John Leonard Watson (born 1951) is an American chess player and author who was awarded the title of International Master in 1979.

Chess Hall of Fame along with GM James Tarjan and the late Daniel Willard Fiske.

He was educated at Brownell-Talbot, Harvard, and the University of California, San Diego, where he took his degree in engineering.

These two books explore and theorize how radically chess has changed since the early 20th century, and how old and supposedly 'time-tested' rules for the conduct of play have been replaced by broader and revolutionary practice over the board.

In a lighter vein, Watson wrote the Chessman comic book series, illustrated by Chris Hendrickson and Svein Myreng.