Bryon Nickoloff

Bryon Nickoloff (June 23, 1956 – August 3, 2004) was a Canadian chess master. A Canadian champion, he also represented Canada six times at Chess Olympiads.

Early years

Nickoloff, born of Bulgarian heritage in Toronto to emigre parents, came to chess at age 15, which is relatively late among players who eventually reached international standard. Within three years, he was playing at national master strength. He won the Toronto City Championship in 1978, and repeated in 1997 (shared) and 1998. He made his first of six Olympiad appearances for Canada later that year. In 68 games, he scored (+21 =27 -20), for 50.7 per cent. His international teams' record is as follows:

Mexico City 1978 U26 Olympiad, board 1, 5/11 (+3 =4 -4) Buenos Aires 1978 Olympiad, 1st reserve, 2.5/6 (+1 =3 -2) Dubai 1986 Olympiad, board 2, 6.5/12 (+4 =5 -3) Thessaloniki 1988 Olympiad, 2nd reserve, 6/10 (+4 =4 -2) Novi Sad 1990 Olympiad, board 3, 6/10 (+4 =4 -2) Moscow 1994 Olympiad, board 3, 3.5/9 (+2 =3 -4) Elista 1998 Olympiad, board 3, 5/10 (+3 =4 -3)

Nickoloff moved to Mexico in 1978, married a Mexican woman, and earned his International Master title in 1981, following a string of top finishes in Mexican events in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Canadian Championship near-misses

Nickoloff, while certainly one of Canada's top players for about 30 years, from the mid-1970s until his death in 2004, only managed to win the Canadian Chess Championship once in his nine attempts, when he tied for first with François Léveillé and Ron Livshits in 1995. He did remarkably well in his first attempt in 1978 at Toronto (Zonal), which was only seven years after he learned how to play. He scored 9/15 to share 7-8th places, with Jean Hébert winning. He was fifth at Ottawa (Zonal) 1984 on 8.5/15, with Kevin Spraggett winning. At the Winnipeg (Zonal) 1986, he scored 7/16 to share 8-9th places, with Spraggett and Igor Ivanov winning.

Nickoloff was off-form at Kingston (Zonal) 1992, scoring just 3.5/11 for 10th place, as Alexandre Lesiège won. Another near-miss was his shared 3rd-5th place at Hamilton (Zonal) 1994, on 10/15, with Spraggett again the champion. At the controversial Canadian championship in Ottawa 1995, Nickoloff fell asleep at the board during a game when it was his move and his clock was running down. Nickoloff was eventually awakened by another competitor (Kiviaho), and this led to a string of arguments and appeals, which disrupted play in subsequent rounds. Nickoloff was 5th at Toronto (Zonal) 1996 on 9/15, with Spraggett winning his fifth Zonal in six attempts. At Brantford (Zonal) 1999, Nickoloff scored 5/9 for a shared 7-10th place, with Alexandre Lesiège winning.

Nickoloff won the Canadian Open Chess Championship in 1992 and 1995. Nickoloff won the Ontario Open Championship in 1993 (shared), 1994, and 2000. He won the Ontario Championship in 1992 (shared). Two weeks later, he died in hospital at age 48.

Nickoloff often played the Arkhangelsk variation in the Ruy Lopez, in which he played many important theoretical games.

In 2007, International Master Lawrence Day, a close friend and colleague, published the book Nick's Best, from Chess'n Math Association publishers. The book is an annotated collection of his best games, along with many stories from his colorful life.