Le grand échiquier (1972)

Le Grand Échiquier is a French variety television show created and presented by Jacques Chancel. It is broadcast at 8:30 p.m. on the first ORTF channel from January 12, 1972 to July 12, 1972, then the second ORTF color channel from September 1972 to December 1974, finally on Antenne 2 from January 1975 to December 21. 1989. Le Grand Échiquier succeeded Grand Amphi created on April 17, 19714 by Jacques Chancel and discontinued on January 2, 1972. The first issue of Le Grand Échiquier was broadcast on January 12, 1972 at 8:30 p.m. on the first ORTF channel from the studio 12 of the Buttes-Chaumont and had as guest Yves Montand, star of four films that year including César and Rosalie by Claude Sautet and State of Siege by Costa-Gavras5. The show, which originally was not to exceed thirteen issues, finally lasted eighteen years, for a grand finale on Thursday, December 21, 1989, with bass baritone Ruggero Raimondi as guest. Le Grand Échiquier mixes culture and entertainment. The program, which highlights the performing arts, politics or science, consists of an orchestra, recitals, variety shows, debates and humor. The show took place live and in public from studio 12, then studio 15 of the Buttes-Chaumont and occupied the whole evening over a period of about three hours, the show devoted to the Comédie-Française having lasted five hours thirty. It was organized around a prestigious guest and alternated performances by the main guest, interviews with this same guest led by Jacques Chancel, appearances by close artists, small outdoor reports, informal, even intimate discussions, and offered duplexes with New York or Barcelona. Le Grand Échiquier wanted to open up to others and bring "great music" out of the circle of music lovers and initiates. To this end, a symphony orchestra of 140 musicians was present in each program to accompany the artists. At the end of 1988, Jacques Chancel thought of stopping the show but the management of Antenne 2 advised him to continue. The last issue finally takes place on December 21, 1989. The show's credits are made up of scrolling chess pieces, to music taken from Carmina Burana. At the start of the 2018 school year, the management of France 2 announced that Anne-Sophie Lapix had been chosen to host other episodes of the show Le Grand Échiquier, while Stéphane Bern and Laurent Delahousse had applied to present the program.