Сули, ас-Сули, Абу Бакр Мухаммед бен Яхья (880 — 946, Басра) — учёный, историк, филолог; первым из игроков в шатрандж попытался сформулировать основные принципы шахматной игры. Уроженец Средней Азии. Автор «Китаб ал-Аврак» — многотомного сочинения по истории поэзии и поэтов эпохи Аббасидов, произведения которых дошли до наших дней в отрывках. Прославился игрой в шатрандж в Багдаде при дворе халифов аль-Муктафи (902—908), аль-Муктадира (908—932) и ар-Ради (934—940), где не имел себе равных. Его шахматная слава в Сирии и Египте пережила несколько веков: высшей похвалой считалось сравнение чьей-либо игры с его игрой. Автор двух шахматных трактатов (не сохранились), где подверг критическому анализу работы своих предшественников. В рукописях некоторых авторов, в том числе его ученика аль-Ладжладжа, приводится ряд окончаний его партий, анализы, цитируются его высказывания.                           

Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Yahya al-Suli (c. 880 – 946) was a nadim (boon companion) of successive Abbasid caliphs. He was noted for his poetry and scholarship and wrote a chronicle called Akhbar al-Radi wa'l-Muttaqi, detailing the reigns of the caliphs al-Radi and al-Muttaqi. He was a legendary shatranj (an ancestor of chess) player, still remembered to this day.

 Al-Suli came to prominence as a shatranj player sometime in between 902 and 908 when he beat al-Mawardi, the court shatranj champion of al-Muktafi, the Caliph of Baghdad. Al-Mawardi was so thoroughly beaten he fell from favour, and was replaced by al-Suli. After al-Muktafi's death, al-Suli remained in the favour of the succeeding ruler, al-Muqtadir and in turn ar-Radi.

 Al-Suli's shatranj-playing ability became legendary and he is still considered one of the best Arab players of all time. His biographer ben Khalliken, who died in 1282, said that even in his lifetime great shatranj players were said to play like al-Suli. Documentary evidence from his lifetime is limited, but the endgames of some of the matches he played are still in existence. His skill in blindfold chess was also mentioned by contemporaries. Al-Suli also taught shatranj. His most well known pupil is al-Lajlaj ("the stammerer").

 One of his most prominent achievements is his book, Kitab Ash-Shatranj (Book of Chess), which was the first scientific book ever written on chess strategy. It contained information on common chess openings, standard problems in middle game, and annotated end games. It also contains the first known description of the knight's tour problem. Many later European writers based their work on modern chess on al-Suli's work. Apart from his chess book he also wrote several historical books.