Canadian Chess Biographies
Researched, compiled, written and copyright 2000-10 by David Cohen. Last updated: 2010.07.08.
Main web site & contact: Canadian Chess.
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B
C
D
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H
I
J
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P
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Index - P
- Palamarek, Dianna
- Panjwani, Raja
- Paré, Claude
- Pelts, Roman
- Penrose, Jonathan
- Penrose, Lionel
- Peredun, Andrew
- Perry, William
- Phaneuf, Emil
- Phillipps, Thomas
- Phillips, Charles
- Piasetski, Leon
- Pik, David
- Pineault, Denis
- Piper, Thomas
- Podlone, Charles
- Pollock, William H.K.
- Pope, Edwin
- Porper, Edward
- Prentice, John
- Pugi, Kalev
- Puhm, Alar
- Puller, Arthur
- Puri, Vinny
- Pushkedra, Frank
- Represented Canada at Women's Olympiad 1990
- International Master 2009
- IM Norm, 37th World Open, Philadelphia, PA, USA 2009
- Canadian Junior Champion 2009
- 5th place, Top Canadian, 3rd Edmonton International 2008; IM Norm
- 4th place, 9th North American Invitational 2008, Chicago, USA
- FIDE Master 2007
- Represented Canada at World Under-16 Championship 2006 (5th place, IM Norm)
- Canadian Under-16 Champion 2006
- Blitz Champion at the Canadian Championship 2006
- Canadian Grade 9 Champion 2005
- Canadian Under-14 Champion 2004
- Canadian Under-12 Champion 2002
- Canadian Grade 5 Champion 2001
- Correspondence Senior International Master 1999
Photo: Copyright 2004 Roman Pelts.
- 2005 Awarded FIDE Trainer title
- 2001 Canadian Chess Hall of Fame
- 1988 Represented Canada at Olympiad
- 1988 Toronto Closed Champion
- 1986 Author of Comprehensive Chess Course, Volumes 1&2
- 1984 Represented Canada at Olympiad; 2nd highest score among masters on Board 4 (8/11, undefeated)
- 1982 Represented Canada at Olympiad
- 1982 Toronto Open Champion
- 1981 Awarded FIDE Master title
- 1979 Founder of first Canadian chess school, Montreal
- 1978 2nd place, Canadian Open Championship
- 1978 Arrived Canada
- 1971 Honoured Chess Coach, Ukraine
- 1971 Official trainer for the USSR student team, on which future World Champion Anatoly Karpov and future World Championship Candidate Alexander Beliavsky played
- 1964 1st place, World Student Team Championship (Board 1 for USSR)
- 1963 2nd place, USSR Young Masters Championship
Roman Pelts is a chess teacher. Seven of his students became grandmasters: Lev Alburt, Sam Palatnik, Vladimir Tukmakov, Valery Beim, Konstantin Lerner, Leonid Yurtaev and Boris Kantsler. Pelts is the founder of Chess Academy of Canada.
Here is Roman Pelts' most important game:
Roman Pelts - William Lombardy
World Student Team Championship, USSR - USA, Board 1, Krakow, Poland, 1964
Source: PolBase by Adam Umiastowski.
Contributors: Roman Pelts (photo, game selection), Adam Umiastowski (game).
Research note: Many of Pelts' older games are in databases which have incorrect translations of his last name (wrong accent): 'Pelc' and 'Pelch'.
- Born in and represents England, where learned to play chess at age 4
- Lived in London, Ontario during World War II, where father Lionel worked
- International Master 1961
- 10 times British Champion (1958-63, 1966-69)
- Lecturer in psychology
Here is Jonathan Penrose's win against the reigning World Champion:
Jonathan Penrose - Mikhail Tal
Olympiad, Leipzig, 1960
(1898-1972)
- Geneticist, recreational mathematician, endgame composer
- Wife of doctor Margaret; father of mathematicians Oliver (still a
competitive chess player in 2004) and Roger; and grandmaster Jonathan
- Director of Psychiatric Research, Ontario Hospital, London, Ontario,
during World War II
Photo: copyright 2003 by the photographer Erik Malmsten.
Source: Chess Personalia by Jeremy Gaige.
- Played Canadian Championship 1937
(1833-1915)
- Played Canadian Championship 1874, 1879, 1881
- Born Canada, lived USA
- 1st place, Continental Correspondence Tournament 1894
Photo: copyright 2009 Leon Piasetski.
- International Master 1975
- Canadian Junior Champion 1970
- Represented Canada at Olympiads (1974, 1976, 1978, 1988, 1992)
- Represented Canada at World Championship Interzonal 1990
- One of only 4 players to compete in Canadian Championships in each of 4 consecutive decades of 1960s-90s
Contributor (photo): Leon Piasetski.
Source: Chess Personalia by Jeremy Gaige.
- Correspondence Senior International Master 1999
- Canadian Correspondence Champion (1988, 1990)
- North American Correspondence Champion 1992
- Member Canada's 11th International Correspondence Chess Federation
Olympiad Bronze medal team
(1857-1938)
- Ship carpenter
- Chess columnist
- Strongest player on the Pacific coast (Canada and USA) for many years
Contributor: Stephen Wright
(1915-77)
Source: Chess Personalia by Jeremy Gaige.
