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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 1h

Happy birthday to Avery Brooks, who kept it old school on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

In a scene from Deep Space Nine, Avery Brooks sits behind a chess board with wooden pieces.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Happy birthday to Brie Larson, who celebrated her admission into the Marvel canon with some thematic chess.

Brie Larson sits at a dining table behind a Marvel Heroes themed chess set.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Happy birthday to Naomi Watts, seen here on the verge of playing chess with Bill Murray in The Friend (2024).

In a scene from The Friend, Bill Murray and Naomi Watts sit side by side on a sofa. Murray wears pajamas and a bathrobe; Watts is fully dressed and leans her head on Murray's shoulder. On a coffee table directly in front of them sits a French-regency-style chess set.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Chess Life & Review, fifty years ago this month.

Cover of the September, 1976 issue of Chess Life & Review, featuring a candid photo of Viktor Korchnoi sitting at a chess board, with the caption, "Korchnoi Defects! See Page 506".

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Happy birthday to Jim Caviezel, who got some instructions from Michael Emerson over chess in the park in a 2014 episode of Person of Interest.

In a scene from Person of Interest, Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson sit opposite one another at an outdoor chess board. A German shepherd watches the proceedings from the side.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Happy birthday to Will Smith, seen here showing son Trey the ropes in a picture he posted to Facebook in 2023.

Will Smith considers a chess endgame position while his son Trey, about ten years old, watches from the side.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Happy birthday to Eddie George, who played chess through an interview with WTOL about his current gig as head coach at Bowling Green State.

Eddie George and Tyler Seggerman sit at a table playing chess on a small wooden set. Link to the interview: https://www.wtol.com/video/sports/local-sports/the-coachs-gambit-eddie-george-on-chess-football-and-building-bgsu-culture/512-fc8dddee-6bc0-487f-b767-af2f3ee00ffa

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Richard Tyler, born September 23, 1932, played a bit of chess in It's in the Bag! (1945). Image source: forgottenactors.blogspot.com/2014/02/rich...

In a scene from It's in the Bag!, a twelve-year-old Richard Tyler sits behind a wooden chess set wearing large round glasses and an argyle sweater vest.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

John Houseman, born September 22, 1902, appears here in The Babysitter (1980), a suspense thriller about whether anyone will use that chess set on the coffee table.

In a scene from the 1980 TV movie The Babysitter, John Houseman sits on a sofa next to a Siamese cat, talking on a rotary telephone. A chess set sits on the coffee table in front of him, its pieces in their starting positions.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Happy birthday to Alfonso Ribeiro, best known as the inspiring chess-playing kid from The Mighty Pawns (1987).

In a scene from The Mighty Pawns, Alfonso Ribeiro and Terence Knox face off across a chess board. Ribeiro smiles as he makes the killing move with his queen.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Happy birthday to Kristen Johnston, chess seductress in Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999).

In a scene from The Spy Who Shagged Me, Kristen Johnston holds up a chess king and casts a skeptical look at her opponent, who is out of frame.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

David McCallum, born September 19, 1933, played chess in solitary confinement in the 1972 BBC series Colditz.

In a scene from Colditz, David McCallum, wearing an RAF uniform, leans over a crude wooden table and studies a chess position set up with tiny paper pieces.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Happy birthday to Struan Rodger, who played pub chess with Ian McShane in a 1994 episode of Lovejoy.

In a scene from Lovejoy, Ian McShane and Struan Rodger play chess at a table in a busy pub.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Roddy McDowall, born September 17, 1928, played a dramatic game of chess with Barbara Carrera in Embryo (1976).

In a scene from Embryo, Roddy McDowall and Barbara Carrera sit at a table playing chess on a wooden board with figurative pieces. About twenty people crowd around to watch.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Happy birthday to Fan Bingbing, seen here sort of playing chess in a fashion shoot for Yanina Couture.

Fan Bingbing poses on a giant chess board with three- and four-foot pieces wearing a black dress embroidered with stalks of wheat.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Happy birthday to Tommy Lee Jones, the Sindarov to Morgan Freeman's Gukesh in Just Getting Started (2017).

In a scene from Just Getting Started, Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman square off at a wooden chess board with clock while a crowd gathers to watch.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

On Sam Neill's birthday, let us remember the time he tried to play a peaceful game of chess with his wife in Bicentennial Man (1999).

In a scene from Bicentennial Man, Sam Neill and Wendy Crewson sit at a dining table playing chess with a large set with figurative pieces.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Happy birthday to Sydney Sweeney, seen here livening up a party with a little chess in Under the Silver Lake (2018).

