In a scene from X-Men: Days of Future Past, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender play chess on an elegant set in the cramped interior of a private jet.
Happy birthday to James McAvoy, who found a lifelong chess partner in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014).
Rows of children sit at chessboards at three long tables in a crowded classroom. One adult can be seen moving between the tables and referring to a sheet of paper.
On April 20, 1967, students from 14 elementary and 6 high schools threw down at a district tournament in The Bronx. From Chess Review, June 1967.
News clipping headlined "Marshall-Capablanca Match" announcing, "According to programme, Frank J. Marshall and Jose R. Capablanca will begin their match of eight games up on Monday, April 19, at 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and the first three games will be played in the large Banquet room on the second floor of the Ansonia, Broadway and 73rd street, New York City." The item is accompanied by a photo of the Ansonia.
107 years ago today, Marshall and Capablanca kicked off a match in New York City. Capablanca made his reputation by crushing Marshall in the match. From American Chess Bulletin, May 1909.
In a close up black-and-white photo, Eric Roberts leans in close to look over a chess position on a board with boxy leather pieces.
Happy birthday to Eric Roberts, who got intimate with a modern chess set in a promotional photo for the audio series Master! (2021).
In a scene from The Dark Past, Lee J. Cobb and William Holden sit on opposite sides of a chess board and stare each other down.
William Holden, born April 17, 1918, had an intense game with Lee J. Cobb in The Dark Past (1948). (Is that a *second* chess board sitting under their chess table?)
Ray Milland, Nancy Reagan and John Hodiak gather around a chess set and smile for the camera. On the board, both kings appear to be in checkmate.
John Hodiak (right), born April 16, 1914, plays chess with Ray Milland during the making of Night Into Morning (1951). The kibitzer is Nancy Reagan. The chess position looks like a joke set up for us by the players.
In a behind-the-scenes photo from the making of one of the Harry Potter films, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson sit opposite each other with a chess board between them. The Chess pieces are piled in a box on the board. Grint has some dark red scratches on his face and neck--hopefully makeup!
Happy birthday to Emma Watson, who apparently roughed up Rupert Grint pretty bad during the making of the Harry Potter movies.
Clipping from the American Chess Bulletin headlined "Foundering of the Titanic" that reproduces part of a chess column by Phillip H. Williams, including the line, "I am painfully aware of the utter triviality of my work this month, written as it is with my mind full to overflowing of the catastrophe which will go down the ages as one of the most frightful in maritime history!" The item goes on to cite some chess literature that was lost along with the mail being carried on the Titanic.
Here's how the American Chess Bulletin remarked on the sinking of the Titanic, which struck an iceberg on this day in 1912. From the July, 1912 issue.
Harold Stassen hunches over a small chess board on a low table opposite a boy of about ten. In the background, Stassen's wife and their daughter (about three) watch the game. The little girl is looking off-camera with curiosity, probably at the photographer.
Former Minnesota governor Harold Stassen, born April 13, 1907, played some chess with his son for the benefit of a Saturday Evening Post photographer in 1946. From Chess Review, November 1946.
In a scene from The One that Got Away, Hardy Krüger, wearing a leather bomber jacket with a Nazi insignia on the chest, sits at a table behind a chess set. George Mikell, dressed as a German officer, sits next to Krüger and eyes him with suspicion. Other military officers are visible in the background.
Hardy Krüger, born April 12, 1928, was a plucky German POW and sometime chess player in The One that Got Away (1957).
Clipping from the American Chess Bulletin about Aron Nimzovich that reads in part, "Some time ago he wrote a book entitled 'Mein System,' but, as no one seemed to go to the expense of publishing it, he took extracts from it and contributed them to whatever magazine cared to print them."
From American Chess Bulletin, February 1925, some off-hand commentary on Nimzovich's inability to find a publisher for his dense book "My System."
In a photo from The Rake magazine, David Harbour holds a cigar in his mouth and a lighter in his hand as he sits behind a chess set with gold and silver pieces. He wears an eggplant-colored suit and tie.
Happy birthday to David Harbour, who posed for The Rake magazine with a classy chess set in 2023. Best not to check the h1 square if you're triggered by such things.
In a scene from 3 Godfathers, John Wayne sits inside a jail cell and Ward Bond sits just outside the bars with a chess set on a low table. Wayne reaches through the bars to move a piece.
