Entertainers and Chess

by Bill Wall

In 1886, the French actress

Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923),
the first international stage star,
played chess against the chess
automaton Ajeeb. She loved
chess and lived at the Hotel
Chelsea from 1886 to 1900.
Ajeeb was located at the Eden
Musee, a block away from her
hotel. She also played Ajeeb in
1900 and perhaps many times
between 1886 and 1900 (losing Bill Wall
every time). When asked how
she spent her time on long sea
voyages, she said she played
chess. (source: "Sarah
Bernhardt" by Jules Huret, p.
132, The King is a strong piece. Use
patrickgrenier.net/blog.html, it! -Fine
Chess Life, Jun 1992, p. 12, and
British Chess Magazine, 1979,
p. 302)

In 1912, "A Game of Chess"

silent film was released. The
action takes place around a
chess game being played by two
very old men. One of the old
fellows is the father of a
delightful daughter, and she is in
love with the handsome son of
the other old man. However, at a
close point in the game the
fathers quarrel bitterly and sever
their friendly relations. The
young folks appearing then,
each take the part of their father
and the engagement is broken
off. The young man wheels his
father away in his invalid chair
while the girl remains by her
father as weeps. Both old men
fall asleep. The young couple
have a change of heart. They
place the chair in its former
position and rearrange the
chessmen in about the same
positions they occupied before
the quarrel. The old men wake
up and go on playing chess, each
believing that the previous
events had been nothing but a
dream. (source: Moving Picture
World, Aug 10, 1912, p. 552)

On January 14, 1915, a two reel

film called "Pawns of Fate" was
released. Frank Marston (played
by Frank Lloyd) and his
daughter Helen (played by
Helen Leslie) start a game of
chess while waiting for her
fiancée to come to take her to
a party. After they leave, Frank
looks at the chessmen and sees
the black knight change into
himself, the white queen into
Anita, a Mexican girl (played by
Gretchen Lederer), and a white
knight into a man called Marc
Bailey (Marc Robbins). A
gunfight is started and Anita is
shot. The scene fades back into
the library. The black knight has
disappeared and the white queen
lies prostate on chess board.
(source: Motography, Jan 16,
1915, p. 109)

One of the first Hollywood

silent film to depict a chess
scene (chess board and pieces
placed on a table) may have
been "A Fool There Was,"
filmed in 1915, directed by
Frank Powell and starring Theda
Bara (1885-1955) as the Vamp,
one of the first sex symbols of
the early 20th century.

In 1915, a film was made at the

Manhattan Chess Club covering
the opening of a masters
tournament. Jose Capablanca
and Frank Marshall appear in
the film. (source: Motography,
May 8, 1915, p. 752)

On May 1915, a film was

released by the Edison Company
called "His Peasant Princess."
The king of Steinfeldt and the
king of Rodenkurst quarrel over
a game of chess, and for years
the kings are on anything but
friendly terms. The barons of
both kingdoms try to effect a
reconciliation by suggesting the
marriage of Karl of Rodenkurst
to the Princess of Steinfeldt.
However, Karl is in love with a
beer maid near his school and
refuses to meet the princess. He
turns his back when the princess
enters, and she greets him with
"Will you have a stein of beer?"
It turns out the princess, to
escape the public, worked as a
bar maid. The lovers become
married and peace is restored in
the two kingdoms. (source:
Motography, May 15, 1915, p.
802)

By 1918, silent actor Charles

Ray (1891-1943) starred in over
a dozen silent movies. He
usually portrayed young,
wholesome country boy in silent
comedy films. He was a great
chess fan and often sat by
himself figuring out chess
moves. (source: Film Fun, Jul
1917)

In 1918, the film "Summer

Girls" was released. A poster for
the movie show a couple playing
chess with a tagline that says
"What's the Answer, Chess or
No!" (source: Chess Amateur,
Oct 1919, p. 11)

In 1921, Richard Schayer (1880-

1956) was described as the chess
champion of motion pictures. In
March 1933, he became the new
president of the Hollywood
Chess Club (renamed the
Hollywood Chess and Bridge
Club), which moved to the 6735
Yucca Street in Hollywood.
Schayer was a screenwriter who
wrote over 100 films between
1916 and 1956. He wrote some
chess scenes into a few of his
scripts, such as The Black Cat,
with Boris Karloff playing chess
with Bela Lagosi. Schayer was
once considered the strongest
chess player in Hollywood. He
believed that next to newspaper
work, chess is the best mental
training for script writing, and
that it is unequaled as a pastime
for keeping veteran writers like
himself from getting "stale."
(source: Los Angeles Herald,
Mar 28, 1921)

In 1921, "The Affairs of Anatol"

was released. Gloria Swanson
(1899-1983) and Elliot Dexter
(1870-1941) play chess with
large chess pieces. Reviewers,
seeing the large chess pieces,
were reminded that chess was
coming in vogue again. Chess
was becoming a high class
parlor entertainment. (source:
Exhibitors Herald, Jul 2, 1921,
p. 47)

In June 1921, Sammy

Reshevsky (known as
Rzeschewski at the time) (1911-
1992), age 9, gave a 20-board
simul at the Los Angeles
Athletic Club and met several
Hollywood stars such as Charlie
Chaplin (1899-1977) and 5-
year-old Jackie Coogan (1914-
1984) at the simul. Coogan and
Reshevsky were wearing boxing
gloves for a publicity photo
when Coogan punched
Reshevsky in the face, giving
him a black eye. The only
person to beat Reshevsky in the
20-board simul was Dr. Robert
B. Griffith (1876-1937), a
physician for the film industry in
Hollywood.

In August 1921, the silent

version of "The Three
Musketeers," starring Douglas
Fairbanks, Sr. (1883-1939) was
one of the first films to use chess
as a crucial part of the narrative
in the film.

In 1923, the child actor Jackie

Coogan (1914-1984) received
some chess coaching from
Sammy Reshevsky
(Rzeszewski). (source: Visual
Education, Feb 1923, p. 61)
Coogan played chess in the 1923
fildm "Daddy." Later, Coogan
played chess with John Astin
during the filming of the TV
series "Addams Family."

