Jan Smeets
Encyclopedia
Jan Smeets is a Dutch chess player with the title Grandmaster. He was the Netherlands' national champion in 2008. In 2009 he did not take part, but in 2010 he successfully reclaimed the championship.
).
His best performance at the World Junior Chess Championship
occurred in 2005, when he took fifth place.
suburb of Leiden, tried for a year to become a full-time chess professional. However, along with friend and fellow grandmaster Jan Werle
, he found that the lifestyle was not to his liking. Relentless study at the chessboard can be a lonely existence and he considered the ‘dead times’ between chess events to be lacking any element of fun. Consequently, he became a student of Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam and included only as much chess study as his schedule allowed.
He finds it difficult to define his chess style, but reflecting on past performances, recalls relying too heavily on tricks and playing aggressively. While this may have cost him a few first places, he describes his lack of nerves as a real asset, helping him gain many extra points and half points at the critical stages of matches and tournaments
.
2004 was the year that his participation in senior tournaments began to yield encouraging results. He finished in second place in Gouda
(after Daniel Fridman
) and gained the Grandmaster title the same year. At Dos Hermanas
the following year, he shared third behind Fridman and Bu Xiangzhi
(with Sergey Volkov) and at the 2005 Hengelo
Stork Young Masters event, he finished one-half point behind the Russian grandmaster Alexander Riazantsev
. This was a year of significant breakthrough for Smeets, when he recorded one of his best performances at Wijk aan Zee
's Corus 'B' tournament, finishing equal with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
for a share of second place, behind Teimour Radjabov
. Left in his wake were a multitude of other strong players, including Peter Heine Nielsen
, Ivan Cheparinov
, Alexander Onischuk
, Magnus Carlsen
and Predrag Nikolić
.
He played successfully at the Essent Open in Hoogeveen
in 2007, finishing once more as runner-up, this time with Friso Nijboer
, Jan Werle
and Evgeny Postny
, behind surprise winner Eltaj Safarli
. In 2008, there were a number of excellent results; he was the winner of the Dutch Championship at Hilversum
and finished third at the Howard Staunton Memorial Tournament
, after Michael Adams and Loek Van Wely
, but ahead of Jan Timman
, Ivan Sokolov
and Nigel Short
. He took a share of fifth place at the EU Individual Open Chess Championship
, was selected to represent the Netherlands at the Dresden
Olympiad
and shared second place in the four player Essent (Crown Group) Tournament, after Ivan Sokolov
and equal with former World Junior Champion Ahmed Adly
. It was also a year in which his Elo rating broke through the 2600 barrier. In 2010 Smeets won the Dutch Championship for the second time.
Smeets is a very keen player of team chess and competes in the national leagues of Germany (for Bundesliga
team Solingen SG 1868), Belgium and the Netherlands (where he drew with former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik
).
Competitive beginnings
Taught by his father at the age of six, he quickly progressed to being a regular on the youth tournament circuit, both nationally and internationally. While he found medals hard to come by at world and European level, he was practically unstoppable in domestic competition, taking gold medals in a number of age categories: Under-14 champion in 1998, Under-16 champion in 2000 and Under-20 champion in 2002 (the latter being shared with Erwin l'AmiErwin l'Ami
Erwin l'Ami is a chess Grandmaster. He has emerged, along with Jan Smeets, Daniel Stellwagen and Jan Werle, as one of a new generation of talented young players from the Netherlands.-Early years:...
).
His best performance at the World Junior Chess Championship
World Junior Chess Championship
The World Junior Chess Championship is an under-20 chess tournament organized by the World Chess Federation ....
occurred in 2005, when he took fifth place.
Lifestyle and chess style
Smeets, who hails from the OegstgeestOegstgeest
Oegstgeest is a town and municipality in the province of South Holland in the western Netherlands. Its population was 22,576 in 2008.-Location :...
suburb of Leiden, tried for a year to become a full-time chess professional. However, along with friend and fellow grandmaster Jan Werle
Jan Werle
Jan Werle is a Dutch chess player with the title Grandmaster.-Junior success:He learned the moves at the age of five, after watching his father play with a friend. Rapid progress brought him much junior success across the various age groups of both national and regional championships...
, he found that the lifestyle was not to his liking. Relentless study at the chessboard can be a lonely existence and he considered the ‘dead times’ between chess events to be lacking any element of fun. Consequently, he became a student of Economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam and included only as much chess study as his schedule allowed.
He finds it difficult to define his chess style, but reflecting on past performances, recalls relying too heavily on tricks and playing aggressively. While this may have cost him a few first places, he describes his lack of nerves as a real asset, helping him gain many extra points and half points at the critical stages of matches and tournaments
Chess tournament
A chess tournament is a series of chess games played competitively to determine a winning individual or team. Since the first international chess tournament in London, 1851, chess tournaments have become the standard form of chess competition among serious players.Today, the most recognized chess...
