Solomon W. Golomb

Solomon Wolf Golomb (/ɡəˈloʊm/ gə-LOHM; May 30, 1932 – May 1, 2016) was an American mathematician, engineer, and professor of electrical engineering at the University of Southern California, best known for his works on mathematical games. He most notably invented Cheskers (a hybrid between chess and checkers) in 1948. He also fully described polyominoes in 1953. He specialized in problems of combinatorial analysis, number theory, coding theory, and communications. Pentomino board games, based on his work, would go on to inspire Tetris.