Lawrence Day
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Day is a Canadian chess International Master, author, and journalist. He has represented Canada at 13 Chess Olympiad
s.
, Day came under the influence of Fedor Bohatirchuk, a strong Ukrainian
International Master and doctor, who had emigrated to Canada after the Second World War. Day's progress was rapid, and he qualified through the 1966 Open Canadian Chess Championship
at Kingston
, to represent Canada at the 1967 Junior World Chess Championship
at Jerusalem, where he qualified for the 'A' final group. The highly experienced Bohatirchuk, who had a 3-0 score against Mikhail Botvinnik
(later World Champion) exerted a very strong influence on Day's playing style.
Day first played for Canada in the Chess Olympiad
in 1968 on the first reserve board (+3,=1,-8) at Lugano
, his first of 13 appearances, which is a Canadian record. Day played board three for Canada (scoring +7,=1,-2) on the bronze medal team at the World Students' Chess Olympiad, Mayagüez 1971. He graduated from Carleton University
in 1972 with a degree in English Literature
, worked for the magazine Chess Canada for a time, and then became a professional player. He earned his International Master title at the Zonal Canadian Chess Championship
, Toronto
1972.
s (1976, 1980, 1988). He won the Quebec Open Chess Championship three times (1974, 1975, 1979). He won the 1991 Closed Canadian Chess Championship
. He tied for first place at the 1999 North Bay
International Open, the last of that series of six annual excellent tournaments held there. So far he has won the Toronto City Championship Cup five times (1977, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1995). Day has won several dozen weekend Swiss format tournaments in Ontario
since the late 1960s.
Day's Olympiad appearances for Canada have spanned 30 years, from 1968–1998, according to the comprehensive Olympiad site olimpbase.org. In his later years, during the 1990s, he several times volunteered at the last minute to fill in for players who were unable to go because of unforeseen circumstances. Day played at Skopje
1972 as second reserve (+2,=5,-3); Nice
1974 as first reserve (+5,=5,-1); Haifa
1976 as second board (+2,=6,-2); Buenos Aires
1978 as third board (+6,=3,-2); La Valletta 1980 as second board (+5,=4,-2); Lucerne
1982 as fourth board (+5,=2,-5); Thessaloniki
1984 as third board (+3,=5,-2); Dubai
1986 as third board (+8,=0,-3), winning the bronze medal; Manila
1992 as first reserve (+0,=2,-4); Moscow 1994 as fourth board (+3,=3,-3); Yerevan
1996 as first reserve (+6,=3,-2); and finally at Elista
1998 as first reserve (+3,=0,-4). His totals for Canada in Olympiad play are: +51,=39,-41, in a total of 131 games, which is the second most by a Canadian, behind only Daniel Yanofsky
's 141. Canada made its best Olympiad results so far in 1976 with eighth place, eleventh place in 1978, and ninth place in 1980, and Day was a strong contributor all three times.
Day was never the undisputed top player in Canada, but he was among the top ten Canadian players for over 30 years, from the late-1960s into the late-1990s. His peak years were in the period 1978-1982, after which he was eclipsed by Grandmasters Igor V. Ivanov and Kevin Spraggett
. Day survived a bout with cancer in the late-1990s. He served as the non-playing captain of the Canadian team for the 2006 Turin
Olympiad. He was granted an Honorary GM title by the Commonwealth
Chess Association in 2006.
. One line he picked up from Bohatirchuk was the Chigorin Variation against the French Defence
(1.e4 e6 2.Qe2), and he played this with success. During his peak years, his use of the Modern Defence placed him near the leading edge of world research there; he developed the Pterodactyl Variation and used it with success against strong players. Other favorite lines were the Closed Variation of the Sicilian Defence
, the Grand Prix Attack against the Sicilian, and the Old Indian Defence.
Day was the Games Editor for Chess Canada Magazine and wrote the tournament book for the 1972 Closed Canadian Championship. He wrote a booklet on The Big Clamp opening system and co-authored a 1982 book on the Grand Prix Sicilian line with English Grandmaster Julian Hodgson
. He wrote a book about the life and games of the late Canadian International Master Bryon Nickoloff
(1956–2004), a close friend, published in 2007 by Chess'n Math Association
. He is constantly updating his own selection of games, for eventual publication. Day became the chess columnist for the high circulation Toronto Star
newspaper in 1976, and has written a popular weekly column ever since, now more than 1,500 in total, usually featuring some newsy information from around the chess world (peppered with his insightful analysis), a Master game with notes, and a chess problem, the answer to which is provided the following week. Since the late 1960s, he has been a successful contributor to Canadian chess magazines, respected widely for his great stories blended with incisive notes.
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
s.
Early life
As a youth in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Day came under the influence of Fedor Bohatirchuk, a strong Ukrainian
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
International Master and doctor, who had emigrated to Canada after the Second World War. Day's progress was rapid, and he qualified through the 1966 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 Kingston
Kingston, Ontario
Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...
