Chess
The cold war has never been so hot
Book tickets from $101 Imperial Theatre From 10/15/2025 2:40
Tickets for Chess in New York
What's Chess about?
Chess, the musical written by members of ABBA, tells a love story set against the backdrop of the Cold War.
The story takes place during an international chess competition in Merano, Italy, in the 1980s. Two grandmasters, representing the Western and Soviet blocs, compete for the title of world chess champion. On one side is: Freddie Trumper, an arrogant, unstable, and media-savvy American; and on the other: Anatoly Sergievsky, a calm and thoughtful Soviet man trapped in a rigid political system.
Freddie Trumper's second-in-command, Florence Vassy, falls in love with the Russian player and persuades him to defect to the West. This extraordinary musical uses the highly competitive world of international chess as a metaphor for the tensions between East and West at that time.
Book nowWhy should you see Chess?
The musical Chess was created in London in 1986. Its music was written by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, two members of the famous group ABBA. Tim Rice wrote the lyrics (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, Aladdin, The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast).
Chess returns to the Imperial Theatre, where it first opened on Broadway in 1988. At its premiere, the show received Tony Award nominations in two categories, proving its artistic quality.
In this New York revival, Aaron Tveit (Next to Normal, Catch Me If You Can, Moulin Rouge!) will play Freddie Trumper, and Nicholas Christopher (Hamilton, Sweeney Todd, The Little Shop of Horrors) will play Anatoly Sergievsky. Lea Michele (Glee, Spring Awakening, Funny Girl) will play Florence Vassy.
Don't miss this iconic musical where power and passion collide. Chess is the must-see Broadway event of the season!
Book nowFrequently asked questions
Chess is playing at Imperial Theatre. The address is: 249 West 45th Street, New York.
Chess will begin its run on 10/15/2025.
Based on the information we have at the moment, Chess will run until 03/15/2026. There's always a possibility that the production will extend their run.
Chess is around 2:40 long, including the intermission.
Lots of musicals are family shows designed to appeal to children! However, please be aware that the venue have set a minimum age of 4 to see Chess.
Tickets for Chess start at $101 per ticket, depending on the performance date and seats chosen.
To get cheap tickets for Chess in New York, you can visit the TKTS New York last-minute box office for on the day tickets. However, as Chess is one of the most popular shows, it's very likely that TKTS may not have any seats available for this show.
If you want to see a specific show or if you have limited flexiblity in terms of dates, or want to secure a good seat, we recommend booking your tickets online ahead of time. By booking in advance, you'll end up with much better seats and see your favourite shows on a date that suits you.
Depending on the venue, you'll be offered several ways to get your tickets during payment:
- Collect my tickets at the venue. Please come to the box office counters at the venue 30 minutes before the performance begins with the booking confirmation email. You'll be asked to show ID or the bank card of the person who booked the tickets.
- Send me my tickets by email. Go directly to the entrance 20 minutes before the start of the performance with your PDF tickets (printed or displayed on mobile).
Every venue has been renovated recently with evey seaat giving you a good view of the stage. However, the further you are from the stage, the further you are from the magic. Our exclusive algorithm suggests the best available seats in each price bracket.
We accept most bank cards via our secure payment system (Visa, Mastercard, American Express).
Ticket prices are set by venues and productions. Even though the majority of musicals are suitable for children, there is no preferential child ticket.
Tickets cannot be exchanged or refunded unless in the event of force majeure (the performance is cancelled or interrupted). If this is the case, the venue or event organiser will contact you to begin the refund process.
An advertised actor can be replaced by another actor without any prior warning. Unfortunately, this is not a valid reason for requesting a refund.
Taking photos and videos is generally prohibited in venues.