(1859-96)
Photo: British Chess Magazine, 1896, p. 441; Toronto Reference Library.
- 2000 Canadian Chess Hall of Fame
- Credited with inventing the opening moves 1. e4 e6 2. Qe2
- Co-author of booklet on St. Petersburg 1895-6 tournament
- 1895 Represented Canada at prestigious Hastings International Congress
- 1894 Arrived Canada to report on World Championship Match in Montreal; stayed until trip to England in 1895, but returned briefly in 1896
- 1892 2nd place, U.S. Championship
- 1892 Brooklyn, New York Champion
- 1891 Tied first place, U.S. Championship (lost play-off match to Showalter)
- 1890 2nd place, U.S. Championship
- 1889 Travelled to America to play in the New York tournament which was to select a challenger to World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz; won Brilliancy Prize
- 1889 Second place, Irish Chess Association’s 3rd Masters Tournament, scoring 6.5/8 ahead of Mason
- 1886 First place, Irish Chess Association’s 2nd Principal Tournament, scoring 8/8 ahead of Blackburne and Burn
- 1885 First place, Irish Chess Association’s 1st Principal Tournament at Dublin, Ireland, scoring 9/10
- Medical student at Trinity College, Dublin
- Born in England of Irish descent
Here are three of William Pollock's games, against former World Champion Steinitz, and two World Championship challengers:
Wilhelm Steinitz - William H. K. Pollock
Hastings, Round 6, 1895.08.12
William H.K. Pollock - Siegbert Tarrasch
Hastings, Round 13, 1895.08.21
Isidor Gunsberg - William H.K. Pollock
Hastings, Round 14, 1895.08.23
Source: Pollock Memories by Mrs. Frideswide F. Rowland, 1899.
(1843-1936)
- Canadian Champion 1879
- Tied for first in Canadian Championship 1888
Photo: Website of the 2007 Arctic Chess tournament, Tromse, Norway. Copyright 2007 by Edward Porper.
- Born Ukraine, arrived Canada 2008 from Israel
- Translater (English, Hebrew and German) and travel writer
- Chess coach
- 2009 1st place, Canadian Open Championship
- 2004 Grandmaster Norm for winning the Liechtenstein Open
- 1991 International Master
Porper won a beauty prize for the following game:
Edward Porper - Gavin Lock
32nd Guernsey Chess Festival, Grand Harve Bay GCI, 2006.10.21, Round 7
(1907-87)
Photo: 1971 Canadian Open Championship, Vancouver. Chess Canada 1971.09.
- 2000 Canadian Chess Hall of Fame
- 1987 Successful business person; named member of one of Canada's 50 wealthiest families
- 1977 Received Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal for contributions in the field of chess
- 1976 Officer of the Order of Canada; cited as "international chess expert"
- 1966 Represented FIDE at World Championship closing ceremony, crowning Tigran Petrosian as World Champion
- Chairman, Canada Council for 5 years
- Director, Bank of Montreal
- FIDE Vice-President
- 1957-87 FIDE Representative
- 1955-71 President, Chess Federation of Canada
- 1938 Founded Pacific Veneer, which was later merged into Canadian Forest Products and then renamed Canfor; long-time company president, Chairman of the Board
- 1938 Arrived Canada (born Vienna, Austria)
John G. Prentice - Elod Macskasy
City Chess Club Open, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1961
Sources: Canadian Chess Chat 1966.07 Vol.20, No.7, p.148-9;
FIDE Representative's Report by John Prentice, Canadian Chess Chat 1966.09 Vol.20, No.9, p.216-7;
Governor General of Canada.
Contributor: Vladimir Dobrich (photo).
(1925-84)
Photo: Chess Federation of Canada Photo Archives.
- Born Estonia, arrived Canada 1947
- Graduated from UBC 1952, Queen's (Master's) 1955
- Chemical engineer
- Queen's University Champion
- Organized Canadian Championship 1961, Canadian Open Championship 1966
- Chess teacher
- CFC President 1973-76 (during the years of the CFC's first business office, first business manager, and launch of its own magazine)
- Received Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal for contributions in the field of chess 1977
- Established Kalev Pugi Memorial Fund to support talented junior players
- Born Canada
- Represented France at Olympiad 1974, 1976
(1833-85)
Source: Chess Personalia by Jeremy Gaige.
Photo: 2004 Todd Southam Memorial, Bayview Games Club, Toronto. Copyright 2004 by the photographer David Cohen.
- Medical Doctor, gastroenterologist
- FIDE Master 1986
- Canadian Junior Champion (1985, 1986, 1987)
- 6th place, World Junior Championship 1987 (most wins in tournament; highest Canadian placing)
Here is Vinny Puri's choice for one of his best games:
Vinny Puri - Dale Haessel
1985-6 Canadian Junior Championship, Toronto, Ontario, Round 10, 1986.01