According to his biographers, he picked up the game while working on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, which hit the charts in 1967. At the time, Ringo was 27. How old were you when chess cast its spell on you?
Ringo's favorite chess partner was none other than his wife, Barbara Bach. Were they tactical geniuses?
Not quite. But that didn't stop Starr from leaving his unique fingerprint (or should we say handprint?) on the chess world. In 1973, Asprey, a famed British jeweler, unveiled a mind-blowing chess set crafted from gold and silver. The twist? Every single piece was modeled after Ringo Starr's hands, frozen in distinctive gestures. Ringo himself collaborated on the project, and the molds even captured his iconic rings—a nod to his flamboyant style. Imagine playing chess with pieces shaped like the hands of rock 'n' roll royalty! There was just one catch: the price tag. Even back then, the set cost a cool £20,000. But honestly, can you put a price on playing chess with history?