(1847-1933 )
U.S. Chess
Hall of Fame
Inducted 2023
William Shinkman ranks among the greatest problem composers in chess history. He composed over 3500 problems on a variety of themes in a career stretching over six decades, earning the nickname “the Wizard of Grand Rapids.” Shinkman began his activity in the golden age of problem solving in the last half of the 19th century when daily newspapers all over the United States had chess columns. These columns invariably included composed problems to solve, many of them Shinkman’s. Besides being a giant in the field of problem solving, Shinkman was also influential in the development of chess puzzles.