Karel and me

Vitezslav Houska´s memories of Master Karel Opocensky - Sunday 19th 2011 - 3pm - Michna Palace
(Entrance from Vsehrdova street)

The same named film with Jindrich Plachta is unforgettable. Vitezslav Houska also considers his longtime friendship and a polemical raillery with Karel Opocensky as an unforgettable time of his publicistic activity. Opo was 33 years older than an ever starting chess enthusiast Houska. But thank to goddess Caissa they became co-authors, and that time in the almost unknown discipline, which was a chess belles-lettres literature. From their cooperation came up even five books („Over the chessboards of the whole world“, „Chess with a smile“, „There are all playing chess“, „Heiteres aus der Welt des Schachs“, but also a translation and epilogue of Kotov´s „Chess diary“). Now appears a book of four authors about legendary maestro Opocensky, but only two of them were used to meeting Opo on tournaments. Houska would have been also happy to play with him, but the interest was only one-sided. Co-authors Karel and the younger one Vitezslav for example spent a week relaxing at the master´s cottage in Medonosy, where Opo had everything nice and honey, seven blocks of cheroots and at least twenty packs with match-sticks, only chess pieces and a chessboard were missing. But we were talking all the time about chess. Opo narrated and Houska graved everything unobtrusively in mind. His recollection (but not the lecture) is therefore somewhat sentimental and melancholy called KAREL AND ME. Opo´s ancient companion hopes that the informal form of questions and answers will bring to you a true revival in the hall. Therefore, prepare for a film for witnesses, prepare some questions and come.