1/14/2024 – Chess legend Vlastimil Hort turned 80 on Friday. In a short interview, he talks about when and how he learned to play chess, which player he admired the most, why he left the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic and what he thinks of online chess tournaments. | See also: Vlastimil Hort, the great chess entertainer, turns 80! by Eduard Frey

1/12/2024 – Today, legendary Grandmaster Vlastimil Hort celebrates his 80th birthday. A long stay of several weeks in the hospital when he was five years old and a caring doctor who played correspondence chess and explained the chess rules to him gave way to his great passion. Eduard Frey celebrates the legend’s anniversary!

1/1/2023 – There are currently 40 female chess players worldwide who have been awarded the grandmaster title. Nine of them are Capricorn! Then there were the two legendary elite players Paul Keres, and world champion Emanuel Lasker. Capricorn doesn't mess around, works hard and never gives up. That's why his strategy seems easy to see through, but there's a lot more to it than that. | Photo: Pixabay

3/10/2021 – Miguel Najdorf (April 15, 1910 – July, 4 1997) is one of the great chess players who never became World Champion. Born in Poland, Najdorf stayed in South America after the Chess Olympiad 1939 in Buenos Aires and became an Argentinean and a successful businessman. Vlastimil Hort had the pleasure of meeting "Don Miguel" in person and shares memories of these meetings.

3/5/2021 – Grandmaster Vlastimil Hort, who loves to travel, is severely restricted in his activities by the coronavirus crisis. What can he do? He is writing his second book of chess stories, and he keeps his friends busy solving chess puzzles. He sent us two.

2/19/2021 – Vlastimil Hort is a living chess legend and great and popular storyteller. He regularly shares his stories on ChessBase and recently published a book with memories of his long career. Now Ben Johnson invited Hort to his "Perpetual Chess" podcast and as always it is a pleasure to listen to the Grandmaster and his many stories.

1/12/2021 – Today, January 12, Vlastimil Hort celebrates his 77th birthday. Congratulations! To mark the anniversary, the former World Championship candidate and great chess connoisseur gives the chess community another - albeit somewhat macabre - story.

12/25/2020 – It has been a tough year for everyone. But one can always look at the glass half full, like our columnist Vlastimil Hort, who wrote this piece two years ago. Enjoy! | How to recover after a loss? What to do when things do not go your way — in life and in chess? Vlastimil Hort has an answer to this question: "Don't worry, be happy!" And he shares some anecdotes to show how this works in practice.

12/13/2020 – Vlastimil Hort is a charming and elegant story teller, and likes to share his memories of past and present masters. About a year ago he published a book with 64 of his chess stories in German, which now appears in English. Reason enough to reread what André Schulz wrote about Hort's book! | Photo: Alina l'Ami

11/16/2020 – For decades, the chess café at the U Nováků shopping mall had been the center of Prague's chess community. This is where the bohemian society used to meet to play billiards, cards and chess, and it is also where the career of more than one world famous player began. Vlastimil Hort reminisces about the "golden age".

9/1/2020 – Vlastimil Hort and Wolfgang Uhlmann played together in many tournaments and shared numerous experiences. In memory of the world-class grandmaster who sadly passed away last week, Vlastimil Hort recalls a memorable episode of their lives.

8/5/2020 – Bobby Fischer was the star of the show at the 1970 Interzonal Tournament in Palma de Mallorca, before starting an amazing run that led him to challenge Boris Spassky for the World Championship title in Reykjavík 1972. But was he always winning in the endgame he played against Vlastimil Hort? Or could have Hort defended? We asked our readers to help settle the historical debate. And they helped endgame expert GM Karsten Müller to settle the question! | Drawing of V. Hort: Otakar Masek

7/29/2020 – Bobby Fischer obtained an astounding 18½ out of 23 score to win the 1970 Interzonal Tournament in Palma de Mallorca. In round 5, the American genius defeated Vlastimil Hort with black in an opposite-coloured bishops endgame, but it is not clear whether the ending was always winning or not! Endgame specialist Karsten Müller asks for your help.