In a scene from Under the Silver Lake, Bobbi Salvör Menuez, Sydney Sweeney, and two male actors sit around a table in a garden. A portable chess set sits on the table.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

On this day in 1913, Austrian chess master Julius Perlis lost his way in the alps and died of exposure. Here's American Chess Bulletin's obituary.

Three-paragraph obituary titled, "Tragedy of Dr. Perlis," describing how Julius Perlis, an internationally renowned chess player, lost his way while hiking in the Styrian Alps and died before locals could find him.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Happy birthday to Guy Ritchie, who apparently can beat up Jason Statham (at chess).

Guy Ritchie and Jason Statham sit on opposite sides of a coffee table where a chess game is in progress. Ritchie looks at the camera and raises his arms in triumph while Statham watches and smiles. Image source: https://reviewnation.net/wrath-of-man-review-dragon-movie-guy-review-nation/

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Happy birthday to Goran Višnjić, who was too captivated with his opponent to finish this game in the video for Madonna's The Power of Goodbye (1998).

In a scene from the music video for The Power of Goodbye by Madonna, Goran Višnjić sits behind a chess set and looks up dreamily from the position.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Sid Caesar, born September 8, 1922, channeled his rage into chess for Chess Review in 1948.

Cover of the October 1948 issue of Chess Review magazine, featuring a photo of Sid Caesar, wearing a suit and top hat, grimacing as he moves a knight on a chess board. Barbara Weaver stands beside the table and watches.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Happy birthday to Michael Emerson, who overdressed for chess in the park in a 2014 episode of Person of Interest.

In a scene from Person of Interest, Michael Emerson sits on a park bench behind a chess set. A german shepherd sits patiently next to the bench.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Happy birthday to Bertie Carvel, who had to contend with an unorthodox opponent when he played Doctor Dee at the Palace Theatre in Manchester in 2011.

In a scene from the opera Doctor Dee, Bertie Carvel, wearing a long black velvet coat, stands over a chess board while a man in a black, long-beaked plague mask leans in from the other side to move a piece.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Happy birthday to Michael Keaton, who made do with the chess equipment available in prison in Desperate Measures (1998).

In a scene from Desperate Measures, Michael Keaton, wearing a prison jumpsuit and glasses, sits on a cot in front of a cinder block wall. Next to him, a metal table holds several books and an improvised chess board with pieces made of folded paper.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

Happy birthday to John DiMaggio, voice of one of the future's premier chess computers.

In a scene from Futurama, Fry and Bender play a game similar to holochess (the Millennium Falcon's famous board game).

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 03/09/2026

Happy birthday to Charlie Sheen, who knows a chess set always classes up a portrait.

In a photo by John Chapple for DailyMail.com, Charlie Sheen poses in a wing-back chair behind a dining table. A chess set is on the table in the blurry foreground.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Happy birthday to Keanu Reeves, who ought to be able to afford a board.

In a photo by Guy Bolongaro, China Miéville and Keanu Reeves sit side by side behind a round table with a green tablecloth. Wooden chess pieces are scattered on the table, and Reeves tosses a knight into the air. The picture is from a NY Times interview to promote a novel Reeves and Miéville wrote together.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Happy birthday to Padma Lakshmi, who posed for Marie Claire magazine last year.

In a fashion photo by Ruben Chamorro, Padma Lakshmi holds a knight as she poses behind a small wooden chess set.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Happy birthday to Rajkummar Rao, who posted this picture of the perfect vacation to Instagram last year.

Patralekhaa and Rajkummar Rao sit at a table playing chess with a clock. Directly behind them is a floor-to-ceiling window revealing a verdant landscape.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

Happy birthday to Michael Chiklis! He posted this intense-looking chess photo from his time on The Shield to Twitter in 2021.

Jay Karnes and Michael Chiklis play chess with a plastic tournament set and clock in a dimly lit room.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 29/08/2026

Happy birthday to Carla Gugino, who went full pinup for Vanity Fair magazine in 2009.

In a fashion photo by Matthew Rolston, Carla Gugino wears a green, off-the-shoulder dress hiked up to expose the tops of her silk stockings as she sits on an ottoman next to a modernist chess set.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

David Soul, born August 28, 1943, did his best Bogart in NBC's ill-advised 1983 Casablanca series.

In a scene from the Casablanca TV show, David Soul sits at a cafe table holding a cocktail glass and cigarette and studying a chess position.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Happy birthday to Kyle Lowder, who played some chill fireside chess with Frederick Keeve in The Godfather Buck (2022).

