Max Euwe
Max Euwe was a Dutch chess player who was the fifth world chess champion. He was also a mathematician who used math to play chess. Euwe saw mathematics as providing him with a logical, precise, and even algebraic approach to the game. Euwe's great characteristic is economy of force, as his play is accurate and aggressive. He won the Dutch Championship for the first time in August of 1921. In 1923, he was awarded an Honours Degree in mathematics from Amsterdam University. Euwe then undertook research in mathematics which led to him being awarded a doctorate in 1926. He also wrote a mathematics paper which was motivated by chess. In 1928, he beat Bogolyubov twice in matches played in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. In 1929, Euwe published a mathematics paper in which he constructed an infinite sequence of 0's and 1's. He then used this to show that, under the rules of chess that then were in force, an infinite game of chess was possible. In 1935, Euwe challenged Alekhine to a match which he lost 0 wins to 2 with 8 draws. He played the Nottingham International Chess Tournament in August of 1936 while he was World Champion. After the war, he won the London Tournament in 1946. In 1970, Euwe became the president of the World Chess Federation (FIDE).