John Denis Martin Nunn (born April 25, 1955 in London) is an English chess player and mathematician. John Nunn went up to Oriel College, Oxford, to study mathematics when he was only 15 years of age in 1970. At the time, it was said that he was Oxford's youngest undergraduate since Cardinal Wolsey. He graduated in 1973, gained his doctorate in 1978 and remained at Oxford University as a mathematics lecturer until 1981, when he became a professional chess player.

Samuel Loyd (January 31, 1841-April 10, 1911), born in Philadelphia and raised in New York, was an American puzzle author and recreational mathematician. As a chess composer, he authored a number of chess problems, often with witty themes. At his peak, Loyd was one of the best chess players in the U.S., and was ranked 15th in the world, according to Chessmetrics. His playing style was flawed, as he tried to create fantastic combinations over the board, …

Piotr Murdzia is a chess International Master from Poland. He was awarded the IM title in 1994. He won tournaments in Świdnica (1998) and Legnica (2003) making two grandmaster's norms. He is known as one of the best solvers in the world (2006 Ratings). He has won the World Chess Solving Championship three times (2002, 2005, 2006) and placed second twice (2001,2004). In 2006 he won the European Chess Solving Championship in Warsaw.

Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov was a Russian-American author. Nabokov wrote his first literary works in Russian, but rose to international prominence as a masterly prose English stylist for the novels he composed in the United States. He is also noted for having made significant contributions to lepidoptery and creating a number of chess problems. Nabokov's "Lolita" (1955) is frequently cited as his most important novel, …

Milan Radoje Vukcevich (March 11, 1937 - May 10, 2003) was a Yugoslav scientist, chess player and chess problem composer. Vukcevich was born in Belgrade. In 1955 he won the Yugoslav Junior Championship, drawing a six game match with Bent Larsen in the same year. He became a chess International Master in 1958, and in 1960 played for Yugoslavia at the Chess Olympiad in Leipzig and had the second best overall score at the Student Chess Olympiad in Leningrad.

Dr Andrew Jonathan Mestel (born 13 March 1957 in Cambridge, England) is an applied mathematician at Imperial College who works on magnetohydrodynamics and biological fluid dynamics. He was the first person to be awarded chess International Grandmaster titles by FIDE in both over-the-board play and problem solving. He was World under-16 chess champion in 1974, was awarded the chess GM title in 1982, won the British Chess Championship in 1976, 1983 and 1988, …

Pal Benko is a chess grandmaster, author, and composer of endgame studies and chess problems.

Tivadar Kardos was a well-known Hungarian chess problem creator (Chess composer) and author in chess. Kardos, an academic by career, composed more than 400 chess problems. He focused on two-move problems, as well as self- and helpmates. He was chairman of the Budapest Chess Problem Committee. Together with István Rágó, from 1969 to 1976 he published the paper "Feladványkedvelők Lapja" (Paper of the Friends of Chess Problems). At right is shown one of his problems.

Noam D. Elkies (born 1966 in New York City) is a mathematician. While an undergraduate at Columbia University, he was a three-time Putnam Fellow. He won the 1982 competition at the age of sixteen years and four months, making him possibly the youngest Putnam Fellow in history. After graduating as valedictorian, he earned his Ph.D. under supervision of Benedict Gross and Barry Mazur at Harvard University.

Walter Grimshaw (March 12 1832 - December 27 1890) was a 19th century composer of chess problems. In 1854 he won the first ever chess problem solving competition in London. He is perhaps best known for giving his name to the Grimshaw, a popular problem theme. This is one of his problems, a mate in five (white moves first, and must checkmate black within five moves against any defence) first published in the "Illustrated London News" in 1850.

Jan Rusinek (born 1950) is a Polish mathematician and chess problem composer, in which field he is particularly noted for his endgame studies. He was editor of the study section of "Szachy" (Chess) from 1971 to the magazine's closure in 1990. He became an International Judge of Chess Composition in 1983, and a Grandmaster of Chess Composition in 1992.

Marko Klasinc (born 14 May 1951) is Slovenian chess problemist. He composed almost 200 chess problems, mostly heterodox and retrograde ones (12 included in FIDE Album. He has title FIDE solving master and international judge of FIDE for chess composition. As a good solver he represented Yugoslavia 1982 in Varna, where the team became World Champion solving chess problems. He is the president of Committee for Chess Compositions of Chess Federation of Slovenia.

