Photo: Prague 1990, Vaclav Havel - Bessel Kok Add to Watch List Watching View Watchlist >

Photo of the famous game between Czechoslovak President Vaclav Havel and Dutch businessman and sponsor Bessel Kok at the opening of the international tournament in Prague in 1990. Watched by Grandmaster Lubomir Kavalek and presidential advisor Jiri Krizan. The photo is from the archive of the Czech chess magazine Sachinfo. Size 16.4 x 10.7 cm.

It was expected that Vaclav Havel would make only a few moves and then agree to a draw, but to the great surprise of everyone present, he wanted to play the entire game.

Havel - Kok, Prague 1990: 1.d4 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Bg4 4.h3 Bxf3 5.gxf3 Nc6 6.Nc3 e6 7.Qe2 Bb4 8.Bd2 0-0 9.0-0-0 e5 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.f4 Ned7 12.Rg1 c6 13.a3 Ba5 14.e4 dxe4 15.Nxe4 Nxe4 16.Bxa5 Qxa5 17.Qxe4 Nf6 18.Qe7 Rab8 19.Bc4 Qf5 20.Rd4 c5 21.Rg5 1:0

Lubomir Kavalek wrote a nice article about this game for the Washington Post.

Prague 1990 was the first international chess tournament held in Czechoslovakia after the fall of communism, organized as a tribute to democracy. The tournament was held on the initiative of Lubomir Kavalek, with the assistance of the World Grandmaster Association (GMA) and its chairman, Bessel Kok, from 27 August to 2 September 1990 at the Hotel InterContinental in Prague. The tournament was held under the auspices of President Vaclav Havel.

The participants were Jan Timman, Nigel Short, Vlastimil Hort, Lubomir Kavalek, Jan Smejkal and Lubomir Ftacnik. The main commentator was Vlastimil Jansa. During the tournament, a GMA meeting was held, and some of its members played a simultaneous exhibition against the public (Bent Larsen, Alexander Beliavsky, Ljubomir Ljubojevic, Jan Timman, Nigel Short and Bachar Kouatly).

Crosstable of the tournament

Condition - Very Good: Stamp on the back.