Photo Flash: Inside Rehearsal For RAVENS: SPASSKY VS. FISCHER at Hampstead Theatre

The world premiere of the gripping psychological thriller Ravens: Spassky vs. Fischer, written by Tom Morton-Smith (Oppenheimer) will open at Hampstead Theatre on Thursday 5 December. From one of Ireland's leading theatre directors Annabelle Comyn, this new play depicts one of the pivotal moments of the Cold War era, and one of the greatest sporting matches in history on stage for the first time - the 1972 'Match of the Century' between the two towering chess grandmasters from the USSR and USA, Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer.

'The Cold War is still a war. Soft power is still power. You're out here playing by the rules ... they're out here playing to the crowd'

Reykjavik, 1972. All eyes are on Iceland ahead of 'the Match of the Century': Boris Spassky vs. Bobby Fischer in the World Chess Championship. Never before in chess history has a tournament attracted such global media attention. And for the two contenders, Spassky the World Champion and the maverick superstar Fischer, the stakes have never been higher - not only the world title, but unprecedented prize money and stratospheric fame are all on the table.

But as the Cold War begins to heat up, each side of the Atlantic spots a major opportunity to demonstrate superiority over the other. So why hasn't America's knight in shining armour shown up? And why won't Russia's grandmaster listen to orders? As the two superpowers prepare their opening gambits in a proxy battle of ideologies, with sport as the weapon of choice, both sides find themselves undermined by their pawns, who seem oddly unwilling to cooperate...

The cast includes Ronan Raftery as Boris Spassky and Robert Emms as Bobby Fischer. They are joined by Gunnar Cauthery, Simon Chandler, Buffy Davis, Philip Desmeules, Solomon Israel, Beruce Khan, Emma Pallant, Gyuri Sarossy, Rebecca Scroggs and Gary Shelford.

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