Richard Johnson leads the cast in this 1960s spy film. Johnson was director Terence Young's first choice to play James Bond when casting "Dr. No (1962)." Johnson also appeared in the 60s spy flicks, this film's sequel "Some Girls Do (1969)" and "Danger Route (1967)."
Actress Sylva Koscina had previously been considered for the role of Tatiana Romanova in the James Bond film "From Russia with Love (1963)."
Petersen's oversized chess set is loosely based on the 12th century Lewis Chessmen found in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland, in 1831. The original pieces are on display at the British Museum and the National Museum of Scotland. The original pieces are on display at the British Museum and the National Museum of Scotland. The pieces from the film remained in the grounds of Pinewood Studios and were reused and re-painted many times until they disappeared in the late 1990s. Look for them in UFO episode Timelash (1970), Going For a Take (1972), Sleuth (1974), Man with the Golden Gun (1974) and The Sweeney episode Queen's Pawn (1975). Some of the pieces seen in The Sweeney were found in the grounds of a country house in Mid Wales in the 2018 and are currently (2020) being restored (by Stephen Mckay II).