Nathan Divinsky facts for kids

Nathan Joseph Harry Divinsky (born October 29, 1925, died June 17, 2012) was a smart Canadian who did many things! He was a mathematician (someone who studies numbers), a university professor, a great chess player (a 'chess master'), and he even wrote books about chess and helped organize chess events. He was also known for being married to Kim Campbell, who later became Canada's 19th Prime Minister. They were married from 1972 to 1983.

Nathan Divinsky's Early Life and Education

Nathan Divinsky was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1925. He was friends with another famous Canadian chess player, Daniel Yanofsky.

Nathan studied hard and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Manitoba in 1946. He then went to the University of Chicago, where he got his Master of Science in 1947 and a PhD in Mathematics in 1950.

After finishing his studies, he returned to Winnipeg. He taught mathematics at the University of Manitoba for most of the 1950s. Later, he moved to Vancouver. There, he became a mathematics professor and an assistant dean of science at the University of British Columbia. He worked there for the rest of his career.

Nathan Divinsky on TV

Nathan Divinsky also appeared on television! He was featured on the Discovery Channel Canada show @discovery.ca, which is now called Daily Planet. He often talked about math and chess. For the first two seasons of the show, he even had a weekly contest where he gave viewers fun math puzzles to solve.

Nathan Divinsky's Work in Government

Besides his work in universities, Nathan Divinsky also helped out in his community. He was a member of the Vancouver School Board from 1974 to 1980. He even served as the Chair (leader) of the board from 1978 to 1980.

Later, he became an alderman (a city council member) on Vancouver's city council from 1981 to 1982. This meant he helped make decisions for the city.

Nathan Divinsky's Chess Adventures

Nathan Divinsky learned to play chess as a teenager at the Winnipeg Jewish Chess Club. He played alongside his friend, Daniel Yanofsky.

He was a very good chess player. In 1945, he tied for third place in the Canadian Chess Championship. He also won the Manitoba Championship twice, in 1946 and 1952.

Playing for Canada

Nathan Divinsky represented Canada twice at the Chess Olympiads. These are big international chess tournaments where countries compete against each other.

• In 1954, he played in Amsterdam.
• In 1966, he played in Havana.

He was also the captain for both of these teams. Later, in 1988, he was the non-playing captain for the Canadian Olympiad team. Nathan reached the level of National Master in Canada. He also received an honorary International Master title, which is a high rank in chess.

He was also a Life Master at Bridge, another card game, starting in 1972.

Helping Organize Chess

Nathan Divinsky played a big part in organizing chess in Canada. For 15 years, from 1959 to 1974, he was the editor of a magazine called Canadian Chess Chat. He also wrote for other Canadian chess magazines.

He was Canada's representative to FIDE, which is the World Chess Federation. He held this important role from 1987 to 1994, and again in 2007. He was also a member of the Canadian Chess Hall of Fame. In 1954, he was the President of the Chess Federation of Canada.

Chess Books by Nathan Divinsky

Nathan Divinsky wrote several books about chess. One of his books was The Batsford Chess Encyclopedia. Another book he co-wrote was Warriors of the Mind. In this book, he and his co-author tried to compare the skills of great chess champions from different times using math. This was a new idea in the chess world!

Nathan Divinsky's Family Life

Nathan Divinsky was married a few times. He had three daughters from his first marriage: Judy, Pamela, and Mimi.

He met Kim Campbell when she was a student at the University of British Columbia. They were married in 1972. It was his second marriage and her first. Nathan was a big influence in getting Kim interested in politics. They divorced in 1983 but remained friends. They did not have any children together.

Nathan Divinsky passed away in Vancouver in 2012, at the age of 86. He was survived by his third wife, Marilyn Goldstone.