Chess champions and business leaders share many of the same characteristics. There are several prominent business leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs today who have backgrounds as chess players.

1. Thomas Jackson
GREAT BUSINESS LEADERS WITH
CHESS PLAYING BACKGROUNDS

2. GREAT BUSINESS
LEADERS WITH CHESS
PLAYING BACKGROUNDS
THOMAS NOEL
COLLISTER JACKSON
Chess champions and business leaders share many of
the same characteristics. There are several prominent
Thomas Jackson
- 2 -
business leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs today
who have backgrounds as chess players.

3. Thomas Jackson
- 3 -
Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel is a former chess master, the
founder of PayPal, and one of the earliest
investors in Facebook. Thiel attributes
his business success to being able to
know the value of every employee and
business associate, much as he once had
to know the value of every chess piece on
the board.
Justin Moore
Justin Moore is today the CEO of cloud
services provider Axcient. He is also a for-
mer chess prodigy, having ranked in the
top 20 for US youth players while only in
his teens. Moore says that his abilities to
focus relentlessly and recognise patter-
ns have helped him get where he is in
business – qualities he learned through
playing chess.
Garry Kasparov
One of the youngest ever World Chess
champions, Garry Kasparov states that
familiarising yourself with the enemy
is key to success in both chess and in
business.
“ “One of the youngest ever World Chess champions,
Garry Kasparov states that familiarising yourself with the
enemy is key to success in both chess and in business.

4. You can read more about how successful business
leaders can learn a lot from the game of chess by
visiting the blog of Thomas Noel Collister Jackson.