# Museum Catalog Note
La Muerte Juega al Ajedrez (Death Plays Chess) by Joseph Berna is a mystery-thriller centered on inheritance and wills. Five young relatives—Dick Moore, Barry Linder, Edward Banks, Vera Gabor, and Joyce Pickens—are summoned by their elderly, ailing uncle Conrad Winters to his country house near London. Ostensibly gathered regarding his will, they learn Conrad intends to distribute his fortune of approximately one million, five hundred thousand pounds equally among them—three hundred thousand pounds each—but with a peculiar condition: each heir must defeat Conrad in a game of chess to claim their inheritance. Conrad, an accomplished but not masterful player, presents this as his final stipulation. When the heirs initially react with shock and skepticism, Barry Linder assumes the condition is a joke. The narrative establishes tension through sibling rivalry and competitive dynamics as the inheritance scheme unfolds.
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About this artifact
- Date
- 1979
- Rights
- Public domain — free to view, share, and reuse.
- Restoration
- Digitally restored and hosted by ComicBooks.com.
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