"I believe that chess possesses a magic that is also a help in advanced age. A rheumatic knee is forgotten during a game of chess and other events can seem quite unimportant in a comparison with a catastrophe on the chessboard."

"In blitz, the knight is stronger than the bishop."

"This is chess from another planet." (on the book Tony Miles 1955-2001 - His Fifty Great Short Stories by IM Nikolay Minev)

"When intuition does not betray you, chess is easy and beautiful."

As usual, the one speaking in a second or third language is easier to understand than the native speakers because he doesn't talk as fast. He also gets more laughs than anyone else.

His latest competitive chess was just played a few days ago at Basel (Switzerland), Schachfestival Neujahrsopen 2014, won by Radoslaw Wojtaszek.

But Vlastimil Hort played, according to the tournaments homepage, <<http://www.schachfestivalbasel.ch/>>, the most moves of all (more than hundred) players, and finished honorably with 5 out of 7 points in a pretty strong field.

Hort was a top-ten player in the mid-1970s, and a regular top twenty-player from mid-60s to mid-80s. As already pointed out by <Gypsy> earlier, Hort played on board 4 for the "Rest of the World" against "USSR", beating individually his opponent Polugaevsky with 2.5 to 1.5. in this famous match in 1970 at Belgrade. Hort was also a Candidate, 1977 in the quarter-final against Boris Spasski, a match lost in extremis. On the english wikipedia site there are some interesting details. Hort is characterized as a truly fair sportsman: <<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlasti...>>

In honour of his jubilee, chessbase made an interview with Vlastimil: <<http://de.chessbase.com/post/vlasti...>>. Hort talks about how he was learning chess in a hospital, his czech childhood years, his first appearence at the Olympiads aged sweet sixteen in 1960 at Leipzig, his fellow compatriots Karel Opocensky, Pachman, Kavalek, Jansa, Smejkal and others; whom he regards as greatest player ever (Bobby Fischer, not Kasparov) and preferred piece (it's the horse, l'avant-garde), his love for ice-hockey, his emigration, and of course, he speaks about some famous wins and losses throughout his immense career.

Look at that: Wijk aan Zee in the wild seventies: Vlasti's famous win with black against Walter Browne: <<Browne vs Hort, 1975>>

Vlastimil Hort is one of the rare gentleman on Grandmaster top-level.

http://www.chessquotes.com/topic-ch...

1) The dossier says "He is known for introducing the 'Hort system' of awarding prizes.". What is this?

2) Why doesn't Chessgames have that pronunciation thing for Hort?

"Approach the victor with the trophy held in two (2) hands.

Stand in front of him with the trophy held at stomach-level or higher.

Take one (1) step, extend arms and give the trophy to the victor.

When he has taken the trophy you could say a few words, such as, 'Well done' or 'You were either lucky or cheating.'