In 1925, the American silent

movie "A Thief in Paradise" was
made. Actor Claude
Gillingwater (1870-1939) plays
Noel Jardine, a crusty old
Englishman. Alex Francis
(1867-1934) plays Bishop
Saville. Jardine and the Bishop
are old cronies, who spend many
an evening over the chess board.
The Bishop loves rousing his
friend's fiery temper by trying to
help himself to an extra move in
chess, but he never gets away
with it. The film is considered a
lost film. (source: Motion
Picture Magazine, Mar 1925, p.
59)

To commemorate the 11th

Anniversary of the Russia
Workers's Revolution, the
Communist Party of Great
Britain screened a film depicting
the British Workers' Delegation
to the USSR in November,
1927. The film revealed
sociological as well as
economical aspects of the
USSR, including a workers' club
where men play chess. (source:
Close Up, Dec 1928, p. 64)

In the 1920s, actress Doris

Kenyon (1897-1979) starred in
several silent films, and starred
opposite of Rudolph Valentino.
Her advice for insomniacs and
what she practiced to get drowsy
was getting a book on chess and
playing out the moves. (source:
Motion Picture Classic, Jun
1929, p. 29) In 1926, Kenyon
married Milton Sills (1882-
1930), who was a chess player.

Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957)

is perhaps the most well known
chess-playing actor. In 1929,
after the stock market crashed,
he hustled chess players for
money in New York City parks
and at Coney Island. He was
known to have played chess and
hustle in Times Square as late as
1933. In the 1942 movie,
Casablanca, Rick Blaine
(Humphrey Bogart) played
chess with Captain Louis
Renault (Claude Rains). All the
chess playing scenes were his
idea. He wanted a character that
was a chess player that drank
too much. There were some
chess scenes of Bogart studying
a chess game while Peter Lorre
looked on, but these scenes did
not make the final cut in the
film. During the making of
Casablanca, Bogart played
several games with Paul Henreid
(1908-1992), who played Victor
Laszlo in Casablanca.
According to Henreid, Bogart
didn't win a single game from
him. During World War II,
Bogart played correspondence
chess with several GIs overseas.
One of his chess postcards to
one of the troops sold for $2,500
in a recent Hollywood auction.
In 1944, during the making of
Passage to Marseille, Bogart
played many of the actors and
film crew during breaks. In the
June-July 1945 issue of Chess
Review, Bogart and his new
wife, Lauren Bacall, appeared in
the cover while Bogart played
Charles Boyer a game of chess
during a break in the making of
The Confidential Agent. Bogart
showed up on the set almost
every lunch hour in the set to
play Boyer a game of chess. In
the 1949 movie, Knock on Any
Door, attorney Andrew Morton
(Humphrey Bogart) is playing
chess with Susan Perry (Candy
Toxton) and Mr. Elkins (Curt
Conway). During breaks of his
films, Bogart played a lot of
chess with his make-up artist,
Karl Silvera. In the early 1950s,
Marlon Brando would drive
over to Bogart's elegant mansion
in Holmby Hills, and the two
would play chess for hours. In
the 1955 movie, The Left Hand
of God, Jim Carmody/Father
O'Shea (Humphrey Bogart)
checkmates Dr. Dave Sigmond
(E.G. Marshall). In 1956,
Bogart, as Black, drew former
U.S. chess champion Sammy
Reshevsky in a 70 board
simultaneous exhibition in Los
Angeles. The game lasted 28
moves in a bishop and pawns vs
knight and pawns endgame. A
few years earlier, Bogart lost to
George Koltanowski in a
blindfold exhibition in San
Francisco. When Bogart was
dying of cancer, his only activity
with friends was playing chess.
His most common chess partner
in his last days was screenwriter
and film director Richard
Brooks, who probably was
Bogart's last chess opponent in
late 1956.

In 1929, French actress Renee

Adoree (1898-1933) played a
chess game with Alexander
Alekhine during his visit to Los
Angeles in 1929.

On April 29, 1930, well-known

screen author Richard Schayer
organized the Beverly Hills
Chess Club. In attendance was
George Patterson of Hollywood,
Southern California chess
champion. (source: Hollywood
Filmograph, May 17, 1930, p.
15)

In 1930, Vivienne Segal (1897-

1992) was the reigning musical
diva of her time. She was a
chess player. She played chess
with actor Allan Prior (1897-
1949) between scenes in the film
"Bride of the Regiment" while
Walter Pidgeon (1897-1984)
kibitzed. (source: Picture Play
Magazine, May 1930, p. 91)

In 1930, Fred Niblo (1874-

1948), Milton Sills (1882-1930),
Warren Newcombe (1894-
1960), Louis Wolheim (1880-
1931), Zion Meyers (1898-
1948), and F. Grandin were
among the members of the
Beverly Hills Chess Club,
organized by Richard Schayer
(1880-1956), MGM scenarist.
(source: The Film Daily, Jun 2,
1930)

In 1930, Cecil B. DeMille

(1881-1959) joined the Beverly
Hills Chess Club and was
elected to its board of directors.
(source: The Gambit, July 1930,
p. 189-190)

In the 1930s, actor Lew Ayres

(1908-1996) was on the
executive board of the
Hollywood Chess Club, along
with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. In
the 1946 movie, The Dark
Mirror, psychiatrist Scott Eliot
(Lew Ayres) studies a chess
position at home.

In the 1930s, actress Claire

Dodd (1911-1973) was usually
type-cast as the "other woman"
and was known as Hollywood's
"mystery girl." She looked a bit
like Marlene Dietrich and
imitated Greta Garbo. She said
that her favorite indoor sport
was chess. (source: Modern
Screen, Apr 1933, p. 56)

In 1932, the actor George Brent

(1904-1979) married actress
Ruth Chatterton (1892-1961).
They were married for two
years. When they relaxed, they
played chess against each other
to see who could outwit the
other. (source: Movie Classic,
May 1933, p. 48 and Chess
Review Apr 1940, p. 60)
On November 7, 1932, a new
Hollywood Chess Club was
opened at 5704 La Mirada
Avenue, Hollywood. California
State Champion Harry
Borochow gave an 18-board
simultaneous exhibition
(winning 14, drawing 1, and
losing 3). The president of the
Hollywood Chess Club was
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. (1909-
2000). The executive board
included Lew Ayres (1908-
1996), screenwriter Richard
Schayer (1880-1956), film
director Ernest Laemmle (1900-
1950), actor, director, and
producer William Wyler (1902-
1981), and film director and
ediitor Slavko Vorkapich (1894-
1976).

