Maurice Ashley lives his passion. Through his love for chess, he not only made history as the first Black Grandmaster in the annals of the game but he has managed to translate his love to others as a three-time national championship coach, author, ESPN commentator and motivational speaker. The Life-Changing Magic of Chess is his first book for children. Denis Angelov is a children's book illustrator who lives in Sofia, Bulgaria. He loves mixing all sorts of media in his work, including gouache, oil pastels, colored pencils, watercolors, and more. If it's within arm's reach while he's drawing, it will most likely end up in the final illustration in some way! Denis also works with lots of wonky shapes and skewed perspectives to add charm and character.