Jan Timman, the Dutch chess grandmaster who earned the nickname "The Best of the West" during his peak years, died Feb. 18, 2026, at age 74. Timman was a central figure in international chess from the late 1970s through the early 1990s, representing a rare Western challenge to Soviet dominance in the sport.
His rise to global prominence followed nine victories in the Dutch Chess Championship. He participated in multiple World Chess Championship Candidate cycles, a series of tournaments used to select a challenger for the reigning champion. In 1993, he reached the height of his competitive career when he challenged Anatoly Karpov for the FIDE World Championship title.
Outside of competition, Timman gained respect as a writer and theorist. He served as a chief editor for the magazine New In Chess and authored several acclaimed volumes on the game. His book, Timman's Titans, was recognized as the 2017 ECF Book of the Year for its analysis of past world champions.
Timman continued to write chess literature and analysis in his final years. Editorial duties at New In Chess occupied much of his time through 2025, where he provided commentary on the evolving international grandmaster circuit. His career included nine national titles and a peak world ranking of second.