.
Playing record
Gouda
Gouda is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. Gouda, which was granted city rights in 1272, is famous for its Gouda cheese, smoking pipes, and 15th-century city hall....
(after Daniel Fridman
Daniel Fridman
Daniel Fridman is a German chess master who originates from Latvia. He was Latvian champion in 1996 and German champion in 2008.-Early chess career:...
) and gained the Grandmaster title the same year. At Dos Hermanas
Dos Hermanas
Dos Hermanas is a Spanish city south of Seville in Andalusia, with a population of 125,086 as of 2010.The city's name, which means "two sisters", dates from its founding in 1248 by King Ferdinand III of Castile and honours the sisters of Gonzalo Nazareno, one of the king's principal military...
the following year, he shared third behind Fridman and Bu Xiangzhi
Bu Xiangzhi
Bu Xiangzhi is a Chinese chess grandmaster. In 1999, he became China's 10th Grandmaster at the age of 13 years, 10 months, 13 days, at the time the youngest in history. In April 2008, Bu and Ni Hua became the second and third Chinese players to pass the 2700 Elo rating line, after Wang Yue...
(with Sergey Volkov) and at the 2005 Hengelo
Hengelo
Hengelo is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the province of Overijssel. The city lies along the motorways A1/E30 and A35 and it has a station for the International Amsterdam – Hannover – Berlin service.-Traffic and transport:...
Stork Young Masters event, he finished one-half point behind the Russian grandmaster Alexander Riazantsev
Alexander Riazantsev
Alexander Riazantsev is a Russian chess player and International Grandmaster.In 1997, he won the World Chess U12 Championship in Cannes, France. In 2006, he came first in the Moscow championship....
. This was a year of significant breakthrough for Smeets, when he recorded one of his best performances at Wijk aan Zee
Wijk aan Zee
Wijk aan Zee is a small town on the coast of the North Sea in the municipality of Beverwijk in the province of North Holland of the Netherlands. The prestigious Tata Steel chess tournament formerly Corus chess tournament and before that called Hoogovens tournament takes place there every year.Due...
's Corus 'B' tournament, finishing equal with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
Shakhriyar Hamid oglu Mammadyarov , also known for his Shah nickname, is a chess Grandmaster. On the September 2010 FIDE rating list he was ranked number nine in the world with an Elo rating of 2756....
for a share of second place, behind Teimour Radjabov
Teimour Radjabov
Radjabov's knight sacrifice, 21. ... Ngxe5, was praised by several strong players for its bravery, including English grandmaster Nigel Short. Said Short of the move, "Radjabov plays very imaginatively... he just won't give up, he is extremely tenacious and will always find a way to muddy the...
. Left in his wake were a multitude of other strong players, including Peter Heine Nielsen
Peter Heine Nielsen
Peter Heine Nielsen is a Danish chess Grandmaster.-Chess career:Nielsen became an International Grandmaster in 1994. He won the Danish Chess Championship five times: in 1996, 1999, 2001, 2003, and 2008. He played for Denmark in seven Chess Olympiads, three times on top board, with an overall...
, Ivan Cheparinov
Ivan Cheparinov
Ivan Cheparinov is a Bulgarian chess player, who won the Bulgarian Chess Championship in 2005.-Topalov's second:Until 2007, he was best known as the second of former FIDE World Champion Veselin Topalov...
, Alexander Onischuk
Alexander Onischuk
Alexander Onischuk is an American chess grandmaster. Originally from Ukraine, he immigrated to the US in 2001 and currently lives in Northern Virginia. He was the 2006 U.S. Chess Champion...
, Magnus Carlsen
Magnus Carlsen
Sven Magnus Øen Carlsen is a Norwegian chess Grandmaster and chess prodigy who is currently the number-one ranked player in the world. In January 2010 he became the seventh player ranked number one in the world on the official FIDE rating list...
and Predrag Nikolić
Predrag Nikolic
Predrag Nikolić is a Bosnian chess grandmaster.He first competed for the Yugoslav Championship in 1979, taking a share of second place. The following year and again in 1984, he went one step further and became the Yugoslav national champion...
.
He played successfully at the Essent Open in Hoogeveen
Hoogeveen
Hoogeveen is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands.- Population centres :Elim, Fluitenberg, Hoogeveen and Noordscheschut, which still have the canals which used to be throughout the town...
in 2007, finishing once more as runner-up, this time with Friso Nijboer
Friso Nijboer
Friso Nijboer is a Dutch chess player. He achieved the title of Grandmaster in 1996.Nijboer won the Vlissingen Chess Tournament in 2002 and 2005, and won the 3rd Nancy Chess Festival in 2005. He participated in six Chess Olympiad with an overall performance of +18 −14 =21.-Friso Nijboer vs...
