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British and Canadian Chess Champions
Presenting the ABCs of chess champions : America, Britain, and Canada


(September 2003) Following our recent list of American Chess Champions (see the link box at the bottom), we continue with the British and Canadian champions (see the link box again). The link box entries under 'Elsewhere on the Web' list champions in other categories : women, juniors, seniors, and regional.

The British title has been won by 46 different players, the Canadian title by 41. A careful comparison of both lists reveals that Abe Yanofsky managed to win both championships : the British title in 1953 and the Canadian title eight times between 1941 and 1965. The British championship has long been open to any Commonwealth player.

The year 2003 may well have marked the last occurrence of this cultural generosity. After Indian players captured the title in 2002 and 2003, the British Chess Federation established new eligibility requirements. In the future the tournament will be restricted to British citizens or residents.

The following table lists players who won their national title three or more times. The last columns show the first and last years as title winner; Jonathan Penrose, for example, won the British championship a record ten times between 1958 and 1969.

British champions
Name First Last
10 Penrose, Jonathan 1958 1969
9 Atkins, Henry 1905 1925
6 Yates, Frederick 1913 1931
4 Hodgson, Julian 1991 2000
3 Golombek, Harry 1947 1955
3 Mestel, Jonathan 1976 1988
3 Short, Nigel 1984 1998
3 Speelman, Jonathan 1978 1986
3 Sultan Khan, Mir 1929 1933

Canadian champions
Name First Last
8 Fox, Maurice 1927 1949
8 Yanofsky, D. Abraham 1941 1965
6 Spraggett, Kevin 1984 2001
5 Morrison, John 1910 1926
4 Ivanov, Igor 1981 1987
3 Lesiege, Alexandre 1992 2001
3 Narraway, James 1893 1898
3 Smith, Magnus 1899 1906

Watch for more lists of the champions of other English speaking countries.


 Related Resources
• USA Championships
• British Championships
• Canadian Championships