On Sunday, 28 September 2025, the first tournament commemorating Grandmaster Vlastimil Hort took place at the Hotel Don Giovanni in Prague, organised by the Czech Inn Hotel Group. The tournament was not only a sporting competition, but also a fitting tribute to one of the greatest personalities in Czechoslovakian and international chess.
Playing hall | Photo: Organiser
The choice of the Hotel Don Giovanni had personal significance – this Prague hotel was one of Vlastimil Hort's favourite places. The opening speech was given by the Grand Master's wife, Brigitte Hort, who mentioned, among other things, that she had spent ‘37 wonderful years’ with Vlastimil. Moved by the large turnout of players and guests, she thanked everyone who had come to honour the memory of her husband. The solemn nature of the event was also underlined by the presence of Hort's son Daniel.
Brigitte and Daniel Hort came to visit the 1. Vlastimil Hort Memorial | Photos: Organiser
Together with the organisers, Brigitte Hort attended the award ceremony and presented the cash prizes to the winners. During the ceremony, more than thirty players also received a copy of the book My Chess Stories by Vlastimil Hort.
A total of 95 chess players took part in this successful chess day (7 rounds of rapid chess with 2×15 minutes + 10 seconds per move), which was filled with memories of Vlastimil Hort. The winner of the first memorial tournament was FM Gustav Brejník (6.5 points). Second place went to IM Pavel Čech (6 points) and third place to Pavel Postupa (5.5 points).
Brigitte Hort also presented cash prizes to the best players in each category: IM Josef Přibyl won the over-70s category, Miroslav Muroň won the over-60s category, and WIM Olena Žemličková was the best female player. Boris Pogorelsky won the under-15s category.
The award ceremony with a picture of Vlastimil Hort in the background (from left): Arbiter Pavel Votruba, organiser Petr Boleslav, runner-up IM Pavel Čech, winner FM Gustav Brejník, third-placed Pavel Postupa and Brigitte Hort (Photo: Organiser)
Final standings after 7 rounds
| Rk. | Name | RtgI | Pts. | TB1 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FM | BREJNÍK, Gustav | 2230 | 6,5 | 23 | |
| 2 | IM | ČECH, Pavel | 2363 | 6 | 23,5 | |
| 3 | POSTUPA, Pavel | 2138 | 5,5 | 23 | ||
| 4 | MUROŇ, Miroslav | 2070 | 5,5 | 21,5 | ||
| 5 | POGORELSKIY, Boris | 2024 | 5,5 | 20 | ||
| 6 | FANTAZ, Maksim | 1940 | 5,5 | 20 | ||
| 7 | VACULÍK, Jakub | 2176 | 5 | 23,5 | ||
| 8 | VĚTROVSKÝ, Michal | 1973 | 5 | 22 | ||
| 9 | HONCHAROV, Makar | 2141 | 5 | 22 | ||
| 10 | IM | PŘIBYL, Josef | 2210 | 5 | 21,5 |
All results on chess-results.com
The first memorial tournament for Vlastimil Hort confirmed that the great chess master and popular storyteller is far from forgotten and that the chess community is keen to honour his memory. The organisers believe that the tournament will become an annual tradition and carry on the name of Vlastimil Hort.
"We will hold the tournament every year on the last Sunday in September. We have no doubt that it will be a success, both at home and abroad. Vlastimil would be proud of us," said Jaroslav Svoboda, owner of Czech Inn Hotels.
