Born: December 14, 1951 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
Playing Style:
One of the world’s top players from the late 1970’s to the early 1990’s, Jan Timman was known as a fighting player and a tenacious attacker – though, as with any modern world-class player, he was skilled in all areas of the game. He was also notable during his peak for playing a wide variety of openings with each color. This was unusual during that era, when nearly all of his contemporaries considered themselves specialists in a few favored lines instead. This made Timman difficult to prepare for – a trait that has become more common in the last two decades of professional chess.
World Championship Matches:
1993: Lost to Anatoly Karpov 12.5-8.5 (+2 -6 =13) in FIDE World Championship Match; Karpov becomes FIDE World Chess Champion
Notable Accomplishments:
- Three-time World Championship Candidate (1986, 1990, 1993)
- Reached Candidates final twice, losing to Anatoly Karpov and Nigel Short
- Played in 13 Chess Olympiads for the Netherlands, winning gold medal for best performance on Board One in 1976
- Won numerous major tournaments, including Wijk aan Zee (1981, 1985), Linares (1988), the 1989 Euwe Memorial, and the 1991 Immopar Rapid
- Editor of New In Chess Magazine
