Daniel Yanofsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Daniel Yanofsky |
|
|---|---|
Daniel Yanofsky in 1947
|
|
| Full name | Daniel Abraham Yanofsky |
| Country | Canada |
| Born | March 25, 1925 Brody, Poland (now western Ukraine) |
| Died | March 5, 2000 (aged 74) Winnipeg, Manitoba |
| Title | Grandmaster, International Arbiter |
| Peak rating | 2460 (July 1971) |
Daniel Abraham Yanofsky, OC, QC (March 25, 1925 – March 5, 2000) was a very important Canadian chess player. He was Canada's first ever Grandmaster in chess. He also won the Canadian Chess Championship eight times, wrote about chess, and worked as a lawyer.
Contents
Early Life and Chess Beginnings
Daniel Yanofsky was born in Brody, Poland (which is now part of Ukraine). When he was just eight months old, his family moved to Canada and settled in Winnipeg.
He started playing chess at age eight. By the time he was 12, in 1937, he had already won his first championship in Manitoba. That same year, he played in the Canadian Chess Championship for the first time.
Playing for Canada at a Young Age
In 1939, when Daniel was only 14, he played for Canada in the Chess Olympiad in Buenos Aires. This is a big international team chess tournament. He did amazingly well, scoring the highest on his board!
He won his first Canadian Chess Championship in 1941 when he was 16. He also won other tournaments, like in Ventnor City in 1942.
Becoming a Grandmaster
First Commonwealth Grandmaster
After World War II, in 1946, Daniel Yanofsky played in a major tournament in Groningen. He even beat the famous Soviet champion Mikhail Botvinnik and won a special prize for his brilliant play!
He played in several European tournaments and did very well. He won the British Chess Championship in 1953.
In 1957, at a tournament in Dallas, he earned his first "grandmaster norm." This is a high score needed to become a Grandmaster. He beat strong players like Samuel Reshevsky and Larry Evans.
His performance at the Tel Aviv Olympiad in 1964 earned him his second grandmaster norm. This meant he officially became a Grandmaster! He was the first Grandmaster to grow up in the British Commonwealth.
Canadian Chess Champion Many Times
Daniel Yanofsky won the Canadian Chess Championship eight times. This is a record he shares with another great player, Maurice Fox. His wins were in:
- 1941
- 1943
- 1945
- 1947
- 1953
- 1959
- 1963
- 1965
Representing Canada at Olympiads
He played for Canada in the Chess Olympiads an amazing eleven times! This is a Canadian record for men. He played in Olympiads from 1939 all the way to 1980.
Other Tournament Wins
Daniel Yanofsky also won other important tournaments, including:
He also placed second in other big tournaments, like Hastings 1951-52 and Netanya 1968, where he finished behind the legendary Robert Fischer.
Later Years in Chess
In 1967, Daniel Yanofsky helped organize Canada's first "supergrandmaster" tournament in Winnipeg. This was to celebrate Canada's 100th birthday. He also played in the tournament and won a special prize for beating László Szabó.
In 1977, he became an International Arbiter for chess, which means he could be a chief referee for big chess events. He played in his last Canadian Championship in 1986, at age 61. He did well enough to qualify for another international tournament, but he kindly let a younger player take his spot.
Beyond the Chessboard
Daniel Yanofsky was not just a chess player; he had a busy life outside of chess too!
Education and Law Career
He went to the University of Manitoba and earned a science degree in 1944. During World War II, from 1944 to 1946, he served in the Royal Canadian Navy.
After the war, he went back to the University of Manitoba and got his law degree in 1951. He even studied law at Oxford University in England for two years.
He then worked as a lawyer in Winnipeg with his brother Harry, who was also a chess master. Daniel Yanofsky argued important cases in Canada's highest court, the Supreme Court of Canada.
Public Service
Daniel Yanofsky was also involved in politics. He was the mayor of West Kildonan, a part of Winnipeg. He also served on the Winnipeg City Council from 1970 to 1986. He helped with important projects like the Seven Oaks General Hospital.
Honours and Legacy
Daniel Yanofsky received many honours for his contributions:
- In 1972, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada, one of the highest honours in Canada.
- In 1980, he was appointed a Queen's Counsel, a special title for lawyers.
- In 2000, he was one of the first people inducted into the Canadian Chess Hall of Fame.
After he passed away in 2000, an annual chess tournament is held in Winnipeg to remember his amazing contributions to Canadian chess.
Major Writings
Daniel Yanofsky also shared his chess knowledge by writing books and columns:
- Chess The Hard Way
- How to Win End-games
- 100 Years of Chess in Canada (1967)
- He was the editor of the magazine Canadian Chess Chat for many years.
- He wrote a weekly chess column for the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper.
Images for kids
-
Daniel Yanofsky in 1947
See also
In Spanish: Daniel Yanofsky para niños
