Ph.Ds and M.D.s of Chess
Dr. James Aitken (1908-1983) was 10-time Scottish
champion. In 1938 he received a PhD from
Edinburgh University. His dissertation was on the Lisbon Inquisition and
the treatment of George Buchanan (1506-1582), a Scottish historian and humanist
scholar. During World War II Aitken worked at
Bletchley Park on solving the German Enigma machines.
Dr. Maria Albulet Pogorevici
(1932-2005) was a Woman Grandmaster from Romania. She was Polish women's
champion in 1984. She was a pediatrician.
Dr. Alexander Alekhine (1892-1946);
former world champion. PhD in jurisprudence from
Sorbonne in 1925, who did his dissertation on the prison system in China.
Some sources say he failed to get his PhD. He completed two of the four
stages required for the PhD degree.
Dr. Lim Kok Ann (1920-2003) of Singapore was
Secretary-General of FIDE from 1982 to 1988. He was a medical doctor who
isolated the flu virus at the height of the Asian influenza epidemic in 1957.
Dr. Miles Ardaman (1963- ) is a FIDE master who has
won 11 state championships. He is a medical doctor and psychiatrist.
Dr. Bolat Asanov (1961- )
is a GM from Kazakhstan. In 1992, he won the championship of Kazakhstan. He has a PhD in history.
Dr. Lajos Asztalos
(1889-1956) was a Hungarian champion and International Master. He had a PhD
in philosophy. He was a professor of
philosophy and a languages teacher.
Dr. Jill Barber is a Ladies Correspondence Grandmaster. She has a PhD in
bio-organic chemistry from Cambridge University in 1980.
Dr. Gedeon Barcza
(1911-1986) was 8-time Hungarian chess champion. He had a PhD in
mathematics and was a Hungarian professor of mathematics.
Dr. Johan Barendregt (1924-1982) was a Dutch
International Master. He was a medical doctor and clinical psychologist. He lectured in clinical psychology at the
University of Amsterdam.
Dr. Friedrich Baumbach (1935- ) is a former world
correspondence champion. He has a PhD in chemistry.
Dr. Jana Malypetrova Hartston
Miles Bellin (1947- ) is a Woman Grandmaster. She
is a medical doctor specializing in anesthesiology.
Dr. Miklos Bely (1913-1970) was an International
Master from Hungary. He was a medical doctor.
Dr. Volf Bergraser
(1904-1986) was a Correspondence Grandmaster (awarded to him at the age of 77)
and French champion. He was a medical doctor.
Dr. Hans Berliner (1929- ) is a former world correspondence champion. He
has a PhD in computer science from Carnegie-Mellon University. His
dissertation was entitled, "Chess Computers as Problem Solving."
Dr. Ossip Bernstein (1882-1962) was a Grandmaster and
lawyer. He had a PhD in jurisprudence from Heidelberg University.
Dr. Ludwig Bledow (1795-1846) was the founder of the
German Chess Association. He had a PhD in mathematics.
Dr. Beniamin Blumenfeld
(1884-1947) was a Russian chess master; PhD. His dissertation was on the
nature of blunders in chess.
Dr. Feodor Bogatirchuk (1892-1984) was an
International Master from Russia. He was a medical doctor and professor
of radiological anatomy.
Dr. Viorel Bologan (1971- )
is a Grandmaster from Moldavia. He has a PhD in pedagogy from the Sport
Academy, Moscow, awarded in 1996. His dissertation was entitled,
"Structure of Special Preparation of High-Level Chess Players."
Dr. Mikhail Botvinnik (1911-1995) was a former world
champion. He was awarded a PhD in electrical engineering in 1951.
Dr. Olena Boytsun (1983- )
is Woman International Master from the Ukraine. She has a PhD in
economics. Her dissertation was entitled, "The influence of
financial liberalization on economic growth."
Dr. Frank Brady (1934- ) is the biographer of Bobby Fischer and first editor of
Chess Life magazine. He has a PhD in
communications from New York University.
Dr. Ian Brooks is a Correspondence Grandmaster. He has a PhD in
biochemistry and is a computational biophysicist at the National Center for
Supercomputing Applications.
