In cooperative game theory, the nucleolus of a cooperative game is the solution (i.e., allocation of payments to players) that maximizes the smallest excess of a coalition (where the excess is the difference between the payment given to the coalition and the value the coalition could get by deviating). Subject to that, the nucleolus satisfies the second-smallest excess; and so on, in the leximin order. The nucleolus was introduced by David Schmeidler.[1]