Šachový klub Staré Město

♟️ About Šachový klub Staré Město, z.s.

Šachový klub Staré Město, z.s. (ŠK Staré Město) is a chess club based in Staré Město, Zlín Region, Czech Republic, with organized chess activity dating to 1923. The club plays an important role in chess across the Moravian Slovakia region and participates in the Czech national and regional competition system. Its home is the Sport and Cultural Centre on Brněnská Street, where the club holds training sessions, team matches, and tournaments. ŠK Staré Město combines high-level team chess with an especially strong youth-development program. Its training team includes GM Vlastimil Babula, IM David Kaňovský, and WGM Joanna Worek, while young players compete from regional events through the Czech Youth Extraliga. The club also organizes major tournaments, including the annual FIDE Open Staré Město and Memoriál Vratislava Hory, alongside training camps and other competitive activities. Josef Trubačík serves as the club’s current President, with Petr Koběrský as Vice President. The 2026 season brought several major successes. ŠK Staré Město became Czech Youth Team Champion, WGM Joanna Worek won the 2026 Czech Women’s Championship, and the senior first team secured its return to the Czech 1st League for the 2026–2027 season. In August, the club also staged the 23rd FIDE Open Staré Město, continuing one of its principal international tournament traditions.

📜 History and Development

Chess activity in Staré Město began shortly after the First World War, with organized play developing during the early 1920s. The club dates its foundation to 1923. Youth training became particularly important during the second half of the twentieth century. Coaches such as Vratislav Hora and Antonín Horsák helped establish systematic development programs that produced generations of strong players. Staré Město eventually competed at the highest levels of Czech team chess. After 1989, the club won promotion from the second division and reached the country’s top national competition. The modern tournament program expanded further in 2003, when the club renewed its memorial tournament tradition and began organizing what became the annual FIDE Open Staré Město.

♜ Team Chess

Team competition remains a central part of ŠK Staré Město. The club has traditionally fielded several squads across national, regional, and local leagues, giving players of different strengths regular competitive opportunities. A significant development came in June 2026, when the club confirmed its return to the Czech 1st League. As a result, the first team will again compete at national level during the 2026–2027 season. The club’s strength is also reflected in its individual players. WGM Joanna Worek, who is part of the Staré Město training team, became Czech Women’s Champion in May 2026, defeating Kristýna Petrová in the championship tiebreak. Meanwhile, experienced club player Zdeňka Vránová won the women’s and senior women’s classifications of the 2025–2026 Czech Rapid Grand Prix.

🎓 Youth Chess and Training

Youth chess is one of ŠK Staré Město’s defining strengths. The club maintains a large junior section and offers training under experienced titled players and coaches. This long-term investment produced an outstanding result in April 2026, when ŠK Staré Město won the Czech Youth Team Championship, the final stage of the national Youth Extraliga. The six-player team entered the championship final as winner of the eastern preliminary group and carried a three-point advantage into the decisive stage. Staré Město maintained that advantage and finished ahead of ŠK Aurora, with KOBEX Říčany 1925 taking bronze. The result continued a long tradition of successful junior chess in Staré Město. Moreover, the club supplements formal competition with training camps, individual coaching, video lessons, and tournament preparation.

🌟 FIDE Open Staré Město

The FIDE Open Staré Město is the club’s principal international tournament. The series has been organized annually since the early 2000s and regularly attracts Czech and foreign players. The 23rd FIDE Open Staré Město took place from August 7–15, 2026 at the Sportovní a kulturní centrum in Staré Město. The tournament returned to its traditional format of 10 classical Swiss-system rounds. Games used a time control of two hours for the first 40 moves plus 30 minutes for the remainder of the game. The competition was rated internationally and nationally and was eligible for FIDE title norms. The published prize fund totaled CZK 61,500. The 2026 edition attracted 96 players from seven federations. German IM Sebastian Plischki won the tournament with 8/10, finishing half a point ahead of Czech IM Martin Červený and GM Petr Hába.

🏆 Memoriál Vratislava Hory

Another important event on the club calendar is the Memoriál Vratislava Hory, named after the influential coach who played a major role in developing chess in Staré Město. The 2026 memorial took place from April 2–5. Its program included two classical sections, Open A and Open B, together with a blitz tournament and additional chess activities. The memorial reflects the club’s close connection between competitive chess and player development. It also commemorates the coaching tradition that helped make Staré Město an important center for youth chess in the region.