Jan Smeets is a Chess Grandmaster and one of the best Dutch Chess players from Netherlands with Elo ratings exceeding 2500 from FIDE.
Last Updated: July 23, 2022
Full Name: Jan Smeets
Title: Grandmaster
Born: April 05, 1985
Place of birth: Netherlands
Federation: Netherlands
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Ratings
World ranking: 383
Rapid: Not rated
Blitz: 2586
Classical: 2552
Profiles
Biography
Jan Smeets is a Dutch chess player born in Leiden, Netherlands, on April 05, 1985. Jan started his chess career in the youth stage when he participated in internal chess tournaments. His first appearance in senior games was in 2004 when he competed in the Guada chess festival.
Jan began the senior tournaments with great victory yielding an impressive result that motivated him to participate in many chess competitions. This was after Jan Smeet won his international master by FIDE in 2002 and a grandmaster in 2004. He participated in many chess games, both national and international tournaments. He is currently one of the high profiled chess players in the Netherlands.
The Beginning
Jan Smeets began featuring his chess career in 2004 when he competed in a senior Gouda chess festival. He finished second after facing a defeat from Daniel Fridman, who was later named the tournament winner. He secured a chance to compete in the Dos Hermanas, Hongelo stork Young games in 2005. In this event, Jan finished third behind Bu Xiangzhi and Fridman. However, he was one point above Alexander Riazantsev, a Russian grandmaster. This was a significant achievement for Jan Smeets as he recorded an impressive performance.
He also qualified to play in the Wijk aan Zee Corus B competitions in 2005. He finished the tournament in a tiebreak in second place with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. This was after he faced a defeat from Teimour Radjabov, who became the winner of the tournament. In these games, he competed against strong chess players such as Ivan Cheparinov, Magnus Carlsen, Pedrag Nikolic, Peter Heine Nielsen and Alexander Onischuk. In 2007, Jan smeets played in the Essent open tournament held in Hoogeveen. In this tournament, he finished as a runner-up with other strong players, including Jan Werle, Evgeny Postny, and Friso Nijboer.
They finished the competition behind Eltaj Safarli, who surprisingly became the tournament’s winner. In 2008, Jan recorded one of his best performances, winning the Dutch chess championships in Hilversum. He also participated in the Howard Staunton Memorial chess festival and finished in third place. This was after he faced defeat by Loek Van Wely and Michael Adams. However, he defeated veteran chess players, including Ivan Sokolov, Nigel Short, and Jan Timman. He also participated in the EU individual open championships the same year and finished in fifth place.
Jan secured a chance to play for his country’s national chess team in the Dresden Olympiad games in 2008. In the tournament, he finished second in a team of four players behind Ivan Sokolov. However, he produced an equal result with Ahmed Adly, a former world junior chess champion. In July 2010, Jan Smeets achieved his highest Elo rating of 2669, which was a significant achievement for him as he broke through the Elo rating barrier of 2600. In the same year, Jan won the Dutch national chess championships, becoming the champion of the tournament for the second time.
Achievements
Jan Smeets is a dedicated Dutch chess player with a high profile in the chess industry. He is a keen player in chess games, which made him successfully compete in different chess tournaments. He played in many chess competitions at individual levels and as a team, representing his Netherlands national team. He is a two-time winner of the Netherlands chess championships. This made him become the champion of the tournament in 2008 and also in 2010. Smeets won his international master’s title in 2002 and later qualified for a grandmaster title which was awarded to him by the FIDE organization in 2004.
Smeets also managed to break through the Elo rating barrier of 2600 in July 2010, when he achieved a rating of 2669. Smeets also participates in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands international chess leagues. In the league, Smeets drew with Vladimir Kramnik, a former World chess champion. He is currently one of the top-ranked chess players in the Netherlands with the most significant chess profile.
Did you enjoy reading about Jan Smeets? If you did, you might also be interested in reading about players like Rey Enigma, Jan Gustafsson, and Ilya Smirin.
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