Gijsbert Jan (Gijs) van Breukelen  (* Wednesday, 27.02.1946  -  †  Wednesday, 21.12.2022)

Chess player and chess composer of endgame studies

He was born in Amsterdam in 1946 and began chesscomposing at the age of seventeen.

Van Breukelen studied Dutch language in Utrecht.

Chess

Gijs played chess in HMC 3 and HMC 4 for many years. Besides his chess life at HMC, he was also a valued member at SV Paul Keres, ZZC and ARVES in the past.

He admires the chesscomposer´s Liburkin, Kasparyan and Marwitz.

Chess composing

About his endgame studies:

In his early studies the influence of naturalism can be seen.

Some of his works are very fine.

Later his style became more eccentric with a preference for lengthy solutions.

Gijs is known in the chess study world for a wonderful chess study he composed.

Source: Website ARVES

"Gijs van Breukelen (Gijsbert Jan van Breukelen) died on December 12, 2022 in a retirement home. At the end, he was a nursing case. Gijs Van Breukelen did not need the Internet. He had no email and no cell phone either! Gijs van Breukelen therefore did not even know how famous his chess study became!!"

"On 21 December 2022, Gijsbert Jan "Gijs" van Breukelen, has passed away. His most famous work was the taxi study, also known as tractor study, or Plaskett's Puzzle." Sarah Hornecker

About him

In memoriam: Gijs van Breukelen 1946-2022
Bert Both / 25.12.2022

"Last Wednesday, December 21, our former member Gijs van Breukelen passed away. Most members will have no real memories of Gijs (apart from the anniversary celebration): He was no longer a member as early as 1984. In 1974 he had a creative phase and did a lot for our club, for which we are grateful and which gives us a reason to remember him longer. He not only left a legacy to the club, but also gave something beautiful to the entire chess world.

It was also around 1974 when Gijs started tinkering with it. There are dozens of videos on the Internet explaining and praising this study.

When I became a member in 1976, Gijs was chairman, a position he held for two seasons from 1975. He was not the extroverted chairman who enthusiastically welcomed new members, which was not necessary for membership growth at the time. He was hard-working, friendly and quiet in the background. Not noticeable. Someone who knew his famous study told me that he was actually disappointed that Gijs was such an ordinary man and not a brilliant chess player. He usually played in our first team and I was often on the team with him. He loved problems and could lose himself in weekend cryptograms. A doer with a creative idea.

It took some effort to reach him for the 2018 anniversary book. His internet was down and so email was no longer possible. Without a cell phone, it took some time to reach the landline due to walking problems. When I spoke to him on the phone, he seemed enthusiastic and suggested sending me the two new versions. By post, because to paraphrase him: “Emails are made into jewelry.” He came along to the anniversary celebrations and was able to see for himself that the association was doing well. Things weren't going so well for him. He had to go into a nursing home, where he died last Wednesday. The funeral will take place next Thursday in Nieuwkuijk."