Real or Fake - Picture of Hitler playing chess against Lenin in 1909

[Atreyu]

http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01474/chess_1474122c.jpg

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/culturenews/6130672/Pictured-Hitler-playing-chess-with-Lenin.html

I'm skeptical, but there does appear to be a fair amount of circumstantial evidence that it's genuine.

Just imagine if it is real - I wonder who won? And what they talked about? :)

[Shadow Storm]

And what they talked about?

So soon on the heels of the 1904-05 Russo-Japanese War, I can see Lenin talking about overthrowing the Russian goverment already, while Hitler might be talking about enlisting in the Austro-Hungarian army.

[Xavier Synik]

I'm more leaning to the fake side then the real side.

Historically it's definitely possible. In 1909 Lenin was in exile and travelling around Europe while also writing (and publishing at some point in 1909) the book which is basically the essence of Marxist-Leninist thinking.

Hitler was in Vienna if memory serves hanging out and being a bum (okay a bohemian, but same thing).

Only thing about that photo that makes me say fake...

In 1909, Lenin was well on his way to writing his way into history. But Hitler was a 20 year old kid who, while becoming an anti-Semite, was no where near becoming the man who history knows today. That really didn't happen until during and after World War One.

My opinion. Fake, unless a really really bizarre twist of fate that put them together before either of them had really put their mark on history.