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Shocking news. Jan Timman has passed away. I am currently looking for verification but the news is out there. Rest in peace GM Timman. You had a profound effect on my progress and improvement in chess way back when (50 years ago) In fact it was mainly because of you and the Art of Analysis that I became a master.
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I am saddened by the death of GM Jan Timman. It would be fair to say that Jan achieved everything significant in OTB chess, save for winning the World Championship. No doubt about it, he was one of the greatest players in history. As well, he was an outstanding writer, analyst, and builder, with his work developing 'New In Chess'. Jan may have also been among chess history's most admired and beloved figures.
I believe Jan competed in Canada only twice. First was the Montreal 1979 super-tournament, the strongest ever held in chess history to that juncture, based upon average FIDE rating; the winners were World Champion GM Anatoly Karpov and former World Champion GM Mikhail Tal. GM Timman was in the middle of the ten-player field, playing a double round-robin format, with (I believe) IA Larry Bevand of Montreal as Chief Arbiter. I attended this event for one day. Next was his 1988 Candidates Match victory, by 3.5-2.5 over GM Valery Salov, at Saint John, New Brunswick.
GM Jan Timman, Rest In Peace!!
Respectfully,
Frank Dixon
NTD, KingstonComment
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I look forward, Hans,
to a few of your Timman favourites.Comment
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Some Sunday in the Summer of 1974 when the Hamilton Chess Club was open Fridays and Sundays, there were a few of us playing skittles and a guy walked in and asked if we wanted to play GM Timman. We of course said sure. He was staying at a hotel in Burlington, and we were driven there, and the room was setup for a simul, but there were only about 6 of us, and when Timman walked in, he spoke to the organizer, then left. Apparently, they then called a local Dutch organization, and the next day the room was packed, and Angela and Lawrence Day shared a head table with Timman before Timman played us all. I would next meet him 30 years later at the 2004 Olympiad where we reaquainted at the bar.
He seemed to me a gentleman, with a creative genius, and in a way reminded me of Paul Keres, who I met and played a year later before his passing.
BrianComment
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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1113927 vs Portisch Crunch - Portisch seemed confused.Comment
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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1092093 Timman vs Ljubo a miniature. There you go Brad.Comment
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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1070170 Kasparov gets demoed! Nf6 and fireworks. Look at that finish!Comment
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Just for the fun of it, I used the 'search' feature at chessgames.com, to check out GM Jan Timman's record against leading Canadian players, in tournament games, over the decades. Here is what I found:
GM Kevin Spraggett +1 =2 -0; the only win by either player was an absolutely bizarre game, with Kevin as Black, at Montpellier Candidates 1985;
GM Igor Ivanov +1 =0 -0; Igor's win was an utterly brilliant masterpiece on board one, as White, from the Lucerne Olympiad 1982, in a Symmetrical English, as Canada drew the match against a much higher ranked Dutch side;
IM Lawrence Day +0 =2 -2; these two ultra-creative players first met at the 1967 Jerusalem World Junior Championship, and last at the 2000 Staunton Memorial;
GM Duncan Suttles +1 =0 -2; Duncan's win was, not surprisingly, from the Black side of a Modern Defense, at Venice 1974!!; Jan also was a Modern pioneer as Black;
GM D.A. Yanofsky +0 =0 -1; Jan's win was from Netanya 1975; GM Yanofsky was conceding 26 years to Jan;
GM Peter Biyiasas +1 =0 -0; Peter's win was from Hoogovens 1980, in an absolutely crazy game, with a Queen sac and then recovery in the opening!!; Peter was White in an offbeat Sicilian;
IM Jean Hebert +0 =1 -0; a long draw from the 1979 Rio Interzonal.
Total involving those seven Canadians: +4 =5 -5. Pretty good, I would say! Perhaps there have been other tournament games as well, with other Canadian Masters; I put this question to patrons of this site!?Comment
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Fun research Frank! and surprising to note Canadians did so well.Comment
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https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1142627 Biyiasis - Timman unusual tactic 8.e5! beautifully played by Biyiasis keeping pressure in the middlegame and endgame.Comment
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