Jan Timman, the renowned Dutch chess grandmaster known as the best of the West, has died at the age of 74. The nine-time Dutch champion and former world number two passed away on February 18, 2026, leaving a lasting legacy in competitive play, writing, and chess journalism. Tributes from organizations like FIDE highlight his imaginative style and contributions to the game.
Jan Timman was born on December 14, 1951, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He learned chess at the age of eight and showed early promise, winning the Dutch Junior Championship at 14 and earning a bronze medal at the 1967 World Junior Championship in Jerusalem at age 15. Timman became an International Master in 1971 and a Grandmaster in 1974, the third Dutch player to achieve the title after Max Euwe and Jan Hein Donner. That year, he also claimed his first of nine Dutch national championships, with victories in 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1987, and 1996.
During the Soviet-dominated era, Timman emerged as the strongest non-Soviet player, earning the nickname "the best of the West." He reached second place in the world rankings in January 1982, behind Anatoly Karpov. His career featured numerous tournament wins, including shared victories at Hastings 1973/74 with Mikhail Tal, Sombor 1974 with Boris Gulko, Netanya 1975, Reykjavík 1976 with Fridrik Olafsson, Amsterdam IBM 1978, Nikšić 1978 with Gulko, Vidmar Memorial 1979, Amsterdam IBM 1981, Wijk aan Zee 1981 and 1985, Linares 1988, Euwe Memorial 1987 and 1989 with Karpov, World Cup Rotterdam 1989, Las Palmas 1981, Mar del Plata 1982, Bugojno 1984, and Sarajevo 1984 with Viktor Korchnoi.
Timman's pursuit of the world title included qualifying for the Candidates in 1985 after winning the Taxco Interzonal. He made deep runs in subsequent cycles, reaching the 1990 final where he lost to Karpov, and the 1993 final where he lost to Nigel Short. Following Garry Kasparov and Nigel Short's split from FIDE, Timman faced Karpov in the 1993 FIDE World Championship match across Zwolle, Arnhem, Amsterdam, and Jakarta, losing 12.5-8.5. He represented the Netherlands in 13 Chess Olympiads from 1972 to 2004, often on board one, and won a gold medal for best individual performance on board one in 1976. The Dutch team, including Timman, won the 2005 European Championship in Gothenburg.
Beyond the board, Timman was a prolific author and the first editor of New In Chess magazine from 1984. His books include The Art of Chess Analysis (1980), The Art of Attacking Chess (2014), Timman’s Titans (2016), and works on Max Euwe. He was also a noted endgame study composer. In October 2025, he was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame. Timman retired from over-the-board play in May 2025 after his last games in the July 2024 Dutch Championship.
In a 2023 interview with NRC, Timman reflected, "I would not choose chess as my profession these days. They just sit behind computers all day. It's not just traveling around and having a fun life, like I did. It was a hippie life, but with a purpose."
FIDE stated: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Jan Timman (1951–2026), one of the greatest figures in Dutch and international chess. A World Championship contender and the strongest non-Soviet player of his generation, Timman was admired for his creative style, profound strategic understanding, and fighting spirit.” The European Chess Union and others expressed condolences to his family, including his two children, Dehlia and Arthur, from his marriage to Ilse-Marie Dorff, and his later marriage to Geertje Dirkse.