On December 17, 1932,

Alexander Alekhine played
against 26 boards at the new
Hollywood Chess Club, winning
them all. The next day, he then
gave a 7-board simultaneous
blindfold exhibition at the
Hollywood Chess Club, winning
5 and drawing 2. The president
of the Hollywood Chess Club
was Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Herman Steiner later became the
president of the Hollywood
Chess Club. Members included
Humphrey Bogart, Lauren
Bacall, Charles Boyer, and Jose
Ferrer.

In February 1933, the

Hollywood Chess Club
sponsored a movie artists'
concert to raise money for a new
house project. The master of
ceremonies was Neil Hamilton
(1899-1984), best known for his
role as Commissioner Gordon
on the Batman TV series.

On April 11, 1933, Jose

Capablanca, playing the white
pieces, played a game of living
chess against Herman Steiner at
the Los Angeles Athletic Club.
The game was pre-arranged by
Capablanca, who checkmated
Steiner in 25 moves. Cecil B.
DeMille (1881-1959) presided
as referee and announced the
moves.

In the 1930s, Herman Steiner

gave weekly chess lessons to
several Hollywood stars and
promising chess players. Jose
Ferrer (1909-1992) took lessons
from Steiner and remarked what
a genius chess teacher Steiner
was. Other chess students who
took lessons from Steiner
included Humphrey Bogart,
Billy Wilder, Louis Hayward,
Fritz Feld, Rosemary Clooney,
Jim Cross and Jacqueline
Piatigorsky.

In the 1930s, John Barrymore

(1882-1942) was perhaps the
strongest chess player in
Hollywood, according to Fritz
Feld. He played chess with
Herman Steiner. John's older
brother, Lionel Barrymore
(1878-1954), was also a chess
player. (source: Chess Life, Mar
1988, p. 32)
In the 1930s, comedian Harold
Lloyd (1893-1971) listed chess
as one of his hobbies. (source:
Movie Classic, Feb 1936, p. 34)

In 1933, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

(1909-2000) was the president
of the new Hollywood Chess
Club, and Lew Ayres (1908-
1996) was one of its most
enthusiastic members. (source:
Modern Screen, Feb 1933, p.
79)

In 1933, a picture of Douglas

Fairbanks, Jr. shows him
studying a chess position
between the opening scenes of
"The Narrow Corner." He is
concocting some knotty chess
problems for his Hollywood
Chess Club. (source: Movie
Classic, Apr 1933, p. 51)

In April 1933, actress Mae

Clarke (1910-1992) played
chess with Jose Capablanca on
the MGM set during the making
of "Turn Back the Clock."

In 1934, Florence Rice (1911-

1974) had a chess scene with
Neil Hamilton in "Fugitive
Lady." She was an enthusiastic
amateur chess player and took
up the game after watching
Owen and Frank Morgan play
on a set. (source: Chess Review,
Dec 1937, p. 291)

In 1935, Shirley Temple (1928-

2014) had a chess scene of her
throwing a chess set to the floor
in "The Little Colonel." She
played chess with Gary Cooper.
(source: Chess Life, 1997, p.
163) As an adult, she was named
United States ambassador to
Ghana and to Czechoslovakia
and played chess with the
counselor of the Soviet embassy
(source: Shirley Temple:
American Princess, by Anne
Edwards, 2017, p. 330)

In 1936, actor Dick Purcell

(1908-1944) appeared in 11
films that year. In 1943, he
starred as Captain America in
the serial film. He listed chess as
one of his indoor activities.
(source: Silhouettes of Stars,
1937, p. 142)

In 1937, Errol Flynn (1909-

1959) started playing chess in
Hollywood. (source: CHESS,
Nov 14, 1937, p. 79) In 1937,
Bette Davis (1908-1989) learned
chess during the filming of "Kid
Galahad." Her husband,
musician Harmon Oscar Nelson,
was a chess addict. (source:
Harrisburg PA Telegraph, Apr
2, 1937)

In 1937, Ray Milland (1907-

1986) played correspondence
chess with a friend in Vienna. At
the time, Milland was
considered the foremost chess
player in Hollywood, followed
by Franchot Tone (1905-1968).
(source: Silver Screen, Sep
1937, p. 19) In 1966, Milland
played chess with Norman Barrs
(1917-1991) between scenes in
the movie "Hostile Witness."
(source: Chess Review, Jul
1966, p. 195)

In 1937, Billie Burke (1884-

1970) appeared in the first of the
Topper films. In 1938, she was
chosen to play Glinda the Good
Witch of the North in The
Wizard of Oz. She played chess
between screen characters.
(source: Silver Screen, Oct
1937, p. 45)

In 1937, actor Cornel Wilde

(1912-1989) married actress
Patricia Knight (1915-2004).
They divorced in 1951. They
were both chess players.
(source: Modern Screen, Aug
1947, p. 58)

In 1937, actress Betty Lou

Gerson (1914-1999) married Joe
Ainely. They divorced in 1965.
She is best known as the original
voice of Cruella de Vil in
Disney's "One Hundred and One
Dalmatians." Betty Lou
admitted she couldn't cook or
sew when she got married. She
said, "But I'm a good chess
player – and that's Joe's
favorite game." Once a week
was chess night at their home.
(source: Radio and TV Mirror,
Aug 1940, p. 73).

In 1937, actors Frank Morgan

(Oz in Wizard of Oz) and
Reginald Owen played chess
against each other while Myrna
Loy (1905-1993) watched and
became interested in chess.
(source: Chess Review, Oct
1937, p. 223) Frank Morgan
later said that he learned chess
in order to play it on trains while
traveling with a dramatic
company. He said that the game
"brushed the cobwebs" from the
brain, as the player forgets
everything else for the time
being, while playing. (source:
Chess Review, Jan 1938, p. 2)

In 1938, Judy Garland (1922-

1969) played chess between
scenes of the filming of "Listen,
Darling."

In 1939, Hedy Lamarr (1914-

2000) played chess with her
dramatic coach, Phyllis
Loughton. (source: The
Pittsburgh Press, Jul 7, 1939)
She used to play chess with Man
Ray, the American artist who
was part of the whole Surrealist
movement in Paris in the 1920s.

In the late 1930s, actor Charlton

Heston (1923-2008) played
chess on his high school chess
team at New Trier High School
in Chicago.

Nigel Bruce (1895-1953), who

was best known for his portrayal
of Dr. Watson, played chess. He
was a member of the Hollywood
Chess Group and the Herman
Steiner Chess Club. He played
in several Hollywood chess
tournaments. In the 1940 movie,
Susan and God, Hutchie (Nigel
Bruce) plays chess with Amos
(Sam Harris). In the 1943
movie, Sherlock Holmes Faces
Death, Dr. Watson (Nigel
Bruce) helps Sherlock Holmes
(Basil Rathbone) solve a
mystery by playing a living
chess game from moves found
in a family ritual.

