Frank Anderson (chess player)

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Frank Ross Anderson (born 3 January 1928, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – died 18 September 1980, San Diego, California, USA) was a Canadian chess master.

He became very ill with polio as a teenager in Toronto, and learned to play chess while in hospital, becoming a strong player quite quickly. Despite his disability, he graduated in Physics and Mathematics from the University of Toronto.

He won three times the Toronto Cup (1947, 1948, 1950). In 1948, he finished in first place at the U.S. Junior Championship. He won twice Canadian championships. In 1949, he tied for 3rd-4th, after Maurice Fox and Fedor Bohatirchuk, in Arvida (CAN-ch). In 1951, he took 2nd, behind Povilas Vaitonis, in Vancouver (CAN-ch). In 1953, he tied for 1st with Daniel Yanofsky in Winnipeg (CAN-ch). In 1955, he won in Ottawa (CAN-ch). In 1957, he tied for 3rd-4th with Miervaldis Jursevskis, after Vaitonis and Géza Füster, in Vancouver (CAN-ch).

Anderson played three times for Canada in Chess Olympiads (1954, 1958, 1964). He won the second-board gold medal at Amsterdam 1954, and repeated the feat at Munich 1958. He came closer to the Grandmaster title than any other player, but became ill (reaction to an incorrect prescription), and was unable to play his final round. He missed the Grandmaster title because of this. Even if he had played and lost, he would have made the final norm necessary for the Grandmaster title. He had polio and was disabled his whole life.

Awarded the IM title in 1954, he became the first Canadian-born International Master.

He was a computer expert.