The Game of Chess: A Play in One Act

A taut, metaphorical one-act written on the eve of the Great War, The Game of Chess stages a confrontation between two figures where every move across the board carries existential weight. Power, identity, and the shadow of mortality hang on calculated decisions. Goodman transforms a simple game into a crucible where class hierarchies and political anxieties of pre-WWI Europe simmer beneath the surface of each calculated maneuver. The dialogue crackles with tension as players become pawns in forces larger than themselves, wrestling with questions of control, fate, and whether anyone truly masters their own destiny. This forgotten gem captures a world teetering between order and chaos, its brevity belying its philosophical ambition. For readers drawn to theatrical minimalism and allegorical drama, it offers a compact, bracing meditation on power's fragile architecture.