How Music, Career, And Life Of Madonna Embrace Chess

Madonna, the Queen of Pop, is widely known for her versatility in music production, songwriting, and visual presentation. But how many are aware of her interest in chess? Madonna has a reputation for being an avid chess player, chess is routinely played in the family home, and she has used chess in her music videos to symbolize concepts in her songs.

Chess In Madonna’s Music Video “The Power of Good-Bye”

In the “The Power of Good-Bye” music video, Madonna uses chess as a metaphor to depict a doomed romantic relationship. She plays a very seductive game of chess with Croatian-American actor Goran Visnjic to symbolize the emotional maneuvering and strategic power struggles that the couple has endured. In the video which Madonna has described as a “love story gone wrong,” the game ends abruptly when Madonna destroys the pieces to represent that the relationship is over. Below is the video:

Madonna’s Inspiration for Using Chess As A Metaphor

In planning the “The Power of Good-Bye” video, Madonna was inspired by the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair that has a seven-minute chess scene featuring actors Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. The scene is well-known for its lack of dialogue. Instead, intense eye contact, body language, and strategic moves convey the characters' mutual attraction and power struggles as they battle wits silently and intensely rather than just play a game of chess.

Chess In “Ray Of Light” Music Video

In a second music video, chess is less important and makes only a cameo appearance. Images of a chess game constitute just two seconds of the “Ray of Light” video (at the 1:25 mark) that shows scenes from several cities around the world as Madonna sings the electronic dance music song in front of them. Images of a chess game flash by as she sings, “Faster than the speeding light, she's flying.” The rapid images reinforce the fast tempo of the music—the song has 126 beats per minute—and the chess game is just one of many quick cuts to convey how fast-paced daily life is. Below is the video:

Although chess is part of the video, stalwart chess players will be disappointed not because the screen time is so limited but because the chessboard is oriented improperly (white squares are in the wrong corners). As a result, the kings and queens are misplaced. (Would an avid chess player even permit an incorrect setup?)

How Accurate Are Reports About Madonna’s Chess Playing?

Madonna is definitely a chess player. She is reported on social media to have played thousands of games on the Internet Chess Club, and even a Chess.com article repeats these reports that Madonna has played more than 19,000 games online. However, confirming these anecdotes is difficult because Madonna and her publicity channels are silent on how many games and where she has played.

Embellishing the mystic of Madonna’s chess playing is The Guardian (U.K.), which reported that Madonna has played at the Bel Air Chess Club where actors such as Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, and Julia Roberts have played.

Multiple online reports also claim that Madonna has been tutored in chess by FM Alan Norris, the 2000 winner of the Scottish Chess Championship. However, those claims are denied by Norris. In an interview with The Herald (Scotland), he said that he had tutored Guy Ritchie, Madonna’s husband from 2000 to 2008. About this tutoring, however, Norris clarified at the time: “Yes, I've been teaching Guy Ritchie but not Madonna,” although stories still persist online about her being tutored.

Chess And Madonna’s Family

Chess is a routine part of Madonna’s family life. Madonna often shares photos of her family on Instagram. According to Harper’s Bazaar magazine, she has posted images of her children engaged in a game of chess.

In an interview in Ladies’ Home Journal, Madonna talked about parenting and home activities. In the interview, she said that her son Rocco enjoyed playing chess. Although the interview indicates that her ex-husband Guy Ritchie was more involved than Madonna in teaching chess to their children, we may expect that Madonna also has played chess with them.

Chess And Madonna

Some musicians, such as Bob Dylan, are well-known for being avid chess players, particularly as chess is featured in their songs or music videos. However, for Madonna, even though she lives her life in the public eye, her chess playing is less visible. How avid a chess player she has been will likely continue to be the fodder of social media. For most chess players, we can be content in knowing that chess has been a routine part of her life and chess has contributed to her music videos by symbolizing concepts in her songs.