Answer to Chess Trivia Question: Yes! It's Humphrey Bogart

American actor Humphrey Bogart as Rick Blaine in Casablanca

Hello Everyone,

Most of you got it right. This photograph is indeed that of American actor Humphrey Bogart as the character Rick Blaine - a chess player - in the movie Casablanca.

Bogart was not only an accomplished chess player but also a United States Chess Federation tournament director plus an active member of the California State Chess Association. A strong player, he is known to have drawn a game with US champion Samuel Reshevsky. Bogart was also friends with many top international players.

In his biography 'Bogart and Bacall', Joe Hyams writes that Bogart played chess to earn some money after the Depression of 1929.

As an act of support for US soldiers abroad during the World War II, Bogart played correspondence chess till the FBI stopped him for fear of secret codes being sent abroad. Bogart often played chess on the sets with the crew of his movies.

In 1945 he appeared on the cover of Chess Review magazine to help promote that years Pan American Chess Congress. The cover featured Bogie playing a game against fellow actor and chess aficionado Charles Boyer as chessmaster Herman Steiner and Lauren Bacall look on.

Here is an interesting game between Humphrey Bogart and American actress Lauren Bacall. You can run it in our pgnplayer or watch it in the flash below. Don't miss how Bogart piles up his attack on the e-file.

PGN: 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. d3 d5 5. exd5 Qxd5 6. c4 Bb4+ 7. Nc3 Bxc3+ 8. bxc3 Qd6 9. a4 Bd7 10. Ba3 Qf6 11. Qe2 Nge7 12. Bxe7 Qxe7 13. Bxc6 Bxc6 14. Nxe5 Bxg2 15. Rg1 Bh3 16. Rg3 Be6 17. d4 c6 18. d5 cxd5 19. cxd5 Bxd5 20. c4 Be6 21. Re3 f6 22. Nd3 Kf7 23. Nf4 Rae8 24. Nxe6 Qb4+ 25. Kf1 Re7 26. Re1 Rhe8 27. Nd8+ Kf8 28. Rxe7 Rxe7 29. Qxe7+ Qxe7 30. Rxe7 Kxe7 31. Nxb7 1-0

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's

www.chessblog.com

Also see her personal blog at

www.chessqueen.com