, Jan Werle
Jan Werle
Jan Werle is a Dutch chess player with the title Grandmaster.-Junior success:He learned the moves at the age of five, after watching his father play with a friend. Rapid progress brought him much junior success across the various age groups of both national and regional championships...
and Evgeny Postny
Evgeny Postny
Evgeny Postny is an Israeli chess player with the title of Grandmaster.-Junior success:As a junior player, he scored very well in international competitions such as the World and European Championships, taking three major medals;...
, behind surprise winner Eltaj Safarli
Eltaj Safarli
Eltaj Safarli is an Azerbaijani chess Grandmaster. He won the under 10 World Youth Chess Championship in Heraklion in 2002.-Team competitions:...
. In 2008, there were a number of excellent results; he was the winner of the Dutch Championship at Hilversum
Hilversum
is a municipality and a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. Located in the region called "'t Gooi", it is the largest town in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller villages...
and finished third at the Howard Staunton Memorial Tournament
Howard Staunton Memorial Tournament
The Howard Staunton Memorial Tournament is an annual chess tournament held in honour of the English chess player Howard Staunton .The first edition was played in 2003 in Simpson's-in-the-Strand, London, England to mark its 175th birthday; subsequent editions have also been held there...
, after Michael Adams and Loek Van Wely
Loek van Wely
Loek van Wely is a chess Grandmaster from the Netherlands. He won the Dutch Chess Championship six times straight from 2000 through 2005. He was rated among the world's top ten in 2001. In 2002, in Maastricht, Netherlands, van Wely took on the computer program Rebel in a four-game match. The...
, but ahead of Jan Timman
Jan Timman
Jan Timman is a Dutch chess Grandmaster who was one of the world's leading players from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. At the peak of his career he was considered to be the best non-Soviet player and was known as "The Best of the West"...
, Ivan Sokolov
Ivan Sokolov
Ivan Sokolov is a chess grandmaster born in Jajce, SFR Yugoslavia, who currently resides in the Netherlands. Sokolov won the 1988 Yugoslav Championship....
and Nigel Short
Nigel Short
Nigel David Short MBE is an English chess grandmaster earning the title at the age of 19. Short is often regarded as the strongest English player of the 20th century as he was ranked third in the world, from January 1988 – July 1989 and in 1993, he challenged Garry Kasparov for the World Chess...
. He took a share of fifth place at the EU Individual Open Chess Championship
EU Individual Open Chess Championship
The EU Individual Open Championship was first contested in Cork, Ireland in 2005, under the auspices of organising body, the European Chess Union . The event is open to members of chess federations within the European Union...
, was selected to represent the Netherlands at the Dresden
Dresden
Dresden is the capital city of the Free State of Saxony in Germany. It is situated in a valley on the River Elbe, near the Czech border. The Dresden conurbation is part of the Saxon Triangle metropolitan area....
Olympiad
Chess Olympiad
The Chess Olympiad is a biennial chess tournament in which teams from all over the world compete against each other. The event is organised by FIDE, which selects the host nation.-Birth of the Olympiad:The first Olympiad was unofficial...
and shared second place in the four player Essent (Crown Group) Tournament, after Ivan Sokolov
Ivan Sokolov
Ivan Sokolov is a chess grandmaster born in Jajce, SFR Yugoslavia, who currently resides in the Netherlands. Sokolov won the 1988 Yugoslav Championship....
and equal with former World Junior Champion Ahmed Adly
Ahmed Adly
Ahmed Adly is a chess Grandmaster from Cairo, Egypt. In 2005, he won the African Chess Championship, and in 2007 he won the World Junior Chess Championship. He tied for 1st-5th with Gabriel Sargissian, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Igor-Alexandre Nataf and Pendyala Harikrishna in the Reykjavik Open 2006...
. It was also a year in which his Elo rating broke through the 2600 barrier. In 2010 Smeets won the Dutch Championship for the second time.
Smeets is a very keen player of team chess and competes in the national leagues of Germany (for Bundesliga
Chess Bundesliga
The term Chess Bundesliga , normally refers to the premier league of team chess in Germany. It is arguably the strongest and longest running league of its kind, attracting many top grandmasters from Europe and beyond....
team Solingen SG 1868), Belgium and the Netherlands (where he drew with former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Kramnik
Vladimir Borisovich Kramnik is a Russian chess grandmaster. He was the Classical World Chess Champion from 2000 to 2006, and the undisputed World Chess Champion from 2006 to 2007...
).
Notable games
- Mamedyarov vs Smeets, Wijk aan Zee, Corus 'B', 2005, Caro-Kann, 0-1
- Smeets vs Short, London, Staunton Memorial, 2008, Closed Spanish, 1-0