British grandmaster Jon Speelman has paid tribute to his late Dutch counterpart Jan Timman, reflecting on their competitive history and personal friendship following Timman's death from terminal cancer. Speelman highlights their intense chess battles and Timman's warm personality off the board. The column, published on March 10, 2026, includes analysis of several key games between the two players.
In his latest 'Speelman's Agony' column for ChessBase, Jon Speelman expresses sadness over the death of Jan Timman, a prominent Dutch grandmaster known for his theoretical prowess. Speelman notes he had been forewarned of Timman's terminal cancer diagnosis by Dirk Jan ten Geuzendam, then editor of New in Chess.
The two players faced each other numerous times, with Timman holding a slight edge of 8-6 in decisive games, including rapid and blitz encounters. Notably, both performed better with Black pieces; out of 14 decisive games, nine were Black wins. Their 1989 Candidates' match in London ended 3-0 in favor of Black, with Timman securing victory in the final game via the move 23...Nxa2+, which Speelman describes as a 'good move' and a shock at the time.
Speelman recalls personal anecdotes, such as visiting Timman in his Amsterdam flat, where Timman shared a story about a neighbor creating a wine bottle label featuring a position from their match. Another game from Linares saw Speelman miss a drawing chance and struggle with a knight against two bishops; Timman won by obtaining a faxed printout of main lines from Holland.
Speelman also mentions two wins of his own with Black, both decided by the pawn move 'PN4' on opposite sides of the board—one from the 1989 Candidates' match and another from the 1982 Phillips and Drew tournament in London. Off the board, Speelman praises Timman: "Away from the board, Jan was always excellent company and I always thought that he was one of the very nicest of the generation just a few years older than me."
The column briefly touches on Speelman's recent participation in the Bundesliga, where his team, Munich 1836, finished second in the second division South and will face Erkenschwick in a playoff for promotion.
