Wednesday, May 9, 2007

Here's Looking At You Kid!




It turns out that Bogart was a very accomplished chess player. (Bogart's rating would probably be equivalent to a modern 2100.) His 1951 chess game was played against the actress Lauren Bacall who played leading roles opposite Bogart in several movies and who also became his 4th wife. Lauren was also a good chess player and gave bogie a run for his money.

Film Career:

Up the River (1930) $400/week The Petrified Forest (1936) $750/week, his wages would go up dramatically later on in his career. Casablanca (1942) $2,200/week (The chess scene with Peter Lorre in Casablanca was bogies idea) Bogart also played chess by mail with GIs during WWII.
Sabrina (1954) $300,000

Here is a link to a 1996 interview with Stephen Bogart with STEPHEN CAPEN in the Bay Area, San Francisco.

3 comments:

Cheryl Morris said...

You're right about Bogie playing chess with GIs by mail during WWII. In fact, the chess game he plays during "Casablanca" is one of those "games by mail".

VisionQuest said...

Thank you for that Cheryl, I thought what a wonderful thing to do play chess with the GI's during WW11! If any GI has a game played with bogie please send it in, I personally would like to see them. I have only seen four games played by the great man. (Behind every great man there is a greater woman) (I said that)I am intereasted in chess and anyone who plays the magical game.

VisionQuest said...

I have found a few of H. Bogarts games I hope you like them:
Bogart - NN, Hollywood 1933
1.d4 Nf6 2.g4 Nxg4 3.f3 Nf6 4.e4 d6 5.Be3 g6 6.Nc3 Bg7 7.Qd2 Nc6 8.O-O-O O-O 9.Bd3 e5 10.d5 Nb4 11.Bc4 a5 12.a3 Na6 13.h4 Nh5 14.Nge2 f5 15.Bg5 Bf6 16.f4 exf4 17.Nxf4 Nxf4 18.Qxf4 fxe4 19.Bh6 Re8 20.Nxe4 Bg7 21.Bxg7 Kxg7 22.h5 Bf5 23.hxg6 Bxg6 24.Qh6+ Kg8 25.Rdg1 Qe7 26.Rxg6+ hxg6 27.Qh8+ Kf7 28.Rh7 mate 1-0

Bogart - Sydney Greenstreet, Hollywood 1942 result: 1-0 in favor of Bogart during the filming of "Casablanca."

Bogart - Charles Boyer, Hollywood 1945 result: 1-0 in favor of Bogart during the filming of "The Confidential Agent."

Bogart - Bacall, Hollywood 1951
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb6 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

Limbos - Bogart, Stanleyville, Congo
1951 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bd3 Nf6 6.Nge2 O-O 7.O-O c6 8.Bg5 Nbd7 9.Ng3 Qc7 10.Nh5 Nxh5 11.Qxh5 g6 12.Qh6 f5 13.Rfe1 Nb6 14.Re2 Bd7 15.Be7 Bxe7 16.Rxe7 Rf7 17.Rxf7 Kxf7 18.Qxh7+ Kf6 19.Re1 Qd6 20.g4 Rd8 21.f4 g5 22.h4 1-0

Koltanowski - Bogart, San Francisco 1952
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 Nf6 5.Ne2 Bg4 6.O-O Bd6 7.f3 Be6 8.Bf4 O-O 9.Nd2 Nc6 10.c3 Ne7 11.Bxd6 Qxd6 12.f4 c5 13.Nf3 Nf5 14.Qd2 Ne4 15.Qc1 Rac8 16.dxc5 Qxc5+ 17.Ned4 Nxd4 18.Nxd4 Rc7 19.f5 Bd7 20.Bxe4 dxe4 21.Qf4 Re8 22.Rae1 Re5 23.Rxe4 Rxe4 24.Qxe4 Bc6 25.Qe3 Re7 26.Qg3 Re8 27.f6 g6 28.Qh4 h5 29.Re1 Rxe1+ 30.Qxe1 Qd6 31.Nxc6 Qxc6 32.Qe7 Qc8 33.h3 Qc6 34.b4 Qxc3 35.Qe8+ Kh7 36.Qxf7+ Kh6 37.Qe7 Qc1+ 38.Kf2 Qf4+ 39.Ke2 Qc4+ 40.Kf3 Kg5 41.f7+ 1-0

Sammy Reshevsky - Bogart, Hollywood 1955 A drawn game in a simultaneous exhibition
Reshevsky is not an easy chess player to beat or get a drawn game!