Jan Smeets is a Dutch chess player who was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 2005. Born in Leiden on April 5, 1985, he is currently recognized as one of the top chess players in the Netherlands. His competitive chess career started at early age, and included performances in many prestigious chess tournaments around the world.
As a junior player, Smeets stood out with his performance in the Under-14 category World Youth Championship held in Oropesa del Mar, Spain, where he won the 4th place in 1999. His adult career includes participating in tournaments like the Corus Chess Tournament. Smeets tasted a major success in 2008, when he claimed the victory at the Dutch Chess Championship.
In team events, Smeets represented the Netherlands in multiple Chess Olympiads, from 2006 to 2014. He also played for the Dutch team in the European Team Chess Championships from 2005 to 2011.
Smeets retired from professional chess in 2011 due to his decreasing performance. After retiring, he has been a coach working with top Dutch player Anish Giri, and with the Dutch national women's team.