He holds the title of FIDE Master in chess. Lipnowski was on the Canadian team at the 1976 International Chess Olympiad in Haifa, Israel. He placed first in an international tournament in Netanya, Israel, in 1979. In the Icelandic Invasion tournament, he was paired against three of the five visiting Icelandic grandmasters. He lost to the Icelanders, but scored five victories in other matches.