In Memoriam Jan van Reek

Jan van Reek

* 10 July 1945    † 8 August 2015 

As I learned only yesterday, our member Jan van Reek had already passed away in last summer in his adopted home in Ban Phu, Thailand. Before his emigration he had lived in Margraten, South Limburg, Netherlands. The Limburgse Schaakbond has given a short notice of his death. Jan van Reek leaves his wife.

Jan van Reek’s website is still up and running, you may find some photos of his family (and a few of himself) on Pictures of my Family (there is also a photo of him as a young boy).

Jan van Reek Frontispiece in his book Endspielstudie zwischen Theorie und Artistik (1993)
Jan van Reek

Frontispiece in his book Endspielstudie zwischen Theorie und Artistik (1993)

First and foremost Jan van Reek was well-known as a composer of endgame studies and as an author, his contribution to chess literature is significant. As notified by Harrie Grondijs, on the site of the Royal Library ("KB") The Hague the search term "Jan van Reek schaken" yields 77 titels. Harrie has also informed us that KB staff member Henk Chervet has currently arranged a small exhibition in remembrance of Jan van Reek, with two display cabinets in the reading room of the above library. Below we give 3 photos (courtesy of Harrie Grondijs).

I still quote Henk Chervet:
"De bescheiden mini-tentoonstelling over Jan van Reek in de twee vitrines op de leeszaal is vrijdag ingericht. Het zijn wel lastige vitrines met die kruisvorm (zie de bijlagen) maar wij hebben ons best gedaan. Ik hoop op positieve geluiden uit de schaakwereld aan de KB, dan zijn er argumenten om voor een eigen vitrine voor wisselende tentoonstellingen op de schaakleeszaal te pleiten."

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