Maurice Fox
Encyclopedia
Maurice Fox was a Canadian chess
master. He won the Canadian Chess Championship
eight times; this is tied for the most Canadian titles with Daniel Yanofsky
.
to London
, England
. After graduating from the University of London
in 1921, he emigrated to Canada
in 1923. The next year, Fox took second, behind John Morrison
, in Hamilton
(CAN-ch). In 1926, he took second in the Canadian Chess Championship
held at Nationale. He was Canadian champion in 1927, 1929, 1931 (after playoff), 1932, 1935, 1938, 1940 and 1949. He also played in several United States Open
s.
In 1928 and 1929, he won the Montreal
City Championship. In 1929, he took 5th in Bradley Beach, New Jersey
, USA (Alexander Alekhine
won). In 1930, he won the Montreal
CC Summer tournament. In 1931, he took 12th in New York
(José Raúl Capablanca
won). In 1933, he took 9th in Detroit (US Open). The event was won by Reuben Fine
. In 1935, he won the First Montreal Speed Championship, Montreal
City Championship, and Canadian Chess Championship
held at Sun Life. In 1936, he took 2nd, behind Boris Blumin
in Toronto
Canadian Chess Championship
. In 1936, he took 2nd, behind Arthur Dake
, (preliminaries) and tied for 8-10th (finals) in Philadelphia (US Open). The event was won by Israel Horowitz.
In 1937, he took 2nd in Quebec City
(CAN-ch, Boris Blumin won). He won the Canadian Chess Championship
at Toronto
1938 and Montreal
1940. His last win of the Canadian Championship title was in 1949 at Arvida, Quebec
, ahead of Daniel Yanofsky
and Fedor Bohatirchuk. In 1945, Fox beat Morrison on board 1 in a telegraph match Toronto
vs Montreal
. In 1954, he played for Canada
at first reserve board in the 11th Chess Olympiad in Amsterdam
(+5 –2 =1). At age 58, Fox beat 13-year-old Bobby Fischer
, a future World Champion, in the 1956 Open Canadian Chess Championship
at Montreal
.
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
master. He won the Canadian Chess Championship
Canadian Chess Championship
This is the list of all the winners of the Canadian Chess Championship, often referred to as the Canadian Closed Championship to distinguish it from the annual Canadian Open tournament. The winner of the Canadian Closed advances to the next stage of the FIDE World Chess Championship cycle...
eight times; this is tied for the most Canadian titles with Daniel Yanofsky
Daniel Yanofsky
Daniel Abraham Yanofsky, OC, QC was Canada's first chess grandmaster, an eight-time Canadian Chess Champion, a chess writer, a chess arbiter, and a lawyer.-Life in chess:...
.
Biography
At the end of 1898 he moved from RussiaRussia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. After graduating from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
in 1921, he emigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1923. The next year, Fox took second, behind John Morrison
John Morrison (chess player)
John Stuart Morrison was a Canadian chess Master, who was born and died in Toronto.He won the Canadian Chess Championship five times and shared first place in 1931...
, in Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
(CAN-ch). In 1926, he took second in the Canadian Chess Championship
Canadian Chess Championship
This is the list of all the winners of the Canadian Chess Championship, often referred to as the Canadian Closed Championship to distinguish it from the annual Canadian Open tournament. The winner of the Canadian Closed advances to the next stage of the FIDE World Chess Championship cycle...
held at Nationale. He was Canadian champion in 1927, 1929, 1931 (after playoff), 1932, 1935, 1938, 1940 and 1949. He also played in several United States Open
U.S. Open Chess Championship
The U.S. Open Championship is an open national chess championship that has been held in the United States annually since 1900.-History:Through 1938, the tournaments were organized by the Western Chess Association and its successor, the American Chess Federation .The United States Chess Federation ...
s.
In 1928 and 1929, he won the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
City Championship. In 1929, he took 5th in Bradley Beach, New Jersey
Bradley Beach, New Jersey
Bradley Beach is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 4,298. The summer population can reach 30,000.-History:...
