Stephen Francis Smith (1860 or 1861,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada – 12 May 1928,

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England) was a Canadian

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

master. Born in Ontario,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, he emigrated with his family to London,

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, in the mid-1870s. Following in his father's profession Smith trained as a doctor, eventually becoming a Member of the Royal College of Surgeons and a Licentiate of the Apothecaries' Society. He played in the

British Chess Championship The British Chess Championships are organised by the English Chess Federation. The main tournament incorporates the British Championship, the English Chess Championships and the British Women's Chess Championship so it is possible, although it ha ...

and at Hastings (1895, 1919, 1927/28) but never in the Premier. Smith won the City of London Chess Club championship in 1895 and placed second in 1905/06. He shared 6th in the

London 1899 chess tournament The London 1899 chess tournament was a chess tournament held in London. Players of the tournament included old champion Wilhelm Steinitz and Emanuel Lasker, the latter of which won the tournament. The organizing committee was headed by Sir Geor ...

(the Minor Tourney, Frank James Marshall won), participated in the

Ostend 1907 chess tournament The tournament was divided into two sections: the Championship Tournament and the Masters' Tournament. The first section was for players who had won an international tournament. The Championship Tournament took place in the Casino of Ostend from 16 ...

(C tournament), took 4th at Deal 1907 ( George Alan Thomas won), tied for 10-11th at Oxford 1910 ( Henry Ernest Atkins won), and tied for 6-8th at London 1910 (W. Ward won). During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he left the British Isles for North America. He won the Vancouver Chess Club championship in the Spring of 1915, but there is no mention of there being a British Columbia championship in 1915. Smith is first mentioned as a B.C. Champion in the August 1925 edition of BCM. He challenged Sydney Gale to Canadian Chess Championship match 1920 (abandoned by Gale after +1 –1). Smith played in

1st unofficial Chess Olympiad The 1st Team Chess Tournament was held together with the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, 12–20 July 1924, at the Hotel Majestic. Fifty-four players representing 18 countries were split into nine preliminary groups of six. The winner of each roun ...

at Paris 1924 as the sole representative of Canada. He was one of the 15 delegates from all over the World who signed the proclamation act of the International Chess Federation (originally known as ''Fédération Internationale des Échecs'',

FIDE The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE ( , ), is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national chess federations and acts as the Spor ...

) on 20 July 1924.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Stephen Francis 1860s births 1928 deaths 20th-century Canadian chess players 19th-century chess players British chess players Canadian emigrants to the United Kingdom Chess players from London Canadian chess players