He did win Canadian Championship twice, won also Championship of the State of Minnesota, 1899, and was a winner of the 2nd Western Chess Association Tournament (US Open) in 1901.

<"MacLeod plays chess on a plane peculiarly his own. His games are. therefore, to be criticised not from the standpoint of the hand book, but from the principles laid down by Young, which is known as synthetical chess. That is to say, each move is made from a base of operation that brings all pieces into immediate play with the least possible waste of time, while at the same time protecting that base about the king in the best formative manner. In doing this, the opponent wonders at the beginning of the game what kind of man is entrenched on the other side of the board. He becomes more or less wary as he notices that MacLeod is fortifying a weak point here and there. Then he commences to send his scouts further out and the report comes in that MacLeod's forces are sleeping on their arms. Then he sounds the bugle, for a grand charge on the left wing. He deploys all of his doughty knights in the skirmish. There is more or less blood shed. But the line ahead is as strong as adamant. But he has forgotten his right wing, now unsupported; he sees the clouds of battle gather on that fatal weak point. He seeks to recall his scattered army, but too late. The sleepy warrior pours a deadly broadside on the unsupported infantry and we gracefully capitulate.">

We went to the Toronto Open, (early 1990's - the pilot's grand-parents were from that area); I did not get to play, as I got the flu the week before the tournament.

I do remember meeting a very young man, he was around 10 years old. His great (or great-great) Grand-father was none other than "McCloud" who was the Canadian Champ some 100 years previously.

http://chess.ca/macleod-nicholas

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Nicholas M. MacLeod

(1870-1965)

Western Chess Association, 1901, family of Nicholas MacLeod

2000 Canadian Chess Hall of Fame

Two times Canadian Champion (1886, 1888)

1886 Youngest ever Canadian Champion, just past 16th birthday

=1st in Canadian Championship 1887

1889 Played in the New York tournament, held to select a challenger to World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz; set a record for most losses in one tournament, 31

1892 Only player to beat future World Champion Emanuel Lasker in a simultaneous exhibition given by Lasker, Quebec City, QC

Moved to Minnesota in 1896, and then ca. 1903 moved to Spokane, Washington

1901 Won the 2nd Western Chess Association Tournament (1st Western Open, later called U.S. Open) at Excelsior, Minnesota with 13/15

1900 Defeated Harry Pillsbury in blindfold simultaneous exhibition given by Pillsbury in Minneapolis, Minnesota

1899 Minnesota Champion

Invented the MacLeod Defence

Nicholas MacLeod - J.W. Baird

New York, NY, USA 1889, Round 21

Contributors: Michael Dougherty, Stephen Wright.

Research note: There were several players named MacLeod, and the record of who accomplished what is not always clear.

N.M. MacLeod is sometimes incorrectly referred to as 'N.W. MacLeod'. This is probably a mix up of Nicholas MacLeod and William MacLeod.

Both players were born in Quebec City, Quebec; both moved to Minnesota, USA.

Copyright 2011. David Cohen.

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Thanks to D. Cohen. Note the caution concerning other MacLeods.

Also - I wonder if his win over Pillsbury is available?