In 1940, famous photographer,

painter, and artist Man Ray
(1890-1976) moved to
Hollywood and had his art
studio there. He designed
several chess sets and hoped one
of his designs would become the
standard for the World Chess
Federation (FIDE), but this
never happened.

In 1940, actor George Sanders

(1906-1972) married Susan
Larson. They divorced in 1949.
She didn't play chess, so he
would have his brother, actor
Tom Conway (1904-1967), over
after dinner and play chess far
into the night without a word to
their wives. (source: Modern
Screen, Apr 1942, p. 83)

In 1941, English actor Herbert

Marshall (1890-1966) played
correspondence chess with a
British schoolmate as he made
movies in Hollywood. Later, he
made numerous appearances on
the Armed Forces Radio
Service, hosting a variety of
shows. (source: Modern Screen,
Oct 1941, p. 9)

In 1942, "The Talk of the Town"

was released. Leopold Dilg,
played by Cary Grant (1904-
1986) and Professor Michael
Lightcap, played by Ronald
Colman (1891-1958), become
fast friends and often play chess
together. Dilg is the better chess
player. (source: Modern Screen,
Jul 1942, p. 102)

In the 1940s, character actor

Fritz Feld (1900-1993) played a
lot of chess. He had a collection
of over 300 photos of himself
playing chess with other actors
and actresses. His collection was
exhibited at the Library of the
Performing Arts at the Lincoln
Center in New York. In the
1940s, U.S. chess champion
Herman Steiner and
International Master (later
honorary grandmaster) George
Koltanowski would visit his
home in the evenings and they
would play chess until 6 am the
following morning. He played
chess with Janet Leigh. He
considered John Barrymore as
the strongest chess player in
Hollywood, followed by
Humphrey Bogart, Charles
Boyer, Charles Coburn, and
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

In 1941, Barbara Stanwyck

(1907-1990) played chess with
director Frank Capra between
scenes of the movie "Meet John
Doe." Gary Cooper usually took
interest in the chess games and
watched.

In 1941, Rita Hayworth (1918-

1987) played chess with Tyrone
Power during the making of
"Blood and Sand." (source: The
Evening Independent, May 19,
1941)

In 1941, Olivia de Havilland

(1916-2009) played chess with
Errol Flynn (1909-1959)
between scenes of "They Died
with Their Boots On."

In 1941, Vivien Leigh (1913-

1967) played chess with
Lawrence Olivier between
scenes during the filming of
"Forty Ninth Parallel." She
listed chess as one of her
favorite games.

Louis Persinger (1887-1966)

was one of the greatest violinists
who ever lived. In 1941, he won
the first USCF Open postal
chess tournament. In 1944, he
played in the U.S. Chess
Championship, but took last
place. When he was a judge at
violin contests, he would usually
pull out his pocket chess set and
study chess or find some other
judge, such as David Oistrakh,
to play chess. He was a member
of the Marshall Chess Club in
New York.

In 1941, William Holden (1918-

1981) married Brenda Marshall.
They divorced in 1971. They
were both chess players.
(source: Screenland, Jul 1951, p.
59)

In 1942, Humphrey Bogart

(1899-1957) was active in chess
in Hollywood and he played
chess with patients in Veterans
hospitals. He was also playing
correspondence chess with
several GIs overseas until he
was visited by the FBI in 1943
and was told not to play any
more correspondence chess with
military members for the
duration of the war. The FBI
was reading his mail and
thought that the chess notation
he was sending to Europe were
secret codes.

In 1942, actor Paul Henreid

(1908-1992) played Victor
Laszlo in Casablanca. Paul was
considered an excellent chess
player, along with Humphrey
Bogart. They both played chess
between scenes. (source:
Modern Screen, Jul 1946, p. 41)

In 1942, Helmut Dantine (1918-

1982) played a refugee in
Casablanca. Helmut was also a
good chess player and played
chess with Humphrey Bogart
between scenes in the 1944
movie "Passage to Marseille."
Helmut called chess his favorite
diversion. Helmut and Bogart
were just about even in chess
skill. After the movie, the two
continued to play chess over the
telephone. Helmut always carred
a portable chess board in the
glove compartment of his car,
just in case. (source: Modern
Screen, Jun 1944, p. 91)

In 1942, Marlene Dietrich

(1904-1992) played chess with
John Wayne (1907-1979)
between scenes of the movie
"Pittsburgh." She always carried
a tiny chess set and played chess
during plane flights and ocean
voyages. (source: The Franklin
News-Herald, Apr 16, 1965)

In 1942, Fran Carlon (1913-

1993) played star reporter
Lorelei Kilbourne on the radio
show "Big Town." Her husband,
Casey Allen, played Dusty, the
photographer's assistant on the
same show. They were both
chess players. (source: Radio
and TV Mirror, Jul 1950, p. 52)

In 1944, actress Mitzi Mayfair

(1915-1976) learned chess and
played in the Ladies' tournament
at the Pan-American Chess
Congress in 1945. She later took
up correspondence chess.

In 1944, actor Donald O'Connor

(1925-2003) married Gwen
Carter. They divorced in 1954.
They were both chess players.
(source: Radio Mirror, May
1947, p. 35 and Chess Review,
Apr 1950, p. 97)

In 1945, Ava Gardner (1922-

1990) married Arte Shaw. Shaw
hired a Russian chess master to
tutor her in chess. After a few
months of lessons, she started
beating him at chess. He never
asked her to play chess again.
(source: Ava Gardner. "Love is
Nothing" by Lee Server, 2007,
p. 160In 1945, Humphrey
Bogart and his new wife (they
were just married and both were
chess players), Lauren Bacall
(1924- ), along with Charles
Boyer (1899-1978) and Herman
Steiner, appeared on the cover
of the June-July Chess Review
magazine. The shot was taken
during the filming of The
Confidential Agent.

In August 1945, Linda Darnell

(1921-1965) played several
chess games with Roseanne
Murray. She attended the 1945
Pan-American Chess Congress
and was crowned Queen of
Ceremonies at the event. She
appeared in the October 1945
issues of "Chess Review."

