John L. Watson

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John Watson at the 2003 U.S. Chess Championships in Seattle, Washington

John L. Watson is an International Master (IM) of chess. He was born in 1951 and grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and was educated at Brownell-Talbot, Harvard, and the University of California at San Diego, where he took his degree in engineering. He is a renowned chess theorist and teacher who writes lucid books and book reviews. His picture was on the cover of the May 1969 issue of Chess Life magazine after he won the first US National High School Chess Championship. He is also a successful coach, and his disciples include Tal Shaked, the 1997 World Junior Champion.

Watson has written more than thirty books on many aspects of chess. His 1999 book Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy won the British Chess Federation's Book of the year award, and has been translated to several languages. His four volume work on the English Opening has been a best seller for more than twenty-five years. He also wrote the amusing Chessman comic book series.

Watson lives with his spouse Maura Giles-Watson and their dog Milo in Lincoln, Nebraska.

[edit] Selected Books

Play the French, third edition, (Cadogan Chess Books) ISBN 1-85744-337-3
Chess Strategy in Action ISBN 1-901983-69-2
The Unconventional King's Indian ISBN 1-84382-150-8
The Gambit Guide to the Modern Benoni ISBN 1-901983-23-4
Secrets of Modern Chess Strategy: Advances since Nimzowitsch, Gambit Publications, 1999, ISBN 1-901983-07-2
Chess Strategy in Action, Gambit, 2003, ISBN 1-901983-69-2
English 1...P-K4 ISBN 1-84382-144-3
Mastering the Chess Openings, Gambit Publications. Volume 1 (1. e4): ISBN 1-904600-60-3 (2006), volume 2 (1. d4): ISBN 1-904600-69-7 (2007).