It appears that a chess puzzle composed by Pope John Paul II is a hoax. The list of religous leaders who played chess can be found in one of the articles here under religion and chess. Also, a list of other famous players who play chess can be found here:
http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/lab/7378/famous.htm
The article on religion and chess was informative. Thanks! However, the link to the list of other famous players does not seem to work.
I am inserting the chess problem composed by Pope John Paul II that I referred to in my first post below. I found it in the book From Beginner to Expert in 40 Lessons by Aleksandr Kostyev (translated by Jon Speelman), Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Company, p. 43, 1984. According to Kostyev, the problem had appeared in a recent article from a Polish chess magazine. He claims that the Pope was a "great devotee" of chess compositions and that he published several, including this one, in his youth. Is this problem the one that turned out to be a hoax, or is it a different one?
White to Play and Mate in 3
The "hoax problem" is a mate in 2. For a discussion of this, and of Wojtyla's supposed chess prowess, see the article at
http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=2316
I have come across a couple of chess puzzles composed by the late Pope John Paul II in various books and articles. One that I especially enjoy features an underpromotion of a pawn to a knight. I have a few questions for the chess.com community:
1. Have puzzles, studies, and/or games involving pontiffs and/or other clerics ever been compiled in some form (e.g., books, extended articles, websites, etc.)?
2. If no dedicated compilations exist, what sources are there for "chess personalities" that are not famous masters? In other words, if I want to search on my own for puzzles, studies, and/or games involving pontiffs, how might I get started?
3. Besides Pope John Paul II, are there any other pontiffs that I should add to my list of chess enthusiasts? Are there other clerics besides Ruy Lopez and William Lombardy? Are there "chess-enthusiast" clerics from other religions?