In 1945, Charles Boyer (1899-

1978) played chess with Dr.
Walter O. Cruz, chess champion
of Brazil between scenes of
"Confidential Agent." (source:
CHESS, April 1946)

In 1946, John Wayne (1907-

1979) married Mexican actress
Esperanza "Chata" Baur (1924-
1961). They divorced in 1954.
Both played chess at home in
San Fernando. (source: Modern
Screen, Aug 1950, p. 31)

In 1946, Gregory Peck (1916-

2003) took up chess with dreams
of beating Humphrey Bogart.
(source: Modern Screen, Aug
1946, p. 31)

In 1946 Humphrey Bogart lost a

match and $100 to the
restaurateur, Mike Romanoff
(1890-1972). That evening
Bogart went home, and then
phoned Romanoff to play one
more game over the phone for
another $100. Romanoff agreed,
and then lost in 20 moves.
Bogart just happened to have
former US chess champion
Herman Steiner over his house,
and Bogart's moves were really
Steiner's moves.

In 1946-47, actor Glenn Ford

(1916-2006) played
correspondence chess with a
Marine buddy stationed in
China. He also played chess
with Marlon Brando. (source:
Modern Screen, Feb 1947, p.
53)

In 1947, Deborah Kerr (1921-

2007) played chess with Clark
Gable during the filming of
"The Hucksters."

In 1947, Lana Turner (1920-

1995) had a chess scene with her
playing chess with Spencer
Tracy (1900-1967) in "Cass
Tamberlane." There were
several chess scenes in the
movie. Herman Steiner was the
chess advisor for the movie. He
told Lana Turner, "Don't play
chess. Sitting at a chess board
for hours might make you fat
and spoil your perfect figure."
(source: Chess Review, Jul
1947, p. 5)

In 1947, a new type of automatic

radio-telegraph service was
created by RCA. It allowed a
10-player USA team play
against a team from Argentina,
separated by more than 5,400
miles. The match got underway
on Nov 7, 1947 between
members of the Manhattan
Chess Club and an Argentine
team sponsored by the La Plata
Jockey Club of Argentina, in
Buenos Aires. The event marked
the first use in an international
chess competition of the RCA
automatic technique teleprinter
tape-relays. At no time did it
take longer than 21 seconds for
the moves of each player to be
known across the 5,400 miles.
(source: Radio Age, Jan 1948, p.
16)

In 1948, actor Rory Calhoun

(1922-1999), best known for
starring in a large number of
Westerns in the 1950s and
1960s) married Lita Baron. They
divorced in 1970. They were
both chess players. (source:
Modern Screen, Mar 1958, p.
39)

In 1948, actress June Allyson

(1917-2006) played chess with
Van Johnson (1916-2008) in her
trailer between takes of "The
Bride Goes Wild."

In 1948, actress Betty Field

(1913-1973) was listed as the
10th best chess player in
Hollywood. Elsa Lancaster
(1902-1986) was also a strong
chess player in Hollywood.
(source: The Milwaukee
Journal, Jul 3, 1948).
In 1948, Lee J. Cobb (1911-
1976) played Wally Look of the
Los Angeles Times in an off-
hand game during a break in the
shooting of the movie "Call
Northside 777." Jimmy Stewart
(1908-1997) kibitzed during the
game. (source: Chess Review,
Feb 1949, p. 4)

In 1949, actor Jeff Chandler

(1918-1961) and actress Marta
Toren (1925-1957) played chess
between scenes of their movie
"Sword in the Desert." (source:
Chess Review, Apr 1950, p. 97)

In 1949, journalist Mike

Wallace (1918-2012) married
Buff Cobb. They were divorced
in 1955. The played chess at
home. (source: Radio TV
Mirror, Feb 1954, p. 49)

In 1949, Simone Simon (1910-

2005) was interviewed and said
she played chess, especially
when she was travelling on
ships. (source: Syracuse Post-
Standard, May 21, 1949)

In 1949, Zsa Zsa Gabor (1917-

2016) played chess with her new
husband, George Sanders (1906-
1972). George wrote in his
autobiography that the two
played chess nearly every night
on their honeymoon. The two
divorced in 1954.

In 1950, actor Errol Flynn

(1909-1959) married actress
Patrice Wymore (1926-2014).
Many times he would cancel
reservations at a supper club to
spend a quiet evening with his
wife playing chess. (source:
Modern Screen, Oct 1956, p.
70)

In 1951, the movie "Strangers

on a Train" was released.
Between scenes, actors Farley
Granger (1925-2011) and Robert
Walker (1918-1951) played
chess. (source: Screenland, Jun
1951, p. 17)

In March 1952, Humphrey

Bogart was in San Francisco and
played a game with George
Koltanowski. Koltanowski
played blindfolded and defeated
Bogart in 41 moves. Bogart had
earlier played Sammy
Reshevsky when Reshevsky was
giving a simultaneous
exhibition, and drew him at
Romanoff's Restaurant in
Hollywood.

In 1952 Bogart won the Best

Actor Oscar for his character in
The African Queen. He and
Katherine Hepburn played chess
while making The African
Queen in Stanleyville. Bogart
claimed to be the strongest chess
player among the Hollywood
stars. He did lose to Art
Buchwald, columnist for the
New York Herald, when they
played.

In 1952, actress Lynne Rogers

starred in "Guiding Light," the
longest soap opera ever on
television. She and her husband
Tim Taylor were chess players.
She made a chess table for her
husband as a Christmas gift.
(source: TV Radio Mirror, Aug
1956, p. 83)

In 1952, actress Mala Powers

(1931-2007) played
correspondence chess with
hospitalized military veterans
she met while on tour in Tokyo
and South Korea. (source:
Massillon Evening Independent,
Aug 7, 1952)

In the 1950s, actress and singer

Rosemary Clooney (1928-2002),
and her husband, Jose Ferrer,
took lessons from Herman
Steiner (1905-1955). Barbara
Hale (1922- ) also took lessons
from Steiner and was a member
of the Herman Steiner Chess
Club in Hollywood. Katharine
Hepburn (1909-2003) and
Margaret Sullivan (1909-1960)
also took chess lessons from
Steiner.

