Stay updated with breaking news from Prague Chess. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
Jaroslav Svoboda, the owner of Czech Inn Hotels and operator of the Hotel Don Giovanni, the venue of the Prague Chess Festival, is a passionate chess fan. In a short interview he reveals that he learnt to play chess rather late in life, talks about his friendship to Vlastimil Hort and explains why Bobby Fischer is not an ideal role model. | Photo: The Hotel Don Giovanni
The Prague Chess Festival is drawing to a close, but after eight of nine rounds the battle for tournament victory is still wide open. In the Masters, Bogdan-Daniel Deac (pictured) and Ray Robson lead with 5 out of 8 each, but theoretically five more players have a chance of sharing first place. In the Challengers, Mateusz Bartel is sole leader with 5.5 out of 8, but there are no less than three players within half a point of him. | Photos: Petr Vrabec
Anil Kumar and IM V. Saravanan invite you to the Houseboat Chess Tournament in Kerala, which will take place in January for the second time after 2020 in the fairytale backwaters of the Indian province and will be played partly on a houseboat. Registration is still open until 15 November. | Photo: Cottages at ‘Waterscapes’, an exotic backwater resort at Kumarakom| Photo: Orient Chess Moves
Polish grandmaster Monika Socko was the clear winner of the European Women’s Championship which took place at the Don Giovanni Hotel in Prague. Socko scored 8½/11 points to leave a 5-player chasing pack a half point back. Azerbaijani representatives Gunay Mammadzada and Ulviyya Fataliyeva grabbed second and third place, respectively. Nine players gained spots in next year’s Women’s World Cup. | Photos: Official site
Pentala Harikrishna beat David Anton in the final round of the Prague Masters to clinch clear first place with 6½ out of 9 points. In the Challengers, two of the former co-leaders, Hans Niemann and Vincent Keymer won in round 9 and finished tied for first place. Curiously, they were also tied in all the tiebreak criteria. The organizers decided to stage a 2-game blitz match, which Keymer won by a 2-0 score. | Pictured: Le Quang Liem (2nd), Pentala Harikrishna (1st) and Thai Dai Van Nguyen (3rd) | Photo: Vladimír Jagr