Jan Smeets is the 2008 Dutch Chess Champion

The Dutch National Chess Championship ended today with a thrilling final round in which the event leader Daniel Stellwagen was defeated by Jan Smeets (pictured) to snatch victory at the last gasp.

Stellwagen had a score of 7/10 going into the last round, with 3 players - Spike Ernst, Erwin L'Ami and Jan Smeets snapping at his heels on 6.5/10.  

Ernst and L'Ami lost their final round games to Ruud Janssen and Manual Bosboom respectively, leaving the result of the Stellwagen - Smeets encounter to decide the fate of the title.

The game was a sharp Sicilan Taimanov:

Congratulations to Jan Smeets, 2008 Dutch Champion!