Sam Loyd (1841-1911) Maple 217

  He was born to wealthy parents in Philadelphia on January 30^th, 1841. His father was a land developer credited with building quite a few New Jersey communities. The family settled in New York when Sam was three. Sam developed as a young boy such talents as ventriloquism, magic, chess and cutting silhouettes from black paper.

Sam had his first chess problem published around his 14th birthday on April 10, 1911. Such papers as the New York Clipper, Albion and Chess Monthly ran his chess problems. At 18 he became the problem editor for Chess Monthly.

One of his first successful tricks, “The Donkey Trick” was sold to P.T. Barnum to advertise their circus.  It is said that Loyd received  $ 10,000.00 for the rights. He designed the 14 x 15 puzzle and it was impossible to solve. The Obituary form the New York Times also credits him with “Parcheesi”, which he configured extra stock of cardboard into an ancient board game. Another of his puzzle games was “Get Off The Earth” and was a circle of the Earth that turned and Chinese men on a secondary circle would spin.

He was the first American to play in an international chess tournament in Paris in 1867.

 In 1906, when he was 65, he was struck with paralysis and remained ill for  many months. He worked less and less and died on April 11, 1911.

 His son, also named Sam Loyd, continued in his footsteps, also published some of his father’s chess problems and puzzle books.

Junior’s (also was called Walter) most famous brain teaser was called

“How Old is Ann?”

He died in 1934 at the age of 60.