[1] Nickoloff, born of Bulgarian heritage in Toronto to emigre parents, came to chess at age 15, which is relatively late among players who eventually reached international standard.

[1] He was top board for Canada at the World U26 Olympiad in Mexico 1978, leading the team to a 6th-place finish.

[5] Nickoloff, while certainly one of Canada's top players for about 30 years, from the mid-1970s until his death in 2004, only managed to win the Canadian Chess Championship once in his nine attempts, when he tied for first with François Léveillé and Ron Livshits in 1995.

At the controversial Canadian championship in Ottawa 1995, Nickoloff fell asleep at the board during a game when it was his move and his clock was running down.

Nickoloff was eventually awakened by another competitor (Kiviaho), and this led to a string of arguments and appeals, which disrupted play in subsequent rounds.

A bon vivant much like Mikhail Tal, Nickoloff indulged himself in alcohol, tobacco, and many late nights.

In the late 1990s, when he was just in his early 40s, he was diagnosed with incurable stomach cancer and was in serious condition, losing much weight and strength.

His last tournament was the 2004 Canadian Open Chess Championship in Kapuskasing, where, although badly emaciated by the disease, he managed to score 6.5/10, playing several fine games.