CHESS TRAIN 2016

Master Velíšek’s paintings

[22.04.2016 00:00:00] - Chess is not just a sport, but also art and a social event. The Chess Train emphasises this cultural side by choosing the authors of its posters from the ranks of famous Czech artists.

The painting for the Chess Train 2016 poster was created by the painter Martin Velíšek and you can take a look at all three of his paintings with the motif of chess and trains here. Velíšek’s playful, cheerful, maybe even punk style goes hand in hand with the view of the Prague Chess Society that chess should not be taken too seriously. That despite the seriousness and difficulty of this game, it should above all remain a pleasant entertainment.

If you would like to be on board of the Chess Train 2016, do not hesitate, the free spots are disappearing quickly. The journey will start on Friday 7 October and end on Tuesday 11 October and during its course you will have the chance to see the beautiful cities of Regensburg, Innsbruck, Salzburg and Cesky Krumlov and during the ride you can take part in a chess tournament. You can register here.



The railway cars of the Chess Train are converted into tournament halls which will seat 120 chess players from all over the world. Last year, the tournament saw players from 19 countries, from beginners through experienced club players to international grandmasters. More details and the registration form can be found here. In each of the cities, you can choose the accommodation in 3-star, 4-star or 5-star hotels selected by the organiser, or you can book your accommodation individually. Already for the sixth time, the Chess Train is organised by the Prague Chess Society and its main partner Czech Railways. Dining cars of the company JLV are part of the train to offer you a tasty lunch during the journey. If you are missing some information on this website, don’t hesitate to ask (e-mail: prazska.sachova@gmail.com).



The gallery of the Chess Train poster authors is enlarged by another important name. In the last years, the posters were painted by Miroslav Barták, Jiří Slíva, Richard Cortés and Miroslav Pošvic.
By which Czech painter would you like to see the next poster for a chess event? Send us your tips at (prazska.sachova@gmail.com), we will try to fulfil your wish!



Martin Velíšek (born 1963), the author of the Chess Train 2016 poster and last year’s ČEZ CHESS TROPHY 2015 poster, graduated from the School of Industrial Art in Kamenický Šenov (1979 – 1983) and from the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague (1983 – 1989, glass-working department). Apart from dozens of paintings and glass artefacts, Martin Velíšek is the author of many book covers for the Argo publishing house, where he also published his book Lyžaři and a pop-up book Už jsme doma 11+4 (he is the author of the album covers and posters for the “Už jsme doma” group). Velíšek illustrated the famous Czech novel Babička and painted the walls of the famous pub U vystřelenýho voka in Prague, Žižkov. He contributed to the animated film versions of Jan Werich’s Fimfárum and Fimfárum 2, for which he was awarded the Czech Lion award for the best design and the best creative artwork.
His first exhibition was in 1987. In the past he was interested in glass art, but in the middle of the 1990s he almost left the three-dimensional space and moved to painting and canvas and paper drawing. At the beginning of the 1990s in Znojmo, his joint exhibition with a friend Michal Machata ended with a funny scandal, when the museum director had to cover expressively portrayed women’s private parts.
The Czech Television produced two documentaries about Martin Velíšek: Jaro, peklo, podzim, zima (1994) and Ateliér civilistního parealisty (1996).

| Pavel Matocha | visits(6608x)