National Champions
Canadian Chess Champions
A list of Canadian Chess Championship winners, covering the Canadian Closed title from the nineteenth century to the latest completed zonal championship.
Current Champion
Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux
Current champion after winning the 2026 Canadian Closed in Montreal on tiebreak with 7/9.
Most Championships
Maurice Fox and Daniel Yanofsky, 8 each
First Championship
First completed Canadian championship held in 1873
Champions
57
118 championships
Championship History
Canada's championship history reaches back to the 1870s. The inaugural 1872 event was not completed, making Albert Ensor the first listed champion after the 1873 tournament.
Maurice Fox and Daniel Yanofsky share the record with eight titles each. Other multiple winners include Kevin Spraggett, Igor Ivanov, Alexandre Le Siège, and Bator Sambuev.
The 2026 Canadian Closed was held in Montreal from April 2 to 7. Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux, Anthony Atanasov, and Sai Krishna G.V. each scored 7/9. Rodrigue-Lemieux won the national title on tiebreak, with Atanasov second and Sai Krishna third; equal points did not mean three shared national titles.
Canada Champion List
Champions appear from oldest to newest. Shared titles and tied first places appear under each player's name.
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 1873 | Albert Ensor |
| 1874 | William Hicks |
| 1875 | George Jackson |
| 1876 | Edward Sanderson |
| 1877 | Henry Howe |
| 1878 | Jacob Ascher |
| 1879 | Edwin Pope |
| 1881 | Joseph Shaw |
| 1882 | Edward Sanderson |
| 1883 | Henry Howe |
| 1883 | Jacob Ascher |
| 1884 | François-Xavier Lambert |
| 1886 | Nicholas MacLeod |
| 1887 | Nicholas MacLeod |
| 1887 | George Barry |
| 1888 | Edwin Pope |
| 1888 | Nicholas MacLeod |
| 1888 | James Narraway |
| 1889 | James Narraway |
| 1889 | Richard Fleming |
| 1890 | Robert Short |
| 1891 | A. Thomas Davison |
| 1892 | William Boultbee |
| 1893 | James Narraway |
| 1894 | A. Thomas Davison |
| 1897 | James Narraway |
| 1898 | James Narraway |
| 1899 | Magnus Smith |
| 1904 | Magnus Smith |
| 1906 | Magnus Smith |
| 1908 | Joseph Sawyer |
| 1910 | John Morrison |
| 1913 | John Morrison |
| 1913 | Charles Blake |
| 1920 | Sydney Gale |
| 1920 | John Harvey |
| 1922 | John Morrison |
| 1924 | John Morrison |
| 1926 | John Morrison |
| 1927 | Maurice Fox |
| 1929 | Maurice Fox |
| 1931 | John Morrison |
| 1931 | Maurice Fox |
| 1931 | George Eastman |
| 1932 | Maurice Fox |
| 1933 | Robert Martin |
| 1934 | John Belson |
| 1935 | Maurice Fox |
| 1936 | Boris Blumin |
| 1937 | Boris Blumin |
| 1938 | Maurice Fox |
| 1940 | Maurice Fox |
| 1941 | Daniel Yanofsky |
| 1943 | Daniel Yanofsky |
| 1945 | Daniel Yanofsky |
| 1945 | Frank Yerhoff |
| 1946 | John Belson |
| 1947 | Daniel Yanofsky |
| 1949 | Maurice Fox |
| 1951 | Povilas Vaitonis |
| 1953 | Daniel Yanofsky |
| 1953 | Frank Anderson |
| 1955 | Frank Anderson |
| 1957 | Povilas Vaitonis |
| 1959 | Daniel Yanofsky |
| 1961 | Lionel Joyner |
| 1963 | Daniel Yanofsky |
| 1965 | Daniel Yanofsky |
| 1969 | Duncan Suttles |
| 1969 | Zvonko Vranesic |
| 1972 | Peter Biyiasas |
| 1975 | Peter Biyiasas |
| 1978 | Jean Hébert |
| 1981 | Igor V. Ivanov |
| 1984 | Kevin Spraggett |
| 1985 | Igor V. Ivanov |
| 1985 | Raymond Stone |
| 1986 | Igor V. Ivanov |
| 1986 | Kevin Spraggett |
| 1987 | Igor V. Ivanov |
| 1989 | Kevin Spraggett |
| 1991 | Lawrence Day |
| 1992 | Alexandre Le Siège |
| 1994 | Kevin Spraggett |
| 1995 | Ron Livshits |
| 1995 | François Léveillé |
| 1995 | Bryon Nickoloff |
| 1996 | Kevin Spraggett |
| 1999 | Alexandre Le Siège |
| 2001 | Kevin Spraggett |
| 2001 | Alexandre Le Siège |
| 2002 | Kevin Spraggett |
| 2002 | Pascal Charbonneau |
| 2004 | Pascal Charbonneau |
| 2004 | Eric Lawson |
| 2006 | Igor Zugic |
| 2007 | Jean Hébert |
| 2007 | Ron Livshits |
| 2007 | Nikolay Noritsyn |
| 2007 | Artiom Samsonkin |
| 2009 | Jean Hébert |
| 2011 | Bator Sambuev |
| 2011 | Eric Hansen |
| 2012 | Bator Sambuev |
| 2015 | Eric Hansen |
| 2015 | Tomas Krnan |
| 2015 | Leonid Gerzhoy |
| 2017 | Nikolay Noritsyn |
| 2017 | Bator Sambuev |
| 2019 | Evgeny Bareev |
| 2022 | Yuanchen Zhang |
| 2022 | Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux |
| 2023 | Nikolay Noritsyn |
| 2023 | Bator Sambuev |
| 2023 | Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux |
| 2024 | Shiyam Thavandiran |
| 2025 | Nikolay Noritsyn |
| 2026 | Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux |
Sources
Sources include federation archives, tournament reports, and historical winners tables.
- Chess-Results 2026 Canadian Closed final standings — All three leaders scored 7/9; the final tiebreak ranking places Rodrigue-Lemieux first, Atanasov second, and Sai Krishna third.
- The Week in Chess report on the 2026 Canadian Closed — Confirms the national title winner, dates, and three-way tie on points.
- Quebec Chess Federation 2026 Canadian Zonal rules — The tiebreak rules determine the first three positions; cash prizes are shared separately.
- Chess Federation of Canada
- Canadian Chess Championship historical list
Last reviewed: October 8, 2026.