Chess game is multifaceted. It combines the features of sports, art, science. Maybe that's why chess was the favorite game of many prominent representatives of science. The great chemist D.I. Mendeleev actively participated in the activities of the St. Petersburg Chess Club. The famous Russian historian P. G. Vinogradov achieved great success in chess. One of the strongest Russian chess players can rightfully be called the outstanding mathematician academician A. A. Markov. This book tells about the attitude to chess of prominent Russian and Soviet scientists, about their chess work.