Over the years, the Hollywood

Chess Group and the Herman
Steiner Chess Club was visited
by many movie stars, including
Lew Ayres (1908-1996), Lauren
Bacall, John Barrymore, Lionel
Barrymore, Humphrey Bogart,
Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956),
Charles Boyer, J. Edward
Bromberg (1903-1951), Nigel
Bruce (1895-1953), Charlie
Chaplin, Rosemary Clooney
(1928-2002), Helmut Dantine
(1917-1982), Linda Darnell
(1923-1965), Henry Darrow
(1933- ), Cecil B. DeMille,
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Fritz
Feld (1900-1993), Jose Ferrer,
Henry Fonda (1905-1982),
Sydney Greenstreet (1879-
1954), Barbara Hale (1922- ),
Louis Hayward, Katharine
Hepburn (1909-2003), Louis
Jourdan, Duan Kennedy, Stanley
Kubrick (1928-1999), Myrna
Loy (1905-1993), Ernst
Lubitsch, Dean Martin, Walter
Matthau, Mitzi Mayfair, Frank
Morgan, Kathleen O'Malley
Maureen O'Sullivan, Sam
Peckinpah, Anthony Quinn
(1915-2001), Basil Rathbone
(1892-1967), Man Ray (1890-
1996), Mike Romanoff (1890-
1971), George C. Scott (1927-
1999), Josef von Sternberg,
Shirley Temple, Franchot Tone,
Jean Trent, Roseanne Murray,
John Wayne (1907-1979), Blly
Wilder (1906-2002), and Bill
Williams.

In the 1950s, storyteller and

radio show host John Henry
Faulk (1913-1990) picked up a
new hobby and started playing
chess. He called it "my greatest
and most serious weakness."
(source: TV Radio Mirror, Jan
1955, p. 13)

In the 1950s, famous radio

announcer Norman Brokenshire
(1898-1965), known as Sir
Silken Speech, became an
announcer for television, and
had his own series. His favorite
pastime was chess. He offered
instruction in home crafts and
made chess tables. (source:
Radio TV Mirror, Jul 1955, p.
4)

In the 1950s, Julius La Rosa

(1930-2016) was an Italian-
American traditional popular
music singer and a regular on
the Arthur Godfrey Show. He
was a chess enthusiast. He said,
"I find the game very
challenging. I am beginning to
learn a couple of opening
gambits. If you master a good
gambit, you increase your
chances for a sure win." (source:
Radio TV Mirror, Sep 1955, pp.
64 and 92)

In the 1950s, actress Nancy

Berg (1931- ) played chess with
her husband, actor Geoffrey
Horne. She also played chess
with Phil Silvers. (source: The
Winona Daily News, May 24,
1955)

In the 1950s, Brook Byron

(1913-2006) was a model and
actress. She and her husband, a
jet engine designer, played
chess. (source: Radio TV
Mirror, Sep 1954, p. 69)

In 1953, actor Marlon Brando

(1924-2004) played chess
between scenes while filming
Julius Caesar. A Hollywood
reporter wanted to get an
interview with Brando. Brando
agreed if the reporter would play
a game of chess with him. The
reporter did play a game of
chess against Brando and won.
Brando later said about the
interview, "That was the worst
interview I ever gave." Brando
played many chess games with
Humphrey Bogart. When
Brando died, his chess sets were
auctioned by Christie's in Los
Angeles in 2005 (purchased by
Neville Tuli, an art collector).

In 1954, Simone Signoret (1921-

1985) played chess with Yves
Montand.

In 1954, Jimmy Stewart (1908-

1997) and Wendell Corey
(1914-1968) played chess
between scenes of "Rear
Window." Grace Kelly (1929-
1982) was also a chess player
and kibitzed during their games.

In 1955, Joan Bennett (1910-

1990) played chess with
Humphrey Bogart during the
filming of "We're No Angels."

In 1955, singer and actor Eddie

Fisher (1928-2010) married
Debbie Reynolds (1932-2016).
They were married for four
years. They played chess and
said that chess was their favorite
game ("because it slowed us
down"). (source: Modern
Screen, May 1956, p. 67)

In 1956, Stanley Kubrick (1928-

1999) wrote the screenplay for
The Killing (also called Bed of
Fear), based on a novel (Clean
Break) by Lionel White. This
was his first movie with chess in
it. After getting out of Alcatraz
prison after 5 years, Johnny
Clay (Sterling Hayden)
masterminds a race-track heist
(filmed at Bay Meadows
Racetrack in San Mateo) to steal
$2 million. Clay goes to the
Academy of Chess and
Checkers looking for a buddy of
his. He passes by several chess
games in progress until he
reaches one being overseen and
kibitzed by big 250 pound
Maurice Oboukhoff (Kola
Kwariani (1903-1980)). The
club is run by a guy named
Fischer. Clay interrupts the
kibitzing to talk to Maurice.
They go to an empty chess table
by the window where Clay
offers Maurice $2,500 to start a
fight diversion for a robbery at
the race track. When Clay asks
Maurice how's life been treating
him, Maurice says, "About the
same as always. When I need
some money, I go out and
wrestle. But mostly I'm up here,
wasting my time playing chess.
But I wouldn't know what to do
with myself if I didn't have this
place to go to."

In 1956, Samuel Reshevsky

gave a simultaneous display in
Los Angeles. One of the players
that got a draw from him was
Humphrey Bogart.

In 1956, actress Marilyn Monroe

(1926-1962) learned how to play
chess about the time she married
Arthur Miller. Over the years,
she purchased expensive chess
sets or received them as gifts.
(source: Redlands Daily Facts,
Feb 26, 1960 and "Marilyn
Monroe: A Case for Murder," by
Jay Margolis, p. 113)

In 1956, the Irish actress

Siobhan McKenna (1923-1986)
lived in New York. She would
often invite friends up to her
sublet apartment for a drink and
a game of chess. (source:
Modern Screen, Sep 1956, p.
36)

In 1956, Michael Landon (1936-

1991) married Dodie Levy-
Fraser. They divorced in 1962.
Michael met Dodie on a double-
date, and they played chess at
her house. Landon played chess
a lot between takes on Bonanza,
including chess games with
actor Dan Blocker (1928-1972).
(source: TV Radio Mirror, Jan
1962, p. 29)

In 1956, Sonny Fox (1925- )

became the first host of "The
$64,000 Challenge, the game
show spinoff of "The $64,000
Question." He said that his
favorite year-round sport was
chess and that he collected ivory
chess sets. (source: TV Radio
Mirror, Sep 1956, p. 42)

From 1957 to 1963, Tony Dow

(1945- ) starred in the TV series
"Leave It to Beaver." He was a
chess player. Jerry Mathers
(1948- ) is also an avid chess
player. (source: Radio TV
Mirror, Aug 1958, p. 18)
In 1957, television host Jack
Linkletter (1937-2007), son of
Art Linkletter, married Barbara
Hughes. They were both chess
players. (source: Radio TV
Mirror, Oct 1958, p. 11)