4/26/2020 – After long seventeen rounds, the second edition of the "Tournament of Peace" in Zagreb finished with a clear winner, American grandmaster Bobby Fischer. The standings table sees Fischer no fewer than two full points ahead of a four-player chasing pack, formed by Vlastimil Hort, Svetozar Gligoric, Vasily Smyslov and Viktor Korchnoi.

4/23/2020 – In round 14 of the Tournament of Peace in Rovinj/Zagreb Bobby Fischer scored his tenth victory in the tournament but needed a lot of help from his opponent to do so. Vlastimil Hort (pictured signing autographs after the game), former World Champion Vassily Smyslov and Viktor Kortschnoi also won their games. With three rounds to go Fischer now leads with 11.5/14. Kortschnoi follows two points behind with 9.5/14, Hort and Svetozar Gligoric share places three and four with 9.0/14 each.

4/17/2020 – The Tournament of Peace in Rovinj/Zagreb is a round-robin with 18 players but if you want to finish at the top being too peaceful is the wrong strategy. After all, you need to score against the weaker players. In round 9 Viktor Kortschnoi (pictured), Tigran Petrosian and Vlastimil Hort, who all still have a chance to win the tournament did not play brilliancies but showed a professional approach to win their games. | Photo: Viktor Kortschnoi at the Chess Olympiad Leipzig 1960 (Archive)

4/9/2020 – After 18 months in hiding Fischer is back and in the two events he has played since his return to the chess arena he has shown superb chess. But only in a four-game match and a blitz tournament. Now, at the Tournament of Peace in Rovinj/ Zagreb things get serious and Fischer has to show if he is indeed the best. However, the opening ceremony in Rovinj did not go smoothly. | Photo: turnir-mira

4/7/2020 – The match between the USSR and the "Rest of the World" in Belgrade 1970 – the "Match of the Century" – was a fantastic event. Vlastimil Hort played in Belgrade for the "World" and in an interview with ChessBase he shares his memories and talks about Fischer and Keres and rumours that the Soviet cheated in the final round.

2/24/2020 – The annual Bunratty Chess Festival was held for the 27th time over the weekend, at the Bunratty Castle Hotel in western Ireland, and ended with GM Nigel Short as the winner of the Masters. The top seed finished undefeated with two draws for a final tally of 5.0/6. GERRY GRAHAM is the tournament director and sent his post-tournament reflections.

2/6/2020 – Amid memories of Tony Miles, Vlastimil Hort shares an unpleasant memory: "To avoid provoking an unwelcome fellow passenger on the escalator I carefully left my hands in my pockets. And then I finally saw what he had in his hand and was pressing against my body… a bayonet! Dear God..." Plus, Tony Miles in an unusual position (pictured) in Tilburg 1985. | Photo: Persbureau van Eindhoven

2/5/2020 – Tony Miles was the first English Grandmaster and in the 1980s one of the best players from the West. In 1980, at a tournament in Skara, he tried 1.e4 a6!? against Anatoly Karpov and defeated the World Champion in a famous game. Vlastimil Hort shares memories of his former teammate, which forces him to recall an frightening incident with "Tom".

12/10/2019 – Vlastimil Hort is a charming and elegant story teller and likes to share his memories of past and present masters. Now he published a book with 64 chess stories: "Meine Schachgeschichten" (My Chess Stories). The book is in German but maybe Hort will one day publish an English version. Till then, the non-German speaking Hort fans can find consolation by (re-)reading Hort's stories on ChessBase!

9/12/2019 – Bobby Fischer is a legend, so much so that even people who knew him sometimes find it difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction when they hear stories about Fischer. Vlastimil Hort knew Fischer and played against him. Recently, Hort rediscovered a letter Fischer had sent him and this letter evoked memories of the controversial chess genius. | Photos: Wolfgang Betzen (Schachclub Wangen)

5/30/2019 – During his peak the Ukrainian born Soviet Grandmaster Leonid Stein (November 12, 1934 – July 4, 1973) was one of the best players of the world. He had a fantastic flair for the attack and was famous for his ability to demolish his opponents quickly. But fortune did not smile on him. Vlastimil Hort knew Stein well and shares memories. | Photo: Alina l'Ami