, USA (Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alekhine
Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion. He is often considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of twenty-two, he was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played...
won). In 1930, he won the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
CC Summer tournament. In 1931, he took 12th in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca
José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. One of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play...
won). In 1933, he took 9th in Detroit (US Open). The event was won by Reuben Fine
Reuben Fine
Reuben Fine was one of the strongest chess players in the world from the early 1930s through the 1940s, an International Grandmaster, psychologist, university professor, and author of many books on both chess and psychology.Fine won five medals in three chess Olympiads. Fine won the U.S...
. In 1935, he won the First Montreal Speed Championship, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
City Championship, and Canadian Chess Championship
Canadian Chess Championship
This is the list of all the winners of the Canadian Chess Championship, often referred to as the Canadian Closed Championship to distinguish it from the annual Canadian Open tournament. The winner of the Canadian Closed advances to the next stage of the FIDE World Chess Championship cycle...
held at Sun Life. In 1936, he took 2nd, behind Boris Blumin
Boris Blumin
Boris Blumin was a Canadian-American chess master.Born in Russia, he emigrated to Canada, where played in several chess championships...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
Canadian Chess Championship
Canadian Chess Championship
This is the list of all the winners of the Canadian Chess Championship, often referred to as the Canadian Closed Championship to distinguish it from the annual Canadian Open tournament. The winner of the Canadian Closed advances to the next stage of the FIDE World Chess Championship cycle...
. In 1936, he took 2nd, behind Arthur Dake
Arthur Dake
Arthur Dake was an American chess master. He was born in Portland, Oregon and died in Reno, Nevada....
, (preliminaries) and tied for 8-10th (finals) in Philadelphia (US Open). The event was won by Israel Horowitz.
In 1937, he took 2nd in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
(CAN-ch, Boris Blumin won). He won the Canadian Chess Championship
Canadian Chess Championship
This is the list of all the winners of the Canadian Chess Championship, often referred to as the Canadian Closed Championship to distinguish it from the annual Canadian Open tournament. The winner of the Canadian Closed advances to the next stage of the FIDE World Chess Championship cycle...
at Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
1938 and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
1940. His last win of the Canadian Championship title was in 1949 at Arvida, Quebec
Arvida, Quebec
Arvida is a settlement of 12,000 people in Quebec, Canada, that is part of the City of Saguenay. Its name is derived from the name of its founder, Arthur Vining Davis, president of the Alcoa aluminum company ....
, ahead of Daniel Yanofsky
Daniel Yanofsky
Daniel Abraham Yanofsky, OC, QC was Canada's first chess grandmaster, an eight-time Canadian Chess Champion, a chess writer, a chess arbiter, and a lawyer.-Life in chess:...
and Fedor Bohatirchuk. In 1945, Fox beat Morrison on board 1 in a telegraph match Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
vs Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. In 1954, he played for Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
at first reserve board in the 11th Chess Olympiad in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
(+5 –2 =1). At age 58, Fox beat 13-year-old Bobby Fischer
Bobby Fischer
Robert James "Bobby" Fischer was an American chess Grandmaster and the 11th World Chess Champion. He is widely considered one of the greatest chess players of all time. Fischer was also a best-selling chess author...
, a future World Champion, in the 1956 Open Canadian Chess Championship
Canadian Chess Championship
This is the list of all the winners of the Canadian Chess Championship, often referred to as the Canadian Closed Championship to distinguish it from the annual Canadian Open tournament. The winner of the Canadian Closed advances to the next stage of the FIDE World Chess Championship cycle...
at Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Notable chess games
- José Raúl Capablanca vs Maurice Fox, London 1919, Simultaneous Exhibition, Vienna Game, Anderssen Defense, C25, 0-1
- Alexander Alekhine vs Maurice Fox, Toronto 1924, French Defense, Exchange, Svenonius Variation, C01, 1/2-1/2
- Robert James Fischer vs Maurice Fox, Montreal 1956, CA Open, Zukertort Opening, Symmetrical Variation, A05, 0-1
External links
- Edward WinterEdward Winter (chess historian)Edward Winter is an English journalist, archivist, historian, collector and author about the game of chess. He writes a regular column on that subject, Chess Notes, and is also a regular columnist for ChessBase.-Chess Notes:...
, The Fox Enigma - Maurice Fox at 365Chess.com