The Tournament is about a spectacular event that takes place in Constantinople in the year of 1546. The empire of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent is on the rise. The Sultan invites every King in the world to compete in a competition never seen before. He is on the lookout for the finest players of chess in order to pit them against each other, in what is known as the Tournament.

Meanwhile, 13-year old Bess, daughter of Henry VIII and the future Queen Elizabeth I of England, is offered the opportunity to assist her guardian, Roger Ascham, her friend, Elsie and English champion, Giles, to Constantinople. While in Constantinople, a gruesome killer is on the run, who after killing the victim, rips off his skin leaving the jawbone exposed. on the opening night of the grand ceremony, Bess, to her shock, finds the dead body of Cardinal Farnese, a catholic spokesman, in a courtyard with a disfigured jaw. Six more murders follow and Roger Ascham is asked by the Sultan to investigate the crime. Ascham wants to protect the future Queen from this political mess, only to find himself and Bess in the most terrible of circumstances.