Born in 1877 in Leiden. In 1903 he did his exams for doctor and succeeded. In 1910, he defeated Janowsky in a match. Three years later, he became Champion of the Netherlands by defeating Loman. He was a very excentric man. He even wanted a independant country for a certain kind of surgery. What's even more amazing: he nearly did it. He had chosen a little island in Grece, but he asked too much; he even wanted his own kind of stamps etc. Something like Ilyumzjinov with his chess-country.