Ward Bond, born April 9, 1903, tried his luck against John Wayne in 3 Godfathers (1948).
In a scene from The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Keith Mitchell and Dorothy Tutin (as Henry and Anne Boleyn) play chess. There are only three pieces left on the board, two white and one black, and Tutin reaches across the table to hold Mitchell's hand.
Dorothy Tutin, seen here as Anne Boleyn sticking it to King Henry in The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1970), was born April 8, 1930.
In a scene from The Lego Ninjago Movie, Jackie Chan sits behind the counter of a dark curio shop talking to a young boy. A chess set sits on the counter nearby.
Happy birthday to Jackie Chan! The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017) would have been very different if he had decided to use that chess set instead of Lego to teach life lessons.
Paul Rudd strokes his chin while perusing a hard-bound copy of Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess.
Happy birthday to Paul Rudd, quantum chess expert. Image source: youtu.be/Hi0BzqV_b44?...
Lana Turner and Spencer Tracy sit opposite one another at a table playing chess. Herman Steiner, standing to one side along with director George Sidney, reaches in to move a piece.
Spencer Tracy, born April 5, 1900, got some tips from Herman Steiner during the making of Cass Timberlane (1947). From Chess Review, July 1947.
In a close-up photograph, Heath Ledger holds a knight as he moves wooden chess pieces around a glass table.
Heath Ledger, photographed here by Karin Catt in 2001, was born April 4, 1979.
shotcaller
jimmy (chess) o’leary
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chess plaza, washington square park, nyc
#documentary #blackandwhite #fujifilm #photojournalism #greenwichvillage #monochrome #ChessPlaza #washingtonsquarepark
end game
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#documentary #blackandwhite #fujifilm #photojournalism #greenwichvillage #monochrome #ChessPlaza #washingtonsquarepark #hijab
Marlon Brando, in costume as a motorcycle gangster, plays chess with a crew member with a travel set on a large metal table in a messy backstage area.
Marlon Brando, seen here getting tough on the set of The Wild One, was born April 3, 1924.
In a 1963 photograph, Serge Gainsbourg is seen from above sitting at a messy table. At his elbow are a drink in a glass, a concert flyer, a travel chess set, and what looks like a dead chicken.
Serge Gainsbourg, seen here making room for chess in a photograph by Roger Kasparian, was born April 2, 1928. Image source: www.cocosse.com/2015/10/serg...
In a scene from Drunk History on Comedy Central, Taran Killam approaches a chess board with a crazed look on his face.
Happy birthday to Taran Killam, a very funny Bobby Fischer on Drunk History.
In a photo credited to JUCO, Richard Chamberlain sits at a chess set smiling at the camera and holding the white king. He wears a grey suit jacket without a tie. Behind him is a regal fireplace.
Richard Chamberlain, seen here in a photo published by The Guardian in 2014, was born March 31, 1934.
In a scene from The Addams Family TV show, John Astin and Carolyn Jones sit at a table in their living room playing chess. They hold hands across the table, and the caption reads, "We're so perfectly matched." Jackie Coogan and Marie Blake (as Uncle Fester and Grandmama) stand to one side and watch the scene.
John Astin, seen here depicting the ideal marriage, was born March 30, 1930.
In a scene from Knight Moves, Christopher Lambert sits behind a chess set in a tournament setting looking intense.
Happy birthday to Christopher Lambert, chess master and maybe murderer in Knight Moves (1992).
In a scene from Hot L Baltimore, James Cromwell sits at a desk and moves pieces around a small chess set while Conchata Ferrell sits on the edge of the desk.
Conchata Ferrell, born March 28, 1943, interrupted James Cromwell's chess analysis in the 1975 sitcom Hot L Baltimore.
In a scene from The Affairs of Anatol, Elliott Dexter leans over a chess set to take Gloria Swanson's hand. Both are in formal wear.
Gloria Swanson, seen here being wooed by Elliott Dexter in The Affairs of Anatol (1921), was born March 27, 1899.
In a scene from a 2012 episode of Fringe, John Noble and Leonard Nimoy stand on opposite sides of a chess set with metal pieces and converse.
Happy Leonard Nimoy's birthday to all who celebrate. In his old age, he stepped down to playing two-dimensional chess on science fiction TV shows.
Arovah Bachtiar poses holding two large trophies in his arms.
Four-time Indonesian chess champion Arovah Bachtiar is 92 today! From Chess Review, January 1953.