John Nunn

Dr John Nunn (born April 25, 1955) is one of the world’s best-known chess players and authors. He showed early promise by winning the British Under-14 Championship at the age of twelve. In 1970 he entered Oxford University at the unusually early age of 15 and in 1978 he achieved a double success by gaining both the GM title and a doctorate (with a thesis in algebraic topology).

In 1981 John abandoned academic life for a career as a professional chess player. In 1984 he gained three individual gold medals at the Thessaloniki Olympiad, two for his 10/11 performance on board two for England and one for winning the problem-solving event held on a free day.

John's best period for over-the-board play was 1988-91. In 1989 he was ranked in the world top ten, and in the same year he finished sixth in the GMA World Cup series, which included virtually all the world’s top players. He also won the famous tournament at Wijk aan Zee outright in 1990 and 1991, to add to a previous tie for first place in 1982.

John became a successful chess author in the late 1980s and 1990s, and has three times won the prestigious British Chess Federation Book of the Year prize. In 1997 he (together with Murray Chandler and Graham Burgess) founded Gambit Publications, which now has more than 200 chess books in print. When he effectively retired from over-the-board play in 2003, he revisited an early interest in chess problems and in 2004 won the World Chess Problem Solving Championship, at the same time adding a GM solving title to his earlier over-the-board title. In 2007 he again won the World Chess Problem Solving Championship, and in 2010 had his best year to date, winning both the European and World Chess Problem Solving Championships.

In 1995 he married the German chess player Petra Fink. They have one son, Michael, currently aged fifteen, who also plays chess.

Recent news

Chess under Covid

1/28/2021 – The Covid-19 pandemic has been devastating for many families and has brought many changes to the way billions of people live. It has also wrought a transformation of the chess world. This is described by John Nunn, who is playing vigorously in online tournaments. He has kindly annotated a game for us – one in which for the first time in his career he mated his opponent with a double check.

Solving with Nunn

9/20/2019 – Problem solving is a challenging field, with young participants generally dominating. There is one exception. Year after year a British mathematician, grandmaster and chess writer gives the strongest and brightest a run for their money. This year 64-year-old John Nunn finished a close second, behind the youthful Polish solver Piotr Górski. John has sent us a full report with examples of the tasks that the solvers faced. You can match your wits against them. | Photo Petra Nunn

Garry Kasparov – did he actually exist?

10/20/2018 – A full century after the Doomsday Worm had erased all the world’s electronic records, British scientists discovered, excarvations in the suburbs of Hamburg, Germany, evidence of the existence of a game that was popular in the 20th century, and of the existence of a legendary champion of the game. We have a transcript of a lecture held in Oxford in 2147 by Prof. Eduard Sommer, which we quote in this spoof article by John Nunn. It also contains two remarkable puzzles.

Championship problem solutions

10/18/2018 – Some weeks ago the World Chess Problem Solving Championship took place in Ohrid, a beautiful lakeside town in Macedonia. Mathematician and grandmaster JOHN NUNN, 63 years of age, did extremely well, winning the Open section. In his report John provided us with a sample of six problems, which showed us what the participants had to go through. Today he provides the solutions, explained in his unmatched style of unravelling complex chess ideas.

Nunn on the World Chess Solving Championship 2018

9/23/2018 – It is a highly challenging discipline, with the top places generally going to the younger participants. But year after year a British mathematician, grandmaster and chess writer competes, successfully, with the strongest and brightest. This year the World Championship in problem-solving was held in a beautiful lakeside town in Macedonia, and once again 63-year-old JOHN NUNN did extremely well. In his report, he gives us some examples of the tasks that he faced. | Pictured: winners in the individual event, Kacper Piorun, Piotr Murdzia and Tomáš Peitl | Photo: Franziska Iseli

GM tutorial: Learn to play the Evans Gambit

7/11/2018 – Looking for something new to play in your next tournament? Or in your next club game, or against your traditional holiday opponent. Here's a recommendation by a world-class grandmaster and leading chess author. GM JOHN NUNN explains the ideas behind the daring Evans Gambit and the strategy you should use to play it successfully. Most importantly: you can try out everything right there in your browser against an engine that matches the playing strength of your opponent.

John Nunn: Fifty years of chess

4/3/2018 – “Last year I took part in the British Over-50 Championship,” our friend and author writes. “A number of people wondered why I had entered. The explanation is that 2017 made it exactly half a century since I first took part in the British Championship, and it seemed reasonable to mark the occasion by once again playing in the event. I thought it would be interesting to tell the story of these two events, although I have allowed myself to wander off-topic to some extent.” Well, here it is for you to enjoy.