In a scene from The Godfather Buck, Frederick Keeve and Kyle Lowder sit on the floor in front of a stone fireplace and play chess with a tournament-sized wooden set.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Happy birthday to Jane Merrow, who outplayed Gary Merrill in The Woman Who Wouldn't Die (1965).

In a scene from The Woman Who Wouldn't Die, Gary Merrill and Jane Merrow sit side by side on a sofa. A chess set with a game in progress sits directly in front of Merrow.

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Reposted by Chess Olympus

Jonathan Manley @kingpined.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Café de la Régence subscription receipt given to Pierre-François Guingret, one of Napoleon's generals. #chess @europe-echecs.com

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

August 25 is Arpad Elo's (left) birthday, a date alternately honored and cursed by chess players the world over. Image source: worldchesshof.org/inductee/arp...

Arpad Elo and Fred Cramer, both wearing suits and ties, lean over a chess board studying the position.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Happy birthday to Craig Kilborn, who posted this picture of himself drawing up basketball plays on a chessboard during the 2024 NBA playoffs. I daresay if he was drawing up a chess play, it wasn't a very good one!

In a photo from Craig Kilborn's Instagram page, Kilborn poses at a table in front of a fireplace. On the table is a quartz chess set, the pieces mostly in their starting positions with a few moved seemingly at random. The caption reads, "Drawing up plays on the chessboard for ANT..."

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

Happy birthday to James Corden! David Howell gave him high marks on Instagram when the two played during the making of Chess Masters: The Endgame.

David Howell and James Corden sit in folding chairs at a small table playing chess. Just above them, a large screen displays Sue Perkins in a promotional photo for Chess Masters: The Endgame.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

Wilt Chamberlain, born August 21, 1936, looks like he's barely keeping his cats off the board. Is that an early chess computer he's playing (the photo is from 1985)?

Wilt Chamberlain lounges on a bed playing chess with a large wooden set. Two black cats cuddle next to him. The photo was for a 1986 Purina celebrity pet calendar.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Happy birthday to Joan Allen, protective chess mom in Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993).

In a scene from Searching for Bobby Fischer, Joan Allen and Max Pomeranc share a park bench while Pomeranc plays chess with a man whose back is to the camera.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Happy birthday to John Stamos, who took on Kelly Jenrette in an episode of Grandfathered.

In a scene from the sitcom Grandfathered, John Stamos and Kelly Jenrette sit at a restaurant table playing chess with a glass set.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Happy birthday to Christian Slater, who yukked it up over chess with Rami Malek during the making of Mr. Robot in 2016.

Christian Slater and Rami Malek smile and laugh as they play chess at an outdoor picnic table.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Happy birthday to Robert De Niro, who played a bit of chess for the benefit of Haute Living magazine.

In a photo by Scott McDermott, Robert De Niro sits behind a small wooden chess set and raises a piece to move it.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Happy birthday to Timothy Hutton, who played chess in an outfit that would make Levon Aronian roll his eyes in a 2011 episode of Leverage.

In a scene from Leverage, Ayla Kell and Timothy Hutton play chess in a formal setting with a tournament-style wooden set and a clock. Kell wears a casual sweater set, and Hutton wears a white shirt, a long white scarf, and a black Panama hat with a black-and-white band.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 15/08/2026

Chess Life & Review, fifty years ago this month.

Cover of the August, 1976 issue of Chess Life & Review, featuring U.S. Junior co-champions Michael Rohde and Mark Diesen posing with their trophies, along with tournament director Carol Little and Memphis chess club president James Little.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Happy birthday to Steve Martin, miracle worker and chess player in Leap of Faith (1992).

In a scene from Leap of Faith, Steve Martin sits at a table in a diner playing chess with a magnetic travel set.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Fidel Castro would be 100 years old today.

Cover of Boletin Ajedrez magazine from 1979, featuring a photo of Fidel Castro, wearing his signature military uniform and holding a cigar, sitting at a chess board.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Happy birthday to George Hamilton, who took evident pride in his chess set (but does he have a bishop on his h-file for some reason?).

In a black-and-white photo by Curt Gunther, George Hamilton, leans in close to a chess set and reaches to adjust a piece. I don't know the date of the photo, but Hamilton looks to be about thirty.

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Chess Olympus @chessolympus.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

Arlene Dahl, born August 11, 1925, looks like she's in danger of letting Ray Milland talk her out of her move during the making of Jamaica Run (1953).

Ray Milland, in costume as a sailor, sits at a cardboard-and-plastic chess set opposite Arlene Dahl. Dahl's index finger rests on top of her queen, while Milland points at it and the two lock eyes.

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