Esteban Canal was a renowned chess player from Peru. He is the only known person in history to hold the title of chess Grandmaster and International Arbiter simultaneously. Born in April 1896 in Peru, he was a dedicated and active player during his lifetime with achievements that are globally recognized. Canal moved to Europe in the early 1920s, earned his doctorate in Italy and was fluent in six languages.
Canal was a renowned chess player and took part in various tournaments around the world. He took part in many celebrated matches and tournaments in Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Spain and Argentina and so on. Canal scored his best victory in 1934 at the Mar del Plata tournament where he managed fifth place behind four Argentinian masters. He also participated in the chess Olympiad in 1936 with the Italian team.
One of Canal's cherished comic brilliancies is his 14-move game (Canal-Sacconi, Venice 1929) which made him very popular. His name is attached to several opening variations: in the Sicilian Defence, there is the Canal–Sokolsky Variation (also called the Sokolsky Variation); where he composed 130 chess problems: two-movers and three-movers. Despite his busy schedule and multiple responsibilities, Canal had also found time to serve as a chess correspondent contributing various articles on the game for several newspapers and magazines.
In 1977, the title of International Grandmaster was conferred on Canal by the Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) – the international chess federation headquartered in Switzerland. He is regarded as a significant figure in chess who has left an everlasting legacy to the game. Canal passed away on February 14, 1981 in Venice, Italy.