, to represent Canada at the 1967 Junior World Chess Championship
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
at Jerusalem, where he qualified for the 'A' final group. The highly experienced Bohatirchuk, who had a 3-0 score against Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Moiseyevich Botvinnik, Ph.D. was a Soviet and Russian International Grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion. Working as an electrical engineer and computer scientist at the same time, he was one of the very few famous chess players who achieved distinction in another career while...
(later World Champion) exerted a very strong influence on Day's playing style.
Day first played for Canada in the Chess Olympiad
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
in 1968 on the first reserve board (+3,=1,-8) at Lugano
Lugano
Lugano is a city of inhabitants in the city proper and a total of over 145,000 people in the agglomeration/city region, in the south of Switzerland, in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino, which borders Italy...
, his first of 13 appearances, which is a Canadian record. Day played board three for Canada (scoring +7,=1,-2) on the bronze medal team at the World Students' Chess Olympiad, Mayagüez 1971. He graduated from Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
in 1972 with a degree in English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
, worked for the magazine Chess Canada for a time, and then became a professional player. He earned his International Master title at the Zonal 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...
, 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...
1972.
Canadian stalwart
He has been winning tournaments in Canada and North America since the late-1960s. He won the 1969 U.S. Junior Open. His biggest paycheck was for topping the field at the 1980 World Open. Day won three Canadian Open Chess ChampionshipCanadian Open Chess Championship
The Canadian Open Chess Championship is Canada's Open chess championship, first held in 1956, and held annually since 1973, usually in mid-summer. It is organized by the Chess Federation of Canada....
s (1976, 1980, 1988). He won the Quebec Open Chess Championship three times (1974, 1975, 1979). He won the 1991 Closed 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...
. He tied for first place at the 1999 North Bay
North Bay, Ontario
North Bay is a city in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. It is the seat of Nipissing District, and takes its name from its position on the shore of Lake Nipissing.-History:...
International Open, the last of that series of six annual excellent tournaments held there. So far he has won the Toronto City Championship Cup five times (1977, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1995). Day has won several dozen weekend Swiss format tournaments in Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
since the late 1960s.
Day's Olympiad appearances for Canada have spanned 30 years, from 1968–1998, according to the comprehensive Olympiad site olimpbase.org. In his later years, during the 1990s, he several times volunteered at the last minute to fill in for players who were unable to go because of unforeseen circumstances. Day played at Skopje
Skopje
Skopje is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Macedonia with about a third of the total population. It is the country's political, cultural, economic, and academic centre...
1972 as second reserve (+2,=5,-3); Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
1974 as first reserve (+5,=5,-1); Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
1976 as second board (+2,=6,-2); Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
1978 as third board (+6,=3,-2); La Valletta 1980 as second board (+5,=4,-2); Lucerne
Lucerne
Lucerne is a city in north-central Switzerland, in the German-speaking portion of that country. Lucerne is the capital of the Canton of Lucerne and the capital of the district of the same name. With a population of about 76,200 people, Lucerne is the most populous city in Central Switzerland, and...
1982 as fourth board (+5,=2,-5); Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
1984 as third board (+3,=5,-2); Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
1986 as third board (+8,=0,-3), winning the bronze medal; Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
1992 as first reserve (+0,=2,-4); Moscow 1994 as fourth board (+3,=3,-3); Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
1996 as first reserve (+6,=3,-2); and finally at Elista
Elista
-Twin towns/sister cities:Elista is twinned with the following sister cities. Howell, New Jersey, United States Lhasa, Tibet, China. Ulan-Ude, Buryat Republic, Russia-See also:*Geden Sheddup Choikorling Monastery*Burkhan Bakshin Altan Sume-External links:...
1998 as first reserve (+3,=0,-4). His totals for Canada in Olympiad play are: +51,=39,-41, in a total of 131 games, which is the second most by a Canadian, behind only 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:...
's 141. Canada made its best Olympiad results so far in 1976 with eighth place, eleventh place in 1978, and ninth place in 1980, and Day was a strong contributor all three times.
Day was never the undisputed top player in Canada, but he was among the top ten Canadian players for over 30 years, from the late-1960s into the late-1990s. His peak years were in the period 1978-1982, after which he was eclipsed by Grandmasters Igor V. Ivanov and Kevin Spraggett
Kevin Spraggett
Kevin Spraggett is a Canadian chess grandmaster. He is the fourth Canadian to earn the grandmaster title, after Abe Yanofsky, Duncan Suttles and Peter Biyiasas. Spraggett is the only Canadian to have qualified for the Candidates' level, having done so in 1985 and 1988...
. Day survived a bout with cancer in the late-1990s. He served as the non-playing captain of the Canadian team for the 2006 Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
Olympiad. He was granted an Honorary GM title by the Commonwealth
Commonwealth
Commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
Chess Association in 2006.
Playing style and writings
In his youth, Day often stuck close to theoretical opening lines, but as his style matured, he ventured into uncharted territory more frequently. His style is an eclectic blend of main line theory and offbeat systems, which makes him very difficult to prepare for. Somewhat unusual for a top player, he would sometimes use the mercurial King's GambitKing's Gambit
The King's Gambit is a chess opening that begins with the moves:White offers a pawn to divert the Black e-pawn so as to build a strong centre with d2–d4...
