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I came recently across something of interest for Canadian chess history, out of the blue, and completely unexpected.
Louis St. Laurent, who served as prime minister from 1948 to 1957, and before that as minister of justice under Prime Minister Mackenzie King, during World War II and shortly afterward, had a strong interest in chess as a youth, and was a skilled player, while studying at St. Charles Seminary in Quebec City during his teens. The source for this information is the 1967 book "Louis St. Laurent: Canadian", by Dale C. Thomson, published by Macmillan of Canada. This is a volume I have been trying to find for some time, and eventually have, from a second-hand shop.
I'll quote the appropriate section, from page 37 of this superb book.
"At the end of the first year, he was awarded a record twelve prizes, plus an honourable mention in singing, one of the few subjects in which he was considered almost a dunce! Success came perhaps too soon. With a new self-confidence, he found another challenge to test his mettle. Father Maltais [one of the priest-instructors] was an ardent chess player, and his enthusiasm was contagious; in the winter of 1897-8 a chess craze swept the college; home-made boards appeared as if by magic, and the contests took on epic proportions. As soon as the recreation bell sounded, the priest would appear in the recreation hall, looking for a suitable challenger. Louis distinguished himself in this field as well, and he was chosen frequently to defend the honour of the students. As with everything else, he prepared himself carefully, studying the game and planning every move like a general on a field of battle. He became so proficient that he entered a contest in a Montreal newspaper, and some of his solutions were published. As a result of these new activities, however, his exercises appeared less frequently in the cahiers d'honneur, and he received only passing mention in the year-end ceremonies. When he returned home, his father told him sternly that he had to choose at once between a career as a chess player and some other occupation. He promised to do better in the future."
There it ends! No more mention of chess in this biography! Perhaps Louis returned to chess later in life. :)
Louis St. Laurent, who served as prime minister from 1948 to 1957, and before that as minister of justice under Prime Minister Mackenzie King, during World War II and shortly afterward, had a strong interest in chess as a youth, and was a skilled player, while studying at St. Charles Seminary in Quebec City during his teens. The source for this information is the 1967 book "Louis St. Laurent: Canadian", by Dale C. Thomson, published by Macmillan of Canada. This is a volume I have been trying to find for some time, and eventually have, from a second-hand shop.
I'll quote the appropriate section, from page 37 of this superb book.
"At the end of the first year, he was awarded a record twelve prizes, plus an honourable mention in singing, one of the few subjects in which he was considered almost a dunce! Success came perhaps too soon. With a new self-confidence, he found another challenge to test his mettle. Father Maltais [one of the priest-instructors] was an ardent chess player, and his enthusiasm was contagious; in the winter of 1897-8 a chess craze swept the college; home-made boards appeared as if by magic, and the contests took on epic proportions. As soon as the recreation bell sounded, the priest would appear in the recreation hall, looking for a suitable challenger. Louis distinguished himself in this field as well, and he was chosen frequently to defend the honour of the students. As with everything else, he prepared himself carefully, studying the game and planning every move like a general on a field of battle. He became so proficient that he entered a contest in a Montreal newspaper, and some of his solutions were published. As a result of these new activities, however, his exercises appeared less frequently in the cahiers d'honneur, and he received only passing mention in the year-end ceremonies. When he returned home, his father told him sternly that he had to choose at once between a career as a chess player and some other occupation. He promised to do better in the future."
There it ends! No more mention of chess in this biography! Perhaps Louis returned to chess later in life. :)