very enjoyable to watch.

ChessBase has an article with more information and links to the videos. They're also trying to put together a database of all the movies, shows, and actors who appear throughout these productions, which you might be able to help out with.

Do you have any favorite instances of seeing chess portrayed on screen? From classics like The Seventh Seal, to surprisingly good portrayals of chess in recent television shows like The Sarah Connor Chronicles, I always give a lot of credit to any film or television writer who works chess into their project in a thoughtful way. Of course, it also helps if they set up the board correctly (white on right, prop people!).