| John L. Watson | |
|---|---|
 Watson at the 2003 U.S. Chess Championships in Seattle, Washington | |
| Full name | John Leonard Watson |
| Country | United States |
| Born | 1951 (age 72–73) Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Title | International Master (1979) |
| Peak rating | 2430 (January 1981) |
John Leonard Watson (born 1951) is an American chess player and author who was awarded the title of International Master in 1979.
In 2022, he was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame along with GM James Tarjan and the late Daniel Willard Fiske. He is also a recipient of the US Chess Federation's Frank J. Marshall Award, and a 2015 inductee into the Colorado Chess Hall of Fame.