Ali Hazelwood is the pen name of the contemporary romance author who wrote Check & Mate. Originally from Italy, she later relocated to the U.S. She has a Ph.D. in neuroscience and is now a professor in the field. Her first novel, The Love Hypothesis, was originally a Star Wars fanfiction story. After publication as a stand-alone novel, it stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for 40 weeks, illustrating the growing success of writers who begin their journey on fanfiction websites.

Hazelwood’s adult novels generally center on the world of STEM; some deal with academia, while others focus on industry. They are consistently contemporary romances told from the perspectives of the female protagonists. Each of these novels deals with issues of gender discrimination in the world of STEM, illustrating the challenges women face when pursuing scientific careers. Check & Mate is her first young adult novel. While it is not set in the varied arenas of STEM, it is closely related due to the gender discrimination that still permeates the world of chess. Like her older protagonists, Mallory must cope with the barriers placed before her as a woman in a male-dominated field.