Non - Chess celebrity who played chess..

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Avatar of slvnfernando

I wonder who might be the most celebrated personality in human history who was not a chess player by profession, yet played chess as a hobby?

Lenin, Gorky and Che are a few that comes to my mind!

 Che in his USSR visit at a Chess game.

This pic shows Lenin and Bogdanov (a Bolshevik leader )playing Chess being watched by Maxim Gorky (standing)

 

Tolstoy playing chess.

Any other celebrities come to mind , friends?

 

Avatar of slvnfernando

Looks like they do not!

Avatar of dashkee94

The first two that spring to my mind are Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson.

Avatar of dashkee94

Napolean was kinda famous, too.

Avatar of DiogenesDue

http://www.chess.com/article/view/the-best-celebrity-chessplayer

Avatar of slvnfernando
dashkee94 wrote:

Napolean was kinda famous, too.

Yes, his encounters with the " Turk" are hilarious, if anythinga!

Avatar of philtheking1981

Stanley Kubrick (film director) was apparently quite good at the game...

Avatar of slvnfernando

Surely , there must be more , friends!

Avatar of Charlotte

i think Lennox Lewis is rated about 1900

Avatar of sisu

Let's make it happen!

Avatar of Ikeepminehidden

Vladimir Nabokov

Avatar of dashkee94

Robert E. Lee

Avatar of SHRDLU

But Jan Timman doubts the authenticity of the stereotypical photo of Lenin playing chess.

And I myself am skeptical regarding this etching:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/6130672/Pictured-Hitler-playing-chess-with-Lenin.html

Avatar of viltaire

Aleister Crowley

Avatar of dashkee94

Nobody mentions Einstein and Oppenheimer?  Curious.

Avatar of SHRDLU

According to his biographer Pais, Einstein didn't like games at all.

Avatar of pfren

Bogie.

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=65398

Avatar of sapientdust

Hitler: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/6130672/Pictured-Hitler-playing-chess-with-Lenin.html

Although I guess that's more in the 'infamous' than 'celebrated' category.

Avatar of cleocamy

Bogie and Frank Sinatra for sure. They often played each other. A similar pair these days would be Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

Avatar of fabelhaft

Hitler didn't play chess and neither did Stalin - maybe a good sign.