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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.

Last reviewed: July 15, 2026.

By IgniteChess Editorial Reviewed by Patrik Tzortzakos on

Current Champion

Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux

Current champion after winning the 2026 Canadian Closed in Montreal on tiebreak with 6.5/9.

Most Listed Wins

Maurice Fox and Daniel Yanofsky, 8 each

First Championship

First completed Canadian championship held in 1873

Listed Champions

59

120 listed title wins across 120 chronological entries.

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 listed titles each. Later eras produced repeated champions including Kevin Spraggett, Igor Ivanov, Alexandre Le Siège, and Bator Sambuev.

The 2026 Canadian Closed was held in Montreal. Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux finished in a three-way tie for first on 6.5/9 and secured the national title on tiebreak.

Canada Champion List

Champions are shown chronologically from oldest to newest. Shared titles and tied first places are represented by the same year appearing for more than one player.

YearChampion
1873Albert Ensor
1874William Hicks
1875George Jackson
1876Edward Sanderson
1877Henry Howe
1878Jacob Ascher
1879Edwin Pope
1881Joseph Shaw
1882Edward Sanderson
1883Henry Howe
1883Jacob Ascher
1884François-Xavier Lambert
1886Nicholas MacLeod
1887Nicholas MacLeod
1887George Barry
1888Edwin Pope
1888Nicholas MacLeod
1888James Narraway
1889James Narraway
1889Richard Fleming
1890Robert Short
1891A. Thomas Davison
1892William Boultbee
1893James Narraway
1894A. Thomas Davison
1897James Narraway
1898James Narraway
1899Magnus Smith
1904Magnus Smith
1906Magnus Smith
1908Joseph Sawyer
1910John Morrison
1913John Morrison
1913Charles Blake
1920Sydney Gale
1920John Harvey
1922John Morrison
1924John Morrison
1926John Morrison
1927Maurice Fox
1929Maurice Fox
1931John Morrison
1931Maurice Fox
1931George Eastman
1932Maurice Fox
1933Robert Martin
1934John Belson
1935Maurice Fox
1936Boris Blumin
1937Boris Blumin
1938Maurice Fox
1940Maurice Fox
1941Daniel Yanofsky
1943Daniel Yanofsky
1945Daniel Yanofsky
1945Frank Yerhoff
1946John Belson
1947Daniel Yanofsky
1949Maurice Fox
1951Povilas Vaitonis
1953Daniel Yanofsky
1953Frank Anderson
1955Frank Anderson
1957Povilas Vaitonis
1959Daniel Yanofsky
1961Lionel Joyner
1963Daniel Yanofsky
1965Daniel Yanofsky
1969Duncan Suttles
1969Zvonko Vranesic
1972Peter Biyiasas
1975Peter Biyiasas
1978Jean Hébert
1981Igor V. Ivanov
1984Kevin Spraggett
1985Igor V. Ivanov
1985Raymond Stone
1986Igor V. Ivanov
1986Kevin Spraggett
1987Igor V. Ivanov
1989Kevin Spraggett
1991Lawrence Day
1992Alexandre Le Siège
1994Kevin Spraggett
1995Ron Livshits
1995François Léveillé
1995Bryon Nickoloff
1996Kevin Spraggett
1999Alexandre Le Siège
2001Kevin Spraggett
2001Alexandre Le Siège
2002Kevin Spraggett
2002Pascal Charbonneau
2004Pascal Charbonneau
2004Eric Lawson
2006Igor Zugic
2007Jean Hébert
2007Ron Livshits
2007Nikolay Noritsyn
2007Artiom Samsonkin
2009Jean Hébert
2011Bator Sambuev
2011Eric Hansen
2012Bator Sambuev
2015Eric Hansen
2015Tomas Krnan
2015Leonid Gerzhoy
2017Nikolay Noritsyn
2017Bator Sambuev
2019Evgeny Bareev
2022Yuanchen Zhang
2022Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux
2023Nikolay Noritsyn
2023Bator Sambuev
2023Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux
2024Shiyam Thavandiran
2025Nikolay Noritsyn
2026Shawn Rodrigue-Lemieux
2026Anthony Atanasov
2026Sai Krishna G V

Sources

Current-champion details were checked against official federation, organizer, or FIDE reports where available. Historical winner lists were cross-checked against maintained championship tables.