A piece of shocking news is coming forward that Jan Hendrik Timman has passed away, and this news is rapidly circulating all over the internet and social media pages. He was a professional Dutch chess grandmaster known for his gaming performance who gained popularity as one of the world’s leading chess players from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. His death left a saddened coverage over the chess community, and many of his loved ones are expressing their sorrow over his loss. Let’s continue your reading, and we will try to cover all the important details regarding his passing in this article.
Who Was Jan Timman?
According to reports, Jan Timman was a legendary Dutch grandmaster often referred to as “The Best of the West”, and his passing has left the chess community and his family in shock. The news of Jan’s death was officially announced and confirmed on 19 February 2026, a day after his death, by various chess organisations such as the International Chess Federation (FIDE), the European Chess Union (ECU), and the Royal Dutch Chess Federation (KNSB). He took his last breath at his home located in Arnhem, Netherlands, on Wednesday, 18 February 2026, but the exact cause of his passing is still not revealed. Sources claim that he died because of a serious illness from which he was struggling for a long time, but the exact cause is not officially confirmed.
Jan Timman Cause Of Death?
Jan Hendrik Timman was born on 14 December 1951 in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and become of the world’s leading players of chess. Born into a highly intellectual family. He belongs to the Netherlands and was considered the best non-Soviet player and was known as “The Best of the West.” In his chess gaming career, he won the Dutch Chess Championship nine times and was a Candidate for the World Chess Championship multiple times. In January 1982, he reached World No.2 (Anatoly Karpov was World No.1). In 1993, he challenged FIDE World Chess Championship against Karpov, and this event also gained huge attention around the world.
Beyond his chess gaming, he was also known as an author and the longtime editor of New In Chess magazine. His notable book, ‘The Art of Chess Analysis’, is considered a masterpiece of chess literature. Due to his declining health demands, he retired from competitive over-the-board play in May 2025. Our sources have gained all the available details regarding Jan Timman’s personal life, like his wife, children, and family.
How Die Jan Timman Die?
He married twice: his first wife was Ilse-Marie Dorf, whom he married in 1978 and later divorced in the late 90s, and the second time he married chess player Geertje Dirkse. He had two children from his first wife. Many popular personalities and chess legends, Garry Kasparov and modern stars like Anish Giri including expressed their sorrow and paid tribute to his loss. We have mentioned all the available details regarding his death topic above in this article.
