Solomon W. Golomb

Solomon Wolf Golomb (May 30, 1932 – May 1, 2016) was an American mathematician, engineer and professor of electrical engineering at the University of Southern California. 
He was best known for his works on mathematical games. He invented Cheskers in 1948 and coined the name. He also fully described polyominoes and pentominoes in 1953. He was born in Baltimore, Maryland. He has specialized in problems of combinatorial analysis, number theory, coding theory and communications. His game of pentomino inspired Tetris.
Golomb died in Los Angeles, California on May 1, 2016 from heart failure, aged 83.