From 1957 to 1962, actor Jack

Kelly (1927-1992) played Bart
Maverick in the TV series
Maverick. He and his wife
Donna were chess players.
(source: Radio TV Mirror, Oct
1958, p. 46)

From 1958 to 1963, actor John

Connell (1923-2015) played Dr.
David Malone in the TV series
"Young Doctor Malone."
Connell was a chess player and
played chess with his family.
Another chess player on the
show was actor Peter Brandon
(1926-1983), who played Dr.
Ted Powell. (source: Radio TV
Mirror, Jul 1960, p. 51 and Dec
1960, p. 53)

In 1958, Jane Fonda (1937- )

played chess with Susan
Strasberg on the beach in
Malibu. It was during these
chess games that Jane was
encouraged to take acting
lessons and become an actress.
Jane Fonda encourages chess
playing among children and
teenagers at risk. She has been
involved with chess programs
for inner-city youth. Jane played
chess with her ex-husband,
Roger Vadim (1928-2000) in the
1960s.
In the late 1950s, Marlon
Brando (1924-2004) hung out at
the Club Renaissance in
Hollywood and played chess
with friends. (source: Modern
Screen, Feb 1959, p. 60)

In 1959, Claude Akins (1926-

1994), played chess during the
making of "Rio Bravo." He
played chess constantly with
John Wayne, Dean Martin, and
Ricky Nelson. Akins said that he
taught Dean Martin how to play
chess. In 1973, Claude starred in
Battle for the Planet of the Apes
(he was Aldo). Between takes,
Claude was always playing
chess in a gorilla costume.
Claude played in one of Walter
Browne's blitz tournaments and
was a spectator (along with
Morgan Fairchild and Gene
Scherer) with a front row seat at
the 1988 World Action Chess
Championship in Mazatlan,
Mexico. One of his regular
chess partners was actor
William Windom (1923-Aug 16,
2012). There is a photo of
Claude Akins and William
Windom playing chess in the
March 1988 issue of Chess
Life.

In 1959, Leslie Parrish (1935- )

starred as Daisy Mae in the
movie version of Li'l Abner. In
1962, she appeared in The
Manchurian Candidate. She
liked to play chess. In 1962, in
breaks between scenes in the
film Three on a Match (For
Love or Money), she set a chess
board and pieces and challenged
other actors. Parrish said she
became a chess player to escape
boredom during an illness.
Rather than read her temperature
chart all day, she studied a book
on chess. (source: I Need a
Man's Pants to Wash by Lorie
Eskert, 2002, p. 51 and Star
News, Sep 12, 1962, and Radio
TV Mirror. Sep 1961, p. 9)

In 1960, the movie

"Brainwashed" was released. It
was based on Stefan Zweig's
novella "The Royal Game."
Thrown into prison by the
Gestapo, brilliant Austrian
aristocratvon Basil (played by
Curt Jurgens) calls on every
ounce of his mental agility to
resist the pit of madness, turning
to chess to occupy his faculties.
After being released from
prison, he holds the world's
chess champion, Karl Centowic
(played by Mario Adorf) to a
draw. (source: Film Bulletin,
Jun 24, 1961, p. 33)

In 1960, actress Sylvia Miles

(1932- ) started playing chess.
She played in New York chess
tournaments in the early 1960s
and was a member of the
Manhattan Chess Club. She said
she took up backgammon to
distract herself from chess. She
said she had become too much
of a chess bum. She claims she
played chess with Bobby
Fischer. She was an Academy-
award Best Supporting actress
nominee for Midnight Cowboy
in 1969. (source: York, PA
Daily Record, Oct 2, 1972)

In 1960, the actor John Smith

(1931-1995) married the actress
Luana Patten (138-1996). They
were married for four years.
They spent their evenings at
home playing against each other
at chess. (source: TV Radio
Mirror, Feb 1961, p. 18)

In 1960, actress Cara Williams

(1925- ) starred in the television
series Pete and Gladys. She was
a chess player and often played
with her son, John. (source: TV
Radio Mirror, Jun 1961, p. 33)

In 1960, Sandra Dee (1942-

2005) played chess with Rock
Hudson in Rome on the set of
"Come September." She married
Bobby Darin in 1960, and they
both played chess.

In 1961, Gregory Peck (1916-

2003) played chess with
Anthony Quinn (1915-2001)
between scenes in the filming of
"The Guns of Navarone." Quinn
brought several portable chess
sets to the film's location, and
chess was the main off-screen
pastime.

In 1961, the actress Corinne

Calvet (1925-2001) played chess
at the Cocoanut Grove in Los
Angeles. (source: Ottawa
Citizen, Nov 18, 1961)

From 1961 to 1966, "Mister Ed"

appeared on CBS. The talking
horse had scenes of Mr. Ed
playing chess with Wilbur Post
(played by Alan Young).
(source: Radio TV Mirror, Nov
1961, p. 43)

In the 1960s, Jimmy O'Neill was

a popular American DJ who
later hosted the television show
Shindig! He called himself a
chess fancier. (source: TV Radio
Mirror, Jan 1962, p. 53)

In 1962, Stanley Kubrick

directed Lolita (1962). It was
based on the 1955 book, Lolita,
by Vladimir Nabokov (1899-
1977), a chess player. In 1930,
Nabokov wrote Zashchita
Luzhina (Luzhin's Defense),
which later became a movie. It
was about a chess grandmaster
who later commits suicide.

In 1962, the movie "The

Longest Day" was released.
Three singers that turned actors,
Paul Anka, Fabian, and Tommy
Sands, played chess with each
other between scenes. Other
actors in the movie that played
chess between scenes included
John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter,
and Stuart Whitman. (source:
TV Radio Mirror, May 1962, p.
13)

In 1962, Gregory Peck (1916-

2003) taught Polly Bergen
(1930-2014) how to play chess
between scenes when they both
starred in Cape Fear in 1962.

In 1964, Stanley Kubrick

directed Dr. Strangelove or:
How I Learned to Stop
Worrying and Love the Bomb. It
was a novel, called Red Alert,
written by Peter George. During
the filming of the movies, he
played many chess games with
cast and crew, including games
with George C. Scott (1927-
1999).

