Daniel Yanofsky
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Daniel Abraham (Abe) Yanofsky (March 25, 1925 – March 5, 2000) was Canada's first chess grandmaster and an eight-time Canadian Chess Champion.
Yanofsky was born in Brody, Poland (now western Ukraine), and moved to Canada when he was eight months old. He learned to play chess at the age of eight. In 1939, just 14 years old, he played for Canada at the Buenos Aires Olympiad. Yanofsky was the sensation of the tournament, making the highest score on second board. He won his first Canadian Championship in 1941 at age 16, and the next year, he won the 1942 U.S. Open.
In 1946, at age 21, Yanofsky beat Mikhail Botvinnik at Groningen, winning the brilliancy prize:
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.O-O Be7 6.Re1 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.c3 O-O 9.h3 Na5 10.Bc2 c5 11.d4 Qc7 12.Nbd2 cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.d5 Nb4 15.Bb1 a5 16.Nf1 Bd7 17.Bd2 Rfc8 18.Bxb4 axb4 19.Bd3 Bd8 20.Qd2 Qa5 21.Ne3 b3 22.a3 Qa4 23.Nd1 b4 24.Ne3 bxa3 25.Rxa3 Nxe4 26.Qd1 Qb4 27.Rxb3 Qa4 28.Bc2 Nc5 29.Rc3 Qb4 30.Qb1 g6 31.Rc4 Qb7 32.b4 Na6 33.Rxc8 Rxc8 34.Bd3 Nxb4 35.Re2 Ba5 36.Rb2 Rb8 37.Nd2 Qa7 38.Ndc4 Qc5 39.Nxa5 Qxa5 40.Nc2 Nxd3 41.Rxb8+ Kg7 42.Ne3 Qd2 43.Qf1 Nc5 44.Qd1 Qc3 45.Rb6 Ba4 46.Qf3 Qe1+ 47.Kh2 f5 48.Rxd6 f4 49.Nf5+ Kf7 50.Qg4 Ne4 51.Qh4 gxf5 52.Qxh7+ Ke8 53.Qg8+ 1-0
He served as Canada's representative at the Interzonals at Saltsjobaden 1948 and Stockholm 1962. At Dallas 1957, Yanofsky achieved his first grandmaster norm with wins over Reshevsky, Olafsson and Evans. His performance at the Tel Aviv Olympiad in 1964 earned him his second grandmaster norm, and the title. He thereby became the first grandmaster raised in the British Commonwealth.
Outside of chess, he pursued legal studies at Oxford University and practised law in Winnipeg with his brother Harry. He was mayor of the Winnipeg suburb of West Kildonan, and served on the Winnipeg City Council from 1970 to 1986.
Yanofsky campaigned for the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba in the 1959 provincial election as a candidate of the Liberal-Progressive Party. He finished third against Co-operative Commonwealth Federation candidate David Orlikow in the St. Johns constituency.
In 1972, he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was also made a member of the Queen's Counsel.
