Nathan Divinsky

[David Ottosen]

I thought I saw someone post on Twitter that he had passed away. Anyone confirm?

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: Nathan Divinsky

I thought I saw someone post on Twitter that he had passed away. Anyone confirm?

http://chesscanada.info/forum/showthread.php?t=2627

[Ken Craft]

Re: Nathan Divinsky

Spraggett has reported Divinsky's death, as well.

[Peter McKillop]

Re: Nathan Divinsky

Spraggett has reported Divinsky's death, as well.

It would have behooved him to recall the aphorism: Of the dead, speak no evil.

[Kerry Liles]

Re: Nathan Divinsky

It would have behooved him to recall the aphorism: Of the dead, speak no evil.

I also found it interesting that the board moderator (Chris Mallon) seems to have had to edit Serge's CFC board post about Divinsky's passing...

[Duncan Smith]

Re: Nathan Divinsky

We had the pleasure of spending time with Nathan at the Olympiad in Turin, chatting about chess and life. He was an interesting, supportive team member at that event and I am sorry to hear that he has passed on this week. I am sure he will be missed by many.

[Hal Bond]

Re: Nathan Divinsky

I always appreciated Nathan's sense of humour and sage counsel. I was quite saddened by the news and will miss him.

[Frank Dixon]

Re: Nathan Divinsky

I'm wondering about tournaments which Divinsky won!? He was never champion of B.C., according to the BCCF website. David Cohen's site lists him as co-champion of the 1959 Manitoba Open (GM-to-be D.A. Yanofsky won the title on tiebreak or in a playoff). He was apparently never Manitoba Closed champion. How about champion of Winnipeg and / or Vancouver (haven't been able to find any data on these)!?

Yet Divinsky was close to IM strength at his peak, based on his fine result of tied 3rd-4th at the Canadian Championship, Toronto 1945, and he was in fact given an honourary IM title by the Commonwealth Chess Association (started by his friend and co-author GM Raymond Keene), but not by FIDE.

Any more information would be appreciated. :)

[Mark S. Dutton]

Nathan Tuzie Divinsky - October 29, 1925 - June 17, 2012

I'm wondering about tournaments which Divinsky won!? He was never champion of B.C., according to the BCCF website. David Cohen's site lists him as co-champion of the 1959 Manitoba Open (GM-to-be D.A. Yanofsky won the title on tiebreak or in a playoff). He was apparently never Manitoba Closed champion. How about champion of Winnipeg and / or Vancouver (haven't been able to find any data on these)!?

Yet Divinsky was close to IM strength at his peak, based on his fine result of tied 3rd-4th at the Canadian Championship, Toronto 1945, and he was in fact given an honourary IM title by the Commonwealth Chess Association (started by his friend and co-author GM Raymond Keene), but not by FIDE.

Any more information would be appreciated. :)

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/van...&pid=158115797


Nathan Tuzie Divinsky
Obituary
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October 29, 1925 - June 17, 2012 Nathan Joseph Harry "Tuzie" Divinsky died on Sunday June 17, 2012. A man who lived his life with great passion and conviction, Tuzie was a grandmaster in all aspects of his life and a truly "modern major general".He leaves his wife Marilyn Goldstone, daughters Judy Kornfeld and Pamela Divinsky, son-in-law Neil Kornfeld and grandchildren, Dory and Megan Kornfeld. He was pre-deceased by his daughter Dr. Mimi Divinsky. We will remember him as the person who always challenged the conventional with charisma that was irresistible.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/van...fbID=896395166

[Stephen Wright]

Re: Nathan Divinsky

He was apparently never Manitoba Closed champion.

Came second in 1945, won the championship in 1946 and 1952. See Yanofsky's 100 Years of Chess in Canada.

Canadian Championship, Toronto 1945

The 1945 Canadian Championship was held in Saskatoon.

[Jonathan Berry]

Re: Nathan Divinsky

I'm wondering about tournaments which Divinsky won!? He was never champion of B.C., according to the BCCF website. David Cohen's site lists him as co-champion of the 1959 Manitoba Open (GM-to-be D.A. Yanofsky won the title on tiebreak or in a playoff). He was apparently never Manitoba Closed champion. How about champion of Winnipeg and / or Vancouver (haven't been able to find any data on these)!?

Yet Divinsky was close to IM strength at his peak, based on his fine result of tied 3rd-4th at the Canadian Championship, Toronto 1945, and he was in fact given an honourary IM title by the Commonwealth Chess Association (started by his friend and co-author GM Raymond Keene), but not by FIDE.

Any more information would be appreciated. :)

I started playing tournament chess in 1967 in the Vancouver area. I never knew Divinsky to have played a tournament game nor give a simul nor play Blitz chess from then forward. I never saw him play chess, though I did see him talk about games. I vaguely recall that he wrote an article about attending a congress at Bognor Regis, England, Great Britain, where he played tournament games after a long break. Maybe it was fiction though, which is also literature.

By contrast, the older Elod Macskasy, who also worked at the UBC Math Department, played in tournaments, gave simuls, and played Blitz.

Divinsky spoke with great aplomb and authority. He was not under any delusions about his own chess strength, but he didn't see it as a bad thing that somebody could listen to him and take away a positive impression about chess.

[Frank Dixon]

Re: Nathan Divinsky

May thanks to Mark, Stephen, and Jonathan, for answering my request for more information on Dr. Divinsky's chess achievements and life.

Mark provided links to the obituary published today in the two main Vancouver newspapers.

Stephen corrected my statement that Nathan never won the Manitoba Closed, and provided details. I was basing my facts on info from David Cohen's site, which is usually pretty complete, but Stephen dug deeper. David can utilize Stephen's work to update his already excellent site. However, I maintain that the Canadian Closed was in fact held in Toronto in 1945, not Saskatoon. Phil Haley is perhaps the last surviving participant from that event.

Jonathan provided some dandy insight into Nathan's personality and apparent lack of playing chess in public, from the mid-1960s. The BCCF site contains a link to an interview of Divinsky, where he talks about his apparently pretty good result from Bognor Regis 1966 (finished ahead of Golombek and Wade), as also noted by Jon.

I checked chessmetrics.com, but Divinsky is not listed there.

The site chessgames.com has a short profile on Divinsky, and relates a lovely Divinsky story involving Bobby Fischer. Check it out! :)

Bidmonfa has a picture of Divinsky, perhaps from his 70s.

[Stephen Wright]

Re: Nathan Divinsky

However, I maintain that the Canadian Closed was in fact held in Toronto in 1945, not Saskatoon.

Your source? Toronto hosted the Canadian Championship in 1946, not 1945.

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: Nathan Divinsky

The University of Alberta library has a copy of the 1945 tournament book - clearly showing that it was held in Saskatoon.

http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/10085.html

Peel 10085
Canadian Chess Championship (1945 : Saskatoon); Chess Federation of Canada. Complete series of games: Canadian Chess Championship, 1945, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. [Saskatoon: Chess Federation of Canada?, 1945].
Physical description: [29] p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Language: English
Move-by-move notation of the games played during the championship. Contains a brief account of the Saskatoon tournament and its organization

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: Nathan Divinsky

The University of Alberta library has a copy of the 1945 tournament book - clearly showing that it was held in Saskatoon.

http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/bibliography/10085.html

They have it scanned or photographed too.