World Solving Championship solutions (2)

9/25/2017 – In his report on the Problem Solving event in Dresden, Germany, John Nunn gave you eight problems to solve. A few days ago he showed you of the first four. Today the last four are explained, in John's inimitable style. Play through the solutions and read his comments — this will give you a unique insight into the entertaining and challenging field of chess problems. | Photo: Franziska Iseli

World Solving Championship solutions (1)

9/24/2017 – This Problem Solving event took place in Dresden, Germany, in early August. We reported extensively on it and gave you eight problems from the Championship to solve. Not an easy task, as most of them required some experience in this entertaining and challenging field. Today we give you the solutions of the first four problems, wonderfully annotated by top problem solver Dr John Nunn. The remaining four solutions will follow later this week. Learn and enjoy! | Photo: Franziska Iseli

41st World Chess Solving Championship

9/10/2017 – Dresden has become a hotbed of chess activity. This year the East German city hosted the World Chess Solving Championship, which has grown from 18 participants in its inaugural event 40 years ago to 89 solvers in this year. John Nunn, who has been an avid and successful competitor in the past, took a number of medals in Dresden, and sent us an interesting report, with selected problems for you to solve. | Photos: Franziska Iseli

40th World Chess Solving Championship – solutions

8/27/2016 – During the first week of August the city of Belgrade, famous for many notable chess events in the past, hosted the 40th World Chess Solving Championship. The event was covered vigorously in the national media, and it was won by the Polish participants. John Nunn, who won the Seniors section, sent us a report with some very nice problems for our readers to solve. Today he presents the solutions, annotated in his wonderfully lucid style.

Poles dominate World Problem Solving Championship

8/17/2016 – Belgrade is a city that has hosted many famous chess events. During the first week of August the 40th World Chess Solving Championship took place there, and the event was covered vigorously in the national media. The main events were dominated by Polish participants, and Casper Piorun became the 2016 World Solving Champion. John Nunn, who won the Seniors section, sent us a report and some very nice problems for you to solve.

World Senior Team Championship 2016

7/17/2016 – The World Senior Team Championship is a relatively recent addition to the chess calendar. Starting just three years ago, it has grown rapidly and the 2016 edition attracted over 500 players to Radebeul, a suburb of Dresden. A few years ago, FIDE changed the age limits for senior events from a single category of 60+ to two categories of 50+ and 65+. John Nunn, who played on board one for England (and got a silver medal for his 2600+ performance), describes the action, including a remarkable combination spotted by an 83-year-old.

Chess books on computers and tablets

12/15/2015 – Technology now enables us to keep an entire chess library on a portable electronic device and to play over the moves on screen while reading your favourite book. Grandmaster John Nunn, author and Director at the prominent publishers Gambit, talks about the growing range of books his company is converting to app format, to run on iPads, Android tablets and smartphones. You can try it out for free.

World Solving Championship – solutions (2)

8/29/2015 – Are you interested in chess problems? Many-movers, help and selfmate? In the solutions to the second part of his series John Nunn explains how these problems work and how the mind of an world-class problemist goes about finding the solution. You should replay John's wonderfully lucid explanations to get a taste of the bizarre beauty of chess problems.

World Solving Championship – solutions (1)

8/26/2015 – In a two-part article on the competition (where he finished second) John Nunn presented a selection of the problems and studies that had to be solved under ‘school exam’ conditions in two days of six sessions. Today he shows us the thought processes that go through a solver's mind and presents full and detailed solutions to the first three compositions in his unique didactic style.

Ostroda: 39th World Solving Championship (2)

8/20/2015 – After the first day of the 2015 Championship our reporter was in the lead, but faced a stiff challenge on the second day from the reigning champion Kacper Piorun. In the end the young Polish solver secured the title by just half a point, while John Nunn won silver medal and took gold in the Seniors category, thirty points clear of the field. We must remind you: John turned sixty this year.

Ostroda: 39th World Solving Championship (1)

8/19/2015 – The 2015 Championship was staged in a beautiful lakeside hotel in Poland, with the world's best chess problem solvers being tested to the utmost in six solving sessions spread over two days – with the problems to be solved under ‘school exam’ conditions. One of the top competitors is grandmaster John Nunn, who sent us a report with a selection of championship compositions.
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