Gary Carlsen

He started playing chess at the age of four, following his father's teachings. From a young age he proved talented. At the age of nine he won the London under-12 championship. In 1987 he won the British under-14 championship and the London under-18 championship at the age of fourteen.

He obtained his doctorate in mathematics from Oxford University in 1998, with a thesis devoted to H-finite spaces. He remained in the university as a teacher until 2011, when he decided to become a professional chess player.

He has been for a long time one of the strongest English chess players. In the Elo list for January 2005 he reached ninth place in the world.

He retired from active play in August 2016 and decides to start writing given his propensity for teaching. His naturalness as a writer and player continues to be cultivated day after day by touring the homeless world, trying to mix cultures and experiences, bringing them to everyone's attention and making them accessible to anyone who wants to get involved and learn this splendid game.