Dr. Karl Burger (1933-2000) was International Master with two GM norms. He
was a medical doctor.
Dr. Stephan Busemann (1957- ) is a Correspondence GM from
Germany. He has a PhD in computer science.
Dr. Donald Byrne (1930-1976) was an International Master from the USA. He
had a PhD in English and was a professor of English at Penn State University.
Dr. Ricardo Calvo (1943-2002) was an International
Master from Spain. He was a medical doctor.
Dr. Vincenzio Castaldi
(1916-1970) was an International Master from Italy and 3-time Italian
champion. He was a dentist.
Dr. George Dean is founder of Chess Collections International and owner of
the largest collection of chess sets in the world. He is a medical
doctor.
Dr. Nathan Divinsky (1925-2012) was a Canadian chess
master and author. He earned a PhD in mathematics from the University of
Chicago in 1950 at the age of 24.
Dr. Leroy Dubeck (1939- ) is a former USCF
President. He has a PhD in physics.
Dr. Noam Elkies (1966- ) is a world chess solving
champion. He earned a PhD in mathematics from Harvard at age 20.
Dr. Arpad Elo (1903-1992) created the Elo rating system. He was 7-time Wisconsin
champion. He had a PhD in physics.
Dr. Thomas Ernst (1960- ) is a GM from Sweden. He has a PhD in
mathematics.
Dr. Max Euwe (1901-1981) was a former world
champion. He earned a PhD in mathematics
from Amsterdam University in 1926.
Dr. William Fairhurst (1903-1982) was 11 time
Scottish champion. He had a PhD in civil engineering.
Dr. Miroslav Filip (1928- )
was a Grandmaster from Czechoslovakia and a lawyer. He had a PhD in jurisprudence.
Dr. Reuben Fine (1914-1993) was a US Grandmaster. He earned a PhD in
clinical psychology from the University of Southern California.
Dr. Ed Formanek is an International Master. He
earned a PhD in mathematics from Rice University in 1970.
Dr. Joseph Ganem is a correspondence chess master and
editor of The Chess Correspondence. He earned a PhD in mathematics from
Washington University in Saint Louis.
Dr. Mark Ginsburg is an Internatonal Master from the
USA. He earned a PhD in Information
Systems from New York University.
Lars Bo Hansen is a GM living in Florida. He is working on his PhD in Strategic Sport Management.
Dr. Timothy Harding is a correspondence chess master. He earned a PhD in
history from Trinity College, Dublin, in 2009. His dissertation was on
correspondence chess in Britain and Ireland, 1824-1914.
Dr. Eliot Hearst (1932- ) is a former New York State Champion. He earned
a PhD in psychology from Columbia University in 1956.
Dr. Robert Huebner (1948- ) is a GM from Germany. He has a PhD in papyrology. He is a world leading expert on Egyptian
hieroglyphics.
Dr. Harriet Hunt (1978- ) is an International Master and woman GM. She earned a
PhD in archeology from Cambridge University.
Dr. Stephen Jones (1942- ) is a FIDE master and correspondence International
Master. He has a PhD in mathematics and a law degree.
Dr. Charles Kalme (1939-2002) was a former US Junior
Champion and US Intercollegiate Champion. He earned a PhD in mathematics
from New York University in 1967.
Dr. Anatoly Karpov (1951- ) is a former world
champion. He has a PhD in economics from Leningrad State University.
Dr. Danny Kopec (1954- ) is an International Master
from the USA. He has a PhD in Computer Science.
Dr. Yona Kosashvili (1970-
) is a Grandmaster from Israel and husband of Sofia Polgar.
He is a medical doctor.
Dr. Jesse Kraai is a Grandmaster from the USA. He
earned a PhD in philosophy from the University of Heidelberg.
Dr. Martin Kreuzer (1962- ) is a Correspondence
Grandmaster. He has a PhD in mathematics with a specialty in
computational commutative algebra and applications.
Dr. Jana Krivec is a Woman GM and 7-time woman’s champion of Slovenia. She has a PhD in psychology.
