World Chess hall of fame
Jan Timman
Inducted 2025 1951-
Netherlands
Biography
Jan Timman is one of the chess world’s most significant figures from the past half-century. The multi-talented Dutchman is best known for qualifying for the Candidates multiple times, playing a World Championship match in 1993 against Anatoly Karpov for the FIDE title, and winning many important tournaments, including the 1985 Taxco Interzonal and Linares 1988. Besides being an elite player, Timman is an outstanding writer on the game, contributing through his books and his work for New in Chess. An artist and a player, he is a world-class problem composer who has also written extensively on the subject.
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