Matthew J. Turner is a British Chess Grandmaster who was born in Ilford, Essex, England, on June 7, 1968. He moved to Scotland in 1997, which allowed him to represent the country at several chess competitions, including the Chess Olympiad.
In his earlier years, Turner competed and placed in several British Schools Championships. He then attended Downing College, Cambridge and became the president of the Cambridge University Chess Club.
Turner became a British Chess Federation-affiliated International Master in 1990 and later attained the rank of Grandmaster in 1999. A notable achievement includes his win at the 2001 Capo d'Orso Open. He also tied for first at the 2009/10 Hastings International Chess Congress.
Apart from his individual achievements, Turner has made several team appearances. He played for the Scotland team in the Chess Olympiad three times between 2002 and 2006. Later, he then played for the Ireland team in the European Senior Team Championship, securing them second place in 2014.
In addition to his chess endeavors, Turner has also taught math at the Wellington College and has contributed chess articles to a variety of platforms.