1. Kevin Spraggett was the first Canadian-born player and fourth Canadian overall to earn the grandmaster title, after Abe Yanofsky, Duncan Suttles and Peter Biyiasas.
17 Facts About Kevin Spraggett
1. 2.
Kevin Spraggett has won a total of eight Canadian Open Chess Championships, seven Closed Canadian Chess Championships, and has represented Canada eight times in Olympiad play.
3.
Kevin Spraggett has written for Canadian chess publications and published a chess blog.
4.
Kevin Spraggett is widely considered to be the strongest Canadian-born player in chess history.
5.
Kevin Spraggett tied for first in the 1973 Junior Canadian Chess Championship, but lost the playoff match to John MacPhail.
6.
Kevin Spraggett had reached national master strength by this time, just before his twentieth birthday.
7.
Kevin Spraggett attended McGill University, studying engineering; however, he left before completing his degree, in favour of becoming a chess professional.
8.
Kevin Spraggett spent his early years developing his game in Canadian and American Swiss system open events, where the prizes were often low.
9.
Kevin Spraggett's younger brother Grant is a strong player, having earned the FIDE Master title.
10.
Kevin Spraggett was awarded the International Master title in 1975, following a second-place finish at the Zonal Canadian Chess Championship in Calgary; Peter Biyiasas won.
11.
Kevin Spraggett raised his game to meet the challenge of Igor Ivanov, who had settled in Montreal in the early 1980s after defecting from the Soviet Union.
12.
Those years saw Kevin Spraggett attain success in several strong tournaments, with victories in the 1983 World Open, 1984 Commonwealth Championship, 1984 New York Open, and 1985 Commonwealth Championship.
13.
Kevin Spraggett won his first of seven Canadian titles in 1984, which qualified him for the Taxco Interzonal the next year.
14.
Kevin Spraggett came in last at the Montpellier Candidates in 1985, but qualified again for the next Candidates.
15.
Kevin Spraggett then lost to Artur Yusupov in extra games in the 1989 Candidates' quarterfinal round at Quebec City.
16.
Kevin Spraggett has been a Canadian team member at eight Chess Olympiads, has won the Canadian closed and open championships fifteen times, and has a host of tournament victories in Europe.
17.
Kevin Spraggett has resided in Portugal since the late 1980s, and plays most of his tournaments in Europe, although he visits North America every year or two on average.