A.V. MURALI was born and brought up in Madras, a city in southern India, well known for its ancient temples and ancient cultural traditions. He earned his Bachelor of Technology degree from IIT Madras. He works in software development and related areas. From an early age Murali demonstrated a keen interest in mathematics and activities that required logical thinking. He developed an innate passion for new ways of solving problems and seeing things from entirely different perspectives. He was inspired to write this book when he invented several variants of the game of chess and realized the benefits of chess when played in these forms. Apart from chess, his interests include classical music, psychology and spirituality. Murali currently resides in Mumbai with his family.