Dr. Nikolai Krogius (1930- ) is a Russian GM. He
has a PhD in psychology, specializing in sports psychology.
Dr. Berthold Lasker (1860-1928) was the older brother
of Dr. Emanuel Lasker and chess master. He was
a medical doctor.
Dr. Edward Lasker (1885-1981) was an International
Master and expert in computer chess. He had a PhD in mechanical and electrical
engineering (although some sources say he did not earn his PhD).
Dr. Emanuel Lasker (1868-1941) was a former world
champion. He earned a PhD in mathematics from Erlangen University in
1902. His dissertation was on geometrical calculus and ideal numbers.
Dr. David Levy (1945- ) is a Scottish international master. He earned a PhD
in artificial intelligence from Maastrich University
in 2007. His dissertation was entitled, "Intimate Relationships with
Artificial Partners" (sex with robots).
Dr. Alisa Maric (1970- ) is a Woman
Grandmaster. She has a PhD in economics.
Dr. Neil McKelvie (1930- ) is a former Connecticut
State Champion and Manhattan Chess Club Champion. He has a PhD in
chemistry.
Dr. Ariel Mengarini (1919-1998) was an American chess
master. He was a medical doctor and psychiatrist for the Veterans
Administration.
Dr. Jonathan Mestel (1957- ) is a GM from the
UK. He earned a PhD in mathematics from Cambridge University,
specializing in magnetohydrodynamics and
biological fluid mechanics. His dissertation was entitled,
"Magnetic Levitation of Liquid Metals."
Doctor Eric Moskow is a US chess master and chess
patron. He is a medical doctor.
Dr. Karsten Mueller (1970- ) is a Grandmaster from
Germany. He earned a PhD in mathematics from the University of Hamburg in
2002.
Dr. John Nunn (1955- ) is a Grandmaster from the UK. He earned a PhD in
mathematics at age 23 from Oxford in 1978. His dissertation was on
Algebraic Topology and Finite H-Spaces.
Dr. Adolf Olland (1867-1933) was the first Dutch
chess champion. He was a medical doctor.
Sam Palatnik is a GM from Odessa. He is working on a PhD in economics of industry.
Dr. Victor Palciuskas (1941- ) is a former world
correspondence champion. He is a PhD in theoretical physics and professor
of geophysics.
Dr. Fred Payne (1931- ) is the youngest state chess champion in Kentucky and
postal master. He earned a PhD in aeronautical
engineering from Penn State in 1966, and is also a medical doctor and US Air
Force fighter pilot.
Dr. Jonathan Penrose (1933- ) is an International Master from the UK. He
has a PhD in psychology.
Dr. Tigran Petrosian
(1929-1984) was a former world champion. He had a PhD from Yerevan State
University. His dissertation was entitled. "Chess
Logic."
Dr. Helmut Pfleger (1943- ) is a GM from
Germany. He is a medical doctor.
Dr. Joseph Platz (1905-1981) was a USCF Master
Emeritus. He was a medical doctor.
Dr. Regina Wender Fischer Pustan
(1913-1997) was Bobby Fischer's mother. She had a PhD in hematology and an
M.D.
Dr. Stuart Rachels (1969- ) was once the youngest
American chess master and a former US champion. He earned a PhD in
philosophy from Syracuse.
Dr. Tim Redman is a former President of the USCF twice and International
Arbiter. He earned a PhD in comparitive studies
in literature from the University of Chicago. He is a world leading
expert on poet Ezra Pound.
Dr. Kenneth Regan (1959- ) is an International Master. He earned a PhD in
mathematics from Oxford.
Dr. Isaac Rice (1850-1915) was a chess patron and inventor of the Rice Gambit
in the King's Gambit Accepted. He earned a Doctor of Law degree from
Bates College in 1902.
Dr. Ira Lee Riddle (1946-2009) was an International Arbiter. He has a PhD in mathematics.
Dr. Bruce Rind (1953- ) is an US International Master. He earned a PhD in psychology from Temple University and is an independent researcher in the field of intergenerational sexualities.
Dr. Ken Rogoff (1953- ) was the winner of the US
Junior Championship three times. He has a PhD in economics from MIT.