In 1966, Henry Fonda (1905-

1982) attended the second
Piatigorsky Cup chess
tournament in Santa Monica. In
the 1976 movie, Futureworld,
Chuck Brown (Peter Fonda)
played chess with Traly Ballard
(Blythe Danner). In the 1978
file, The Greatest Battle,
General Foster (Henry Fonda
(1905-1982)) had a chessboard
and chess position in front of
him in one of the scenes. When
she was 21, Jane Fonda (1937- )
played chess with Susan
Strasberg on the beach in
Malibu. It was during these
chess games that Jane was
encouraged to take acting
lessons and become an actress.
Jane Fonda encourages chess
playing among children and
teenagers at risk. Jane played
chess with her ex-husband,
Roger Vadim (1928-2000) in the
1960s.

In 1966, Sophie Loren (1934- )

played chess with Marlon
Brando. She appeared with
Marlon Brandon sitting behind a
chess board, observed by
Charlie Chaplin, in a 1966
"Life" magazine article.

On August 15, 1966, Boris

Spassky won the 2nd
Piatigorsky Cup Tournament,
held at the Miramar Hotel in
Santa Monica. 2nd place went to
Bobby Fischer. Bent Larsen
took 3rd place. Portisch and
Unzicker took 4th-5th. Petrosian
and Reshevsky took 6th-7th.
Najdorf took 8th. Ivkov took
9th. Donner took 10th. Spassky
won $5,000 and Fischer won
$3,000. The event had over 900
spectators, the largest audience
ever to witness a chess
tournament in the United States.
Some of the spectators included
Edward G. Robinson, Henry
Fonda, Richard Boone, Joan
Blondell, Rhonda Fleming, Van
Cliburn, Victor Borge, and
Leopold Stokowski.

In 1970, Raquel Welch (1940- )

played chess with Tom Jones
during filming of a TV special.

Bobby Darin (1936-1973) was

an American singer and actor
who loved to play chess. In
1973, he was about to sponsor
one of the largest chess
tournaments in the United States
when he died after heart surgery.
The Darin Classic would have
been a $25,000 prize
tournament. Darin often played
chess on his weekly TV show,
the Bobby Darin Show. He was
playing chess just before he
went into surgery. His wife,
Sandra Dee, also played chess.
Bobby Darin's son, Dodd, runs a
chess publishing house.

In 1975, Jennifer O'Neill (1948-

) played chess with James
Mason in a scene in "The Devil
and the Schoolteacher." (source:
Progress Bulletin, Pomona, CA,
Jul 31, 1975)

In 1980, Stanley Kubrick

directed The Shining. One day,
actor Tony Burton (1937- )
arrived on set carrying a chess
set in hopes of getting a game
with someone during a break
from filming. Kubrick noticed
the chess set. Despite production
being behind schedule, Kubrick
proceeded to call off filming for
the day and play chess with
Burton. Kubrick won every
game, but still thanked Burton
for the games since it had been
some time that he'd played chess
against a challenging opponent.

In 1981, Mia Farrow (1945- )

took chess lessons. She and
Woody Allen played chess
together.

In 1982, Catherine Deneuve

(1943- ) played chess with
David Bowie (1947-2016)
during the filming of "The
Hunger."

In 1982, Kate Jackson (1949- )

was on the "Tonight Show" and
mentioned that she played chess.
She said she would rather play
with her Sargon chess computer
than watch TV.
In 1987, actor Adam Baldwin
(1962- ) starred in Full Metal
Jacket. While on the set, he
played about 50 games of chess
with Stanley Kubrick. When
Baldwin was asked if he had a
great memory from Full Metal
Jacket, he responded, "Beating
Stanley Kubrick at chess." There
is a photo of him playing blitz
chess with William Windom in
1988. In the 1992 movie,
Deadbolt, Alec (Adam Baldwin)
plays chess with Marty Hiller
(Justine Bateman) and Jordan
(Chris Mulkey).

In 1988, actor Jesse Vint plays

won the World Celebrity Chess
Championship, held at the
Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
He has played chess against
Anatoly Karpov.

In 1989, Heath Ledger (1979-

2008) won the Western
Australia Junior Chess
Championship. He was an avid
chess player. He learned chess at
an early age and said he played
at least one game of chess a day.
He used to play almost every
day at the Washington Square
Park in New York.

In 1989, actress Morgan

Fairchild (1950- ) hosted a
charity chess event in Mexico.

Film producer and entrepreneur

Ted Field (1953- ) plays chess.
He sponsored the 1990 world
chess championship match
between Karpov and Kasparov
when part of the match was held
in New York. He relaxes by
playing blitz chess on the
Internet.

In 1999, Stanley Kubrick

directed Eyes Wide Shut. He
was still playing chess with
some of the actors and stage
hands. He often played chess
with Frederic Raphael (1931- ),
the screenwriter to Eyes Wide
Shut.

In 2009, actress Eliza Dusku

(1980- ) learned chess while in
Los Angeles shooting the TV
show "Dollhouse." She was on
the Howard Stern show in
February, 2009. Howard asked
Eliza if chess played chess. She
said that she does. She wrote in
Twitter in June, 2009, "Yes, I'm
a chess nerd too."

In 2011, actor Alan Alda (1936-

) starred in the movie "Tower
Heist." His character played
chess online. Arthur Shaw (Alan
Alda), as a crooked
businessman, talks to Josh
Kovacs (Ben Stiller) about the
Marshall chess swindle
involving Frank Marshall and
Lewitsky in a World
Championship game in 1912 in
Helsinki. Alda called the
swindle as the greatest move in
the history of chess. Alda should
have known better. It was a real
game, but not a world
championship game, and not in
Helsinki (it was played in
Breslau, now called Wroclaw).
Alan's father, Robert Alda
(1914-1986), may also have
been a chess player. Robert Alda
played a chess hustler (Bruce
Conrad) in the 1946 movie,
Beast with Five Fingers. His
opponent was Francis Ingram
(Victor Francen).

In 2013, actor Alec Baldwin

(1958- ) donated $2,500 to help
the chess team at Central Falls
High School in Rhode Island
defray the cost of traveling to a
national scholastic chess event.
The team took 8th place out of
63 teams at the Supernationals
in Nashville, Tennessee.

In 2014, actress Viola Davis

(1965- ) donated $30,000 to the
chess club at Central Falls High
School in Rhode Island. Davis'
sister is teacher at that school
and Viola attend that school in
the 1980s.

Return to Main Page

Please
report broken or duplicate links
to the Webmaster.

Official Website
Copyright 2017 by William D.
Wall
All Rights Reserved