Chess legend Vlastimil Hort: A say goodbye to a big one

Chess legend Vlastimil Hort: A say goodbye to a big one

Eitorf, Deutschland - The chess world has lost one of its most outstanding protagonists. On May 12, 2025, the Czech-German chess chess master died Vlastimil Hort at the age of 81 in Eitorf, Germany, after a long suffering from diabetes-complications. Hort is considered one of the strongest players in the 1960s and 1970s and is revered for his tireless commitment and extraordinary success in chess.

Hort was born on January 12, 1944 in Kladno, then Czechoslovakia, and discovered his passion for chess at the age of five. In 1965 he obtained the title Grand Master and decided in 1968, during the Soviet invasion of his homeland, for a professional chess career. His extraordinary skills led him to win several important tournaments, including Hastings 1967–68 and Skopje 1969, and to secure a place among the strongest of non-Soviet players.

an unforgettable game

One of his most memorable games took place on March 29, 1970 against Lew Polugajewski during a tournament in Belgrade. In the first round of this encounter, Hort showed a brilliant game and won after 66 trains. The game started with the Alapin variant of the Sicilian opening and ended with a 1-0 frustrating for his opponents. The entire run of this game illustrates HORTS strategic ability and its ability to insist on the team bank, which will have a long time in the chess community.

his talent did not go unnoticed: Hort took 12th place in the 1970 fide-year-elo list and was constantly one of the top Twenty in the world in the 1970s, with top placements on the number 6 and 7.

a life for the chess

In his more than 60 years as a professional player, Hort took part in 14 chess Olympics, of which he completed three for Germany. His contribution to the Czechoslovak team, which won the Silver Medal at the Olympics in 1982 and gave him the opportunity to get to know many talents in international chess in 1982. Many in the chess community also remember his impressive year 1977 when he set up a world record for a simultaneous event by playing opponents against 636.

his charisma and knowledge also made him in demand as a chess commentator. Hort moderated a chess ending on German television for many years and also left his thoughts and memories in a book that will soon be published. In 2006 he celebrated the winning of the senior world championship title in chess 960.

With his death, Vlastimil Hort leaves a deep legacy in the chess, which is characterized by both its successes and his tireless passion for the game. Numerous chess players and lovers commemorate him and let the legend of Vlastimil Hort live on. We not only lose a great player, but also a person who was inspiration for many. Junge Welt reports on his funeral on May 24, 2025 and the grief that feel his supporters and the entire chess world.