As chess world champion Magnus Carlsen defends his title against Fabiano Caruana in London, here are a few celebrities, from Bob Dylan to Marlene Dietrich, who could join them in a game.
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Chess: the game of kings and artists
From Humphrey Bogart to Marlene Dietrich, here's a selection of stars who are also fans of chess.
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Pastime of the stars
American Western actor John Wayne (right) was an enthusiastic chess player. German film diva Marlene Dietrich (left) is said to have always traveled with a huge chess board. The board game was particularly popular among Hollywood stars in the 1930s to 1950s. Dietrich and Wayne are pictured here in 1942 on the set of the film "Pittsburgh."
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Chess in Casablanca
Humphrey Bogart, as café owner Rick Blaine (left), sits intently at the chess board. The classic scene in "Casablanca" (1942) remains unforgettable. Bogart was an avid chess player off camera as well. He got lessons from US chess champ Herman Steiner.
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Brecht at the board
German poet and director Bertolt Brecht, pictured here around 1942, regularly played chess. After fleeing the Nazis, he lived in exile in Denmark. During the summers of 1934, 1936 and 1938, he was visited by his friend Walter Benjamin, who was living in exile in Paris, and the two would duel each other at the checkered board together every day.
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Think before you move
Chess is not only popular in films, but also in comics — like this edition of Lucky Luke. The Western hero drawn by Belgian cartoonist Morris is famous for drawing his pistol faster than his own shadow can. But speed isn't necessarily an advantage when it comes to playing chess.
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Chess for a good cause
British musician Sting, founder of the band Police, went up against Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov in New York in 2000. Their match was even broadcast on Times Square. The duel was a charity meant to raise money for a rain forest protection organization that Sting had supported.
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It was a surprise that the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature went to Bob Dylan, because he's seen more as a musician than a writer. But the man has even more talents — including at the chess board.
In Hollywood in the 1930s to 1950s, chess was a common pastime among actors. The game was played by Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine in the classic film"Casablanca," but it was also enjoyed behind the scenes. The actors would relax their bodies during their long breaks, while other scenes were being shot, by exercising their brains.
James Dean, Charlie Chaplin, John Wayne, Marlon Brando, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, and Marlene Dietrich were all known as chess buffs — though the list could go on forever.
American chess expert Herman Steiner founded the Steiner Chess Club in Los Angeles, which welcomed many stars and was later renamed as the Hollywood Chess Group.
Bogart was considered the most ambitious player, and his wife Lauren Bacall was also a regular in the club.
Marcel Duchamp of France and Max Ernst of Germany were among the artists who played chess the most. Duchamp developed new figures for the game and was considered one of the best players in his country.
He regularly challenged US artist Man Ray and composer John Cage to matches.
For Max Ernst, the game with the black and white figures also turned into a passion. Like Duchamp, he also designed new figures out of glass and wood.
Later generations seemed to have abandoned the game. Singer and actress Madonna has said she's taken lessons. And actress Eliza Dushku, who rose to fame as the vampire chaser Buffy, admitted in 2009, "Yes, I am a chess nerd too."