Dr. Alexey W. Root (1965- ) is a former US women's
champion. She earned a PhD in education from UCLA in 1999.
Dr. Christine Rosenfeld (1936- ) was the first US correspondence
International Woman Master. She is a medical doctor.
Dr. Jonathan Rowson is a Scottish GM. He earned a PhD in Philosophy at Bristol University.
Dr. Sol Rubinow (1924-1981) is a former Massachusetts
State Champion and US intercollegiate champion. He has a PhD in mathematics.
Dr. Anthony Saidy (1937- ) is an International master
from USA. He is a medical doctor specializing in tuberculosis.
Alessandro Salvio (1570-1640) was unofficial world
champion around 1600. He was a medical doctor.
Dr. Eric Schiller (1955- ) is a chess author and USCF national master. He
earned a PhD in linguistics from the University of Chicago in 1991,
specializing in Khmer (Cambodian) languages. His dissertation was
entitled, "An Autolexical Account of
Subordinating Serial Verb Constructions."
Dr. Paul Felix Schmidt (1916-1984) was an International Master from
Estonia. He had a PhD in Science.
Tal Shaked is an American GM. He is working on his PhD in computer science.
Dr. Claude Shannon (1916-2001) was the founder of information theory and chess
computer algorithms. He had a PhD in mathematics from MIT. His
dissertation was "An Algebra for Theoretical Genetics."
Dr. Herbert A. Simon (1916-2001) was a major contributor to artificial
intelligence and co-wrote Perception in Chess in Cognitive Psychology. He earned a PhD in political science from the
University of Chicago.
Dr. Jon Speelman (1956- ) is an English Grandmaster. He
earned a PhD in mathematics from Oxford.
Dr. Louis Statham (1907-1983) was a US chess philanthropist. He had a PhD
in mathematics and pioneered the use of shock waves in oil exploration.
Dr. Leo Stefurak is a Seattle chess master and
instructor. He has a PhD in cognitive neuro
psychology.
Daniel Stellwagen is a Dutch chess GM. He is currently working on his PhD in organic chemistry and catalysis.
Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch
(1862-1934) was one of the top players in the world. He was a medical
doctor specializing in hypnosis.
Dr. Saviely Tartakower
(1887-1956) was a Grandmaster from France. He had a PhD in jurisprudence.
Dr. Petar Trifunovic (1910-1980) was a GM from Yugoslavia. He had a PhD in jurisprudence.
Dr. Alan Turing (1912-1954) was a computer scientist and amateur chess player. He
earned a PhD in mathematics from Princeton in 1938. His dissertation was
on the notion of relative computing.
Dr. Irina Mikhailova Umanskayal (1963- ) is a Woman Grandmaster from Russia. She has a PhD in pedagogy. Her dissertation was "Developing of advanced junior chess-players with the help of chess software and Internet resources."
Dr. Diego Valerga is a grandmaster from Argentina. He is also a pediatrician.
Dr. Stan Vaughan is a chess master and organizer. He has a PhD in
accounting.
Dr. Milan Vidmar (1885-1962) was Yugoslavia's first
GM. He had a PhD in electrical engineering.
Dr. Erwin Voellmy (1886-1951) was three-time Swiss
champion. He had a PhD in mathematics.
Dr. Zvonko Vranesic (1938- ) is a Canadian IM. He has a PhD in Electrical Engineering
Dr. Milan Vukcevich (1937-2003) was an International
Master from the USA. He earned a PhD in chemistry from MIT. He was
once considered for the Nobel prize in chemistry.
Dr. Michael Wierzbicki is a US chess master and
winner of 10 state chess titles; He earned a PhD in psychology from Indiana
University in 1980.
Dr. Johannes Zukertort (1842-1888) was one of
the leading world players in the 1870s and 1880s. He was a medical doctor
(he enrolled in medical school but may not have graduated).
Honorary doctorates: Viswanathan Anand,
Adolf Anderssen, Florencio Campomanes,
Marcel Duchamp, Viktor Korchnoi, Susan Polgar, Nigel Short.