[12] At Dallas 1957, Yanofsky achieved his first grandmaster norm with wins over Samuel Reshevsky, Friðrik Ólafsson and Larry Evans.

Further tournament titles included Arbon 1946 (tied with Karel Opocensky and Ludek Pachman), Reykjavík 1947, Hastings 1952-53 (tied with Harry Golombek, Jonathan Penrose, and Antonio Medina), and the Canadian Open Chess Championship 1979 (Edmonton).

He also played in the tournament and was awarded the brilliancy prize for his victory over László Szabó; the event was jointly won by Bent Larsen and Klaus Darga.

[15] In 1974, Yanofsky also brought to Winnipeg the Pan American Chess Championship that was won by Walter Browne.

He played in his final Canadian championship in 1986 at age 61 at home in Winnipeg, and qualified for another Interzonal appearance by placing tied for 3rd-4th with 9.5/15, but ceded the seat in favour of Denis Allan, a younger player.

[16] Yanofsky returned to Groningen in 1996 for the 50th anniversary tournament among the 1946 event's seven surviving players; former world champion Vassily Smyslov won.

According to Golombek's Encyclopedia of Chess, Yanofsky was known for his expertise in the French Defence and the Ruy Lopez, but his strongpoint was his endgame play.

Yanofsky played a major role in the building of the Seven Oaks General Hospital and the Wellness Institute in the city's north end.

[23] Following Yanofsky's death in 2000, a memorial tournament has been held annually in Winnipeg in recognition of his contributions to Canadian chess.