Charity simul GM Navara

Chess players against covid and tornado

[08.07.2021 00:00:00] - 

Amongst the many people who participated in this charitable simul of the best Czech chess player David Navara were prime minister Andrej Babiš, a member of the Parliament Patrik Nacher, or former minister of health Roman Prymula. Alongside another seventeen chess players and many others, they financially contributed to Kerala vaccination fund (Kerala is a state in south-west India) and to a south Moravia winery Brázdová that was heavily damaged by a tornado.
Twenty chess players took the opportunity to play against grandmaster Navara in beautiful Grégr hall of Municipal House (Obecní dům) right in the center of Prague and of these players, two of them – attorney Michal Vávra and statistician Libor Nentvich – managed to draw against the Czech multiple-time national champion. The rest of the players had to, sooner or later, tip over their kings but that´s not what was important in this event. The important thing was to support India in its fight against covid and south Moravia which was demolished by a tornado.

The simul took place in the beautiful Gregr hall of Municipal House


Even prime minister Babiš played a game against grandmaster Navara and it took over two hours.

People bought 54 bottles of vine from the vinery Brázdová and contributed 160 700 CZK (cca 6 300 EUR) to the Kerala vaccination fund, which will be sent to the CMDRF fond (Chief Minister´s Distress Relief Fund) to Kerala. The most generous donors were prime minister Andrej Babiš and Motorpal, manufacturer of injection systems for diesel engines. Even the Indian ambassador Hemant Kotalwar came to Municipal House and thanked Pavel Matocha and Czech chess players for their generous support.

One of the guests was also former Chairman of Grandmaster Association Bessel Kok (on the far left), standing next to him is the organizer Pavel Matocha in an Indian shirt talking to the son of the Indian ambassador Hemant Kotalwar who is standing on the far right.

The event was organised by Šach Mat s.r.o. (Check Mate Ltd) and Pražská šachová společnost (Prague Chess Society), whose two members Pavel Matocha a Jiří Navrátil represented Czech Republic on a Chess Houseboat in Kerala last year. Chess Houseboat was inspired by the Chess Train (event organised by Pavel Matocha) and was organised by the chairman of Kerala chess federation N. R. Anilkumar. Partners of the charity simul were Municipal House (Obecní dům) and company Motorpal.

Photogallery of the event
(photo: Anežka Kružíková).

Video report
(camera and director: Anežka Kružíková)

The Czech Television reported about the charity simul in prime time alongside Lidové noviny (the oldest and the most seriouse newspaper of the Czech Republic). It also had a great response in India - it was reported by television channels, main news sites, and several newspaper.

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