Samuel Loyd was a recreational mathematician and also a Chess player, Chess composer, and puzzle author. Loyd was born in January 30, 1841 in Philadelphia and later raised in New York. Sam Loyd wanted to find out from the beginning of a Chess game the fewest number of moves required to end in a stalemate. The answer he found in 1866 was ten moves. Loyd also composed the fastest stalemate possible in only twelve moves having all thirty-two pieces over the board. Both puzzles are shown below to review them in a pgn viewer. Sam Loyd died in Brooklyn, New York on the morning of April 10th 1911 at the age of seventy years.