Thomas Rayner Dawson, British chess problemist (28th November, 1889 Leeds - 16th December 1951) Thomas Dawson published his first problem, a two-mover in 1907. His chess problem compositions include 5,320 fairies, 885 direct mates, 97 self mates and 138 endings. 120 of his problems have been awarded prizes and 211 honorably mentioned or otherwise commended. Dawson invented many fairy pieces and new conditions.

Karel Traxler was a Czech chess master and composer of chess problems. He is best known for the ultra-sharp variation named after him, the Traxler Variation in the Two Knights Defense, which was first shown in the following game against Reinisch, …

Erich Ernest Zepler, later known as Eric, was a German-born electronics expert and chess problem composer. He studied physics in Berlin and Bonn before receiving his doctorate from the University of Würzburg. He went on to work for Telefunken, becoming head of the radio receiver laboratories. A Jew, he fled Germany in 1935, leaving behind all his possessions, and settled in England. There, he dropped the H in his first name, becoming Eric, …

Alexander Dmitrievich Petrov (February 12 1794 in Biserovo - April 22 1867 in Warszawa) was a Russian chess player and chess composer who analyzed (with Carl Jaenisch) the Petrov's Defence. Petrov is usually remembered as the first great Russian chess master and champion. His most well-known problem is "The Retreat of Napoleon I from Moscow".

Alexander (Sándor) Pituk was a Slovak and Hungarian chess problem composer and judge. He resided all his life only in Banská Štiavnica and worked as a carpenter. He was appointed an International Judge of Chess Compositions and was awarded the FIDE Master for Chess Composition and "Honorary Master of Chess Composition" title. He is author of 584 compositions (60 of them award winners).

Hrvoje (Vojko) Bartolović, was Croatian chess problemist. Croatian Grandmaster of chess composition Hrvoje Bartolović was considered to be the best Croatian chess problemist, with the possible exception of Nenad Petrović. Since 1948, he has published more than 800 problems (81 included in FIDE Album). Over 180 of them were awarded with prize (80 with the 1st prize), some 120 with honourable mentions and 120 with commendations.

Ľudovít Lačný is a Slovak chess problem composer and judge. He was born in Banská Štiavnica and studied mathematics, working as a teacher, and as a computer programmer. In 1956 he was appointed an International Judge of Chess Compositions and in 2005 was awarded the International Master for Chess Composition title. He is best known as the eponym of the Lacny cycle, according the theme invented by him in 1949.

Joseph Plachutta, also "Josip Plahuta" (* 13 May 1827 in Zadar, Austrian Empire, today's Croatia, † 22 July 1883) was a Slovene chess problemist and chess player, known for his famous problem with Plachutta theme. <br clear="all"> <br /><br /><br /> Solution: 1.Qf3! (threat 2.d4 mate) 1...Nxc5 2.Rg7!! (typical Plachutta! 3.Qg3 and 3.Bc7) 2...Rgxg7 3.Bc7+ Rxc7 4.Qg3# 2...Rhxg7 3. Qg3+ Rxg3 4.Bc7# <br clear="all">

Charles Masson Fox was a prominent Cornish businessman who achieved international prominence in the world of chess problems and a place in the gay history of Edwardian England. Masson Fox was born into a prominent Quaker family (although he was not related to the Quakers’ founder George Fox) and was a cousin of the fraudulent sinologist Sir Edmund Backhouse, 2nd Baronet. Living throughout his life in the Cornish seaside town of Falmouth, …

Ottó Titusz Bláthy, was a Hungarian electrical engineer. In his career, he became the co-inventor of the electric transformer, the tension regulator, the watt meter, the alternating current (AC) electric motor, the turbogenerator, and the high efficiency turbogenerator. Ottó Titusz's career as an inventor began during his time at the Ganz Works in 1883. There, he conducted experiments for creating a transformer.

Beniamino Vergani was an Italian chess master. A businessman who learned the game in 1884, and very soon was distinguished himself in the local tournaments. He took part in the national tournament at Turin 1892, coming second behind Torre. Vergani took 22nd place at Hastings 1895. He had won second prize in an Italian National Tournament prior to this. In 1900, he came 2nd-3rd in Rome scoring 10 out of 14, and in 1901 he was fifth in Venice with 5.5 out of 14.