. One line he picked up from Bohatirchuk was the Chigorin Variation against the French Defence
French Defence
The French Defence is a chess opening. It is characterised by the moves:The French has a reputation for solidity and resilience, though it can result in a somewhat cramped game for Black in the early stages...
(1.e4 e6 2.Qe2), and he played this with success. During his peak years, his use of the Modern Defence placed him near the leading edge of world research there; he developed the Pterodactyl Variation and used it with success against strong players. Other favorite lines were the Closed Variation of the Sicilian Defence
Sicilian Defence
The Sicilian Defence is a chess opening that begins with the moves:The Sicilian is the most popular and best-scoring response to White's first move 1.e4...
, the Grand Prix Attack against the Sicilian, and the Old Indian Defence.
Day was the Games Editor for Chess Canada Magazine and wrote the tournament book for the 1972 Closed Canadian Championship. He wrote a booklet on The Big Clamp opening system and co-authored a 1982 book on the Grand Prix Sicilian line with English Grandmaster Julian Hodgson
Julian Hodgson
Julian Michael Hodgson is an English International Grandmaster and former British Champion of chess.He first came to the notice of the chess world for his phenomenal prowess as a junior; he was London under-18 champion at 12 years of age and won the British Boys under-21 title aged just...
. He wrote a book about the life and games of the late Canadian International Master Bryon Nickoloff
Bryon Nickoloff
Bryon Nickoloff was a Canadian International Master of chess. He represented Canada six times at chess Olympiads.- Early years :...
(1956–2004), a close friend, published in 2007 by Chess'n Math Association
Chess'n Math Association
The Chess'n Math Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing chess into Canadian schools...
. He is constantly updating his own selection of games, for eventual publication. Day became the chess columnist for the high circulation Toronto Star
Toronto Star
The Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
newspaper in 1976, and has written a popular weekly column ever since, now more than 1,500 in total, usually featuring some newsy information from around the chess world (peppered with his insightful analysis), a Master game with notes, and a chess problem, the answer to which is provided the following week. Since the late 1960s, he has been a successful contributor to Canadian chess magazines, respected widely for his great stories blended with incisive notes.
Notable chess games
- Lodewijk Prins vs Lawrence Day, Lugano Olympiad 1968, Sicilian Defence, O'Kelly / Maroczy Variation (B40), 0-1 A highly unusual tactical game sees the young Day grab the initiative early on against the veteran GM, and then drive his King all the way down the board before castling long to force mate!
- Lawrence Day vs Duncan Suttles, Canadian Zonal Championship, Pointe Claire 1969, Modern Defence (A41), 1-0 Day and Suttles are both Modern Defence gurus, so this game is a clinic for the aspiring student.
- Kevin Spraggett vs Lawrence Day, Toronto Labour Day Open 1977, Modern / Sicilian Defence, Pterodactyl Variation (B27), 0-1 Day kept a solid edge in head-to-head games against Spraggett into the early 1980s; this one is typical of their early rivalry.
- Lawrence Day vs Ivan Morovic Fernandez, Buenos Aires Olympiad 1978, King's Gambit, Fischer Defence (C34), 1-0 Day developed many new ideas in the King's Gambit, and here he shows one of them to the Chilean GM.
- Kevin Spraggett vs Lawrence Day, Toronto Open 1980, Ruy Lopez, Closed / Smyslov Variation (C91), 0-1 In a patient strategical battle, Day fights hard to come out on top against stout resistance.
- Lawrence Day vs Pal Benko, Continental Open 1980, Sicilian Defence, Grand Prix Attack (B21), 1-0 Day co-authored a book on this line, and here he uses it beautifully to defeat a two-time World title Candidate.
- Jonathan Mestel vs Lawrence Day, Lucerne Olympiad 1982, Modern Defence, Pterodactyl Variation (B06), 0-1 Another Pterodactyl drags the English GM into a mire of dire complexities.
- Igor V. Ivanov vs Lawrence Day, Grand Manan 1984, Old Indian Defence (A55), 0-1 Ivanov was Canada's new star after defecting from the talent-rich USSR, but here he finds out that Canada has some chess talent too.
- Ron Livshits vs Lawrence Day, Canadian Zonal Championship, Kingston 1992, Owen's Defence (B00), 0-1 Day uncorks the unusual Owen's and takes on huge defensive responsibility. The young Livshits sacrifices several pawns, and seems ready to break through, but he eventually overreaches, and has to concede defeat.
- Lawrence Day vs Ognjen Cvitan, Moscow Olympiad 1994, Sicilian Defence, Closed Variation (B25), 1-0 Day is one of the world's great exponents of the Closed Sicilian, and here he takes off a much stronger and younger GM.
- Lawrence Day vs Dmitry Tyomkin, Ontario Open, Brantford 2004, Sicilian Defence, Closed Variation (B23), 1-0 Another clinic in the Closed Sicilian shows the young GM that Day, although getting older, still packs a pretty mean punch.