I read this somewhere in the last ten years, I think as a result of someone mentioning it on TV Tropes. The story is set in at least two eras, one in modern times and one set in medieval or Renaissance Europe. The core premise of the book is that there is a chess set that, in some way, heavily influences the world, possibly being used to usher in an apocalypse. In the modern era, an adult woman is searching for the set for some reason, with many others in the world trying to track down the pieces. In the past, we're introduced to a Roman Catholic religious official (a Cardinal, I think?) who is clearly corrupt, being introduced in a scene where he's setting up the seduction of one or two young girls under the guise of giving them instruction. I don't remember exactly how he was tied into things, but I think he may have been in possession of some of the chess pieces, which was part of what led to his current political power. I am 95% certain that the chess set was indicated to actually have power rather than just being legendary.
I think that I was reading it as an ebook, but I also have a vivid memory of having consumed the story while driving down one of the roads in town, so unless I read it at a stop light (a bad habit I learned from my mother to squeeze in a bit of extra reading time), it may have been an audiobook.
