Bryon Nickoloff Annotations

[Emil Smilovici]

I would like to mention Nick's domination of the 1978 Canadian Championship. I think he had a score of 7 and a half out of 9. I visited as often as I could and I had never seen anything like it. I remember analyzing with George Kuprejanov incredible tactics from Nick's games. All of a sudden Nick collapsed and score 1.5 out of the final 6. I was trying to find my book of the 1978 Canadian Championship but no luck so far. Does anyone have that book or at least some of the games? There were some incredible games.

Chess Tempo has 13 games (out of 15) from his participation at the CAN-Ch 1978:

https://old.chesstempo.com/gamedb/player/243627

[Peter McKillop]

I would like to mention Nick's domination of the 1978 Canadian Championship. I think he had a score of 7 and a half out of 9. I visited as often as I could and I had never seen anything like it. I remember analyzing with George Kuprejanov incredible tactics from Nick's games. All of a sudden Nick collapsed and score 1.5 out of the final 6. I was trying to find my book of the 1978 Canadian Championship but no luck so far. Does anyone have that book or at least some of the games? There were some incredible games.

Chessgames.com has 17 or 18 of his games from 1978. Maybe some of those are zonal games.

[Hans Jung]

I would like to mention Nick's domination of the 1978 Canadian Championship. I think he had a score of 7 and a half out of 9. I visited as often as I could and I had never seen anything like it. I remember analyzing with George Kuprejanov incredible tactics from Nick's games. All of a sudden Nick collapsed and score 1.5 out of the final 6. I was trying to find my book of the 1978 Canadian Championship but no luck so far. Does anyone have that book or at least some of the games? There were some incredible games.

[Hans Jung]

Grandmaster's Forum was republished in Chess Canada, April 2004 Volume 32 Issue 2. I was editor at the time.

[Brad Thomson]

'Michael Schleifer once told me that Nick played like Fischer.' Yes, in that Nick played very sharp and always looked for the best move and always tried to win, whether white or black.

Ron Livshits is quoted in Nick' Best, "I think that in many respects his [Nick's] style resembled that of Capablanca, Smyslov and Fischer."

[Neil Frarey]

David Gilmour - Coming Back To Life (Live At Pompeii)

[Brad Thomson]

The game from 1975 is another example of the Nick Variation. The notation is descriptive. Nick only makes a few remarks. It is interesting how often this opening appears in Nickoloff games.

[Brad Thomson]

The games from En Passant #116 show the modest side of Nick. He claims to play the first game like Capablanca, the second one more reminiscent of Alekhine, and the third game almost identical to what Capablanca would have played move for move. When performing in the manner of Alekhine, Nickoloff writes after 6...Bb7, "This system is called the Arkhangelsk system. However, I feel that it should be called the "Nick" system because I understand it better than anyone else in the world." As it turned out, Alexei Shirov did not disagree. Nor did Informant. Nor Spassky...

Nick put his money where his mouth was.

[Brad Thomson]

Miracles are beginning to take place.

[Neil Frarey]

So here's that 1975 Toronto Closed crosstable where Nickoloff came in 2nd place. Also in this Bulletin he briefly annotates his game with Nurmi ...

https://www.chessmetro.com/images/B9_BN_1.jpg
https://www.chessmetro.com/images/B9_BN_2.jpg


And here's that GRANDmasters' Forum from Bulletin 27 1978, where his game with Wachtel from the above 1975 TO Closed is anylized by Abe Yanofsky, Leonid Shamkovich and Bent Larsen ...

https://www.chessmetro.com/images/B27_BN_1.jpg
https://www.chessmetro.com/images/B27_BN_2.jpg

[Brad Thomson]

Thanks Frank, good luck finding the games! It is heart warming to read so many anecdotes about Nick.

[Frank Dixon]

The first published and annotated game I remember from Nick was his win as Black in the Archangel Spanish, over NM Robert Wachtel, from the Toronto Closed 1975. This game was analyzed in 'Masters' Forum' in the magazine, when NM / IA Jonathan Berry was editor, and I recall GM Bent Larsen was one of the annotators!! I searched for that issue, I know I have it, but so far, no success. That would be an interesting one to put up on this site, for discussion now. It is an extraordinary game, from the time well before that variation became fashionable.

I was fortunate to encounter Nick when he gave an impromptu simul on 8 boards at the Ontario High School Championship, New College, University of Toronto, May 1975. He had left school sometime before, so was not competing in the event, but was there, playing blitz chess for stakes. The Ontario HS was THE BIG EVENT in those days, well before anything like CYCC or Chess 'N Math events, and it attracted 200 to 300 players many years. By now, this was getting fairly late into the evening, around nine p.m., I think it was after round one of six, with three rounds the next day. But with the tournament accommodations being right on-site, quite a few people were still on hand, waiting to play Nick, or watching. So, someone suggested he take on a simul for $10 a board, to recognize the interest, and Nick accepted the challenge. I was the only one to win, and he allowed one draw, winning the other six. I think I have the game somewhere, and when I find it, I will post it here. Sharp tactical battle, with me as Black in a Nimzo-Indian, and Nick at first said my combination was unsound, but I later showed him through analysis that it was sound. He had asked me to stay around until he finished the simul, so we could analyze. I was unrated at the time, so I thought that showed some class on his part, for a Master to analyze with a nobody. He was sipping from a neck-cord supported wineskin during the games; he kept it semi-hidden under a jacket! Some HS teachers who were there cast disapproving glances at that, but didn't do anything. Everyone was well-behaved, and having too much fun!

[Brad Thomson]

But Nick showed his shy charming side on that trip.

Many knew the gregarious, even boastful Nick, but only those closer to him knew the "shy charming" Nick. Bryon was very sensitive and a fully respectful gentleman. He had great compassion for others and he always looked to take the younger, less experienced players under his wing. For example we were quick to follow Lesiege, Livshits and Koliada when they entered the "dance club" across the street from the venue of the Closed of 1994. Nick explained to me at the time that, "We should go in just to make sure that the lads are all right." Later that tournament Nick and I, along with the other lads, helped Alex to celebrate his 18th birthday in this same "dance club". It became expensive for me when one of the dancers began extracting two- and five-dollar bills from their mouths as they lay backwards on the front edge of the stage.

[Brad Thomson]

Thanks Tony, good of you to weigh in. Doc put on a nice afternoon for all of the players and other CFC personages during the Closed of 1994. In fact the group pic on page 186 of the book Nick's Best, was taken there. (All Canadian chess players should have this book, contact Strategy Games if you do not.) Thanks too to Grandmasterov for more Nick annotations, including where he claimed to be the world's leading expert on the opening that he would only later completely outplay Shirov in!

[Hans Jung]

Thanks for mentioning the Doc and his famous tournaments. Very classy! Sadly I was not strong enough to take part but Nick thoroughly enjoyed himself there and mentioned it several times. Paul Simon (the chessmaster) also had fond stories of the Doc. Maybe Brian Hartman could share if he reads this.