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Samuel Loyd (January 31, 1841 - April 10, 1911) was an American puzzle author and recreational mathematician.
Loyd popularized and is usually credited with the invention of the fifteen puzzle. He also authored a number of chess problems, often with witty themes. Following his death, his book Cyclopedia of Puzzles was published (1914).
An enthusiast of Tangram puzzles, Loyd published a book of seven hundred unique Tangram designs and a fanciful history of the origin of the Tangram. Europe and America were experiencing a Tangram craze at the time, and Loyd's popular book earned him a significant amount of income.
 Sam Loyd's Excelsior: the solution can be found by clicking on the diagram. Excelsior problem
One of his best known chess problems is the following, called "Excelsior" by Loyd after the poem (http://eir.library.utoronto.ca/rpo/display/poem1325.html) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. White is to move and checkmate black in five moves against any defense:
Loyd bet a friend that he could not pick a piece that didn't give mate in the main line, and when it was published in 1861 it was with the stipulation that white mates with "the least likely piece or pawn".
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