It was Vlastimil Hort’s wish to be laid to rest in his hometown of Prague. Following a farewell ceremony with his friends and companions in May in Eitorf, the popular chess grandmaster has now found his final resting place at the Vyšehrad National Cemetery in Prague. The cemetery is also the burial site of many famous Czech figures, including the composers Antonín Dvořák and Bedřich Smetana, as well as the Art Nouveau artist Alfons Mucha. Vlastimil Hort’s grave bears the number 98/6.
The burial in Prague took place in a small circle with his family and his Czech friends. Even after his emigration to Germany for political reasons, Vlastimil Hort always maintained close ties with his homeland and with the Czech chess community—ties he was able to strengthen again after the political changes in Europe in the 1990s. As long as his health allowed, Vlastimil Hort travelled regularly to Prague, played in tournaments there, gave lectures, or was simply a warmly welcomed guest of honour.
Many events were held at the Hotel Giovanni, which became a second home for Vlastimil Hort during his visits to Prague. He shared a close friendship with the owner, Jaroslav Svoboda. “Vlastimil was not only a brilliant chess player, but above all an exceptionally good person—a fair partner with a great sense of humour,” Jaroslav Svoboda recalls. This year, the Hotel Giovanni already hosted the first memorial tournament in honour of the German-Czech grandmaster.
With his friendly and engaging manner, Vlastimil Hort was an ambassador for chess in the best sense of the word. In the 1970s and 1980s he belonged to the absolute world elite, was invited to tournaments around the globe, and competed for the world championship. He represented first Czechoslovakia and later Germany at Chess Olympiads, and in Germany he became known beyond the chess community as a commentator—together with Helmut Pfleger—on the television series Schach der Großmeister, where his subtle, “Schwejk-like” humour left a lasting impression. In his later years, Vlastimil Hort delighted the chess world with stories, anecdotes, and memories from a long professional career. Until his death, he was working on another collection of his games, which will be published posthumously.
In accordance with the wishes of her late husband, Brigitte Hort ensured that an appropriate ceremony was held in Prague. In recent years, it was she who—as a Germanist, theatre scholar, and publishing professional—helped to channel the exuberant German-Czech thoughts and memories of “Vlasti” into the strictly ordered structures of the German language for his ChessBase contributions and his books, and who stood by his side as his illness increasingly limited him.
When organising the farewell ceremony, Brigitte Hort also paid attention to small details. Each attendee was offered a glass of champagne—something she explained in her words of farewell, including why this was done and what Bessel Kok had to do with it. As Vlastimil Hort was also a great admirer of the French language and culture, his title appears on his gravestone in French as well: “Grand maître d’échecs”.
In addition to Brigitte Hort, Vlastimil Hort’s son Daniel and his family, and his Czech chess friends, Bessel Kok had also come to pay his respects. Representing the German chess community, Matthias Kribben travelled to Prague.
Martin Petr, President of the Czech Chess Federation, honoured Vlastimil Hort with the words: “He made chess popular throughout the country and carried it to the very top of the world. I bow to his skill. Thanks to him, many young players have grown up.”
Brigitte Hort spoke the final words of farewell.
Dear mourners,
it was Vlastimil’s last wish that I bring him back to his homeland, to Prague. Thank you to everyone who supported us in this and who has come here to say goodbye.
For an exceptional human being, chess player, and friend, exceptional ceremonies are also permitted.
Vlastimil was always on the verge of new adventures. He did not take possible obstacles lightly, but always with humour and a twinkle in his eye.
There is a saying between the two of us that we adopted from Bessel Kok: “Yvette, why don’t you take a glass of champagne?”
Vlastimil would be very pleased that, even though we are sad, we are raising a glass to him. For the good soldier Schwejk, one of his favourite figures, used to say: “We’ll meet again after the war at half past five at the Chalice!”
Au revoir, Vlastimil!
Vlastimil Hort has passed away
