Čestmír Strakatý as a Host, Chess in Literature and Chess Auction
Not just chess enthusiasts, but anyone can enjoy an exhibition and auction of historic chess literature and pieces, led by Jaromír Háněl on Saturday, 1st March, from 16:00 in the Hotel Don Giovanni.
Items featured in the auction include books over a hundred years old—many from before last century—written in German, Czech, and English. Visitors will also discover the history of the traditional Czech chess set Česká klubovka, with an opportunity to purchase selected pieces. Additionally, the auction will offer mechanical chess clocks from past times, which would make a great addition to any collection.
Open to a broad audience, a lecture by writer and translator Vlado Ríša and fantasy and sci-fi author Františka Vrbenská, titled Chess Immortal and In Literature, will begin at 18:00.
Chess, born at the end of antiquity, is an abstract and strategic game. It is virtually free of a narrative theme—yet it has become part of countless stories. The stricter its rules, the richer the metaphors it inspires. An ingenious clash of intellects, a personification of the art of war, love and romance or God’s leading; a celebration of inventiveness, persistence, uniqueness. In literature, chess has become a mirror of society.
Exhibition and auction
When: March, 1st 2025 from 16:00
Where: hotel Don Giovanni Prague (Vinohradská 2733/157a, 130 00 Praha 3-Žižkov)
Entry: free
Chess Immortal and In Literature
lecture of Vlado Ríša and Františka Vrbenská
When: March, 1st 2025 from 18:00
Where: hotel Don Giovanni Prague (Vinohradská 2733/157a, 130 00 Praha 3-Žižkov)
Entry: free
The world is changing rapidly. The most powerful players are making their moves, and we need to understand the game.
What rules does today’s geopolitics have? According to what rules do they play anyway?
Whose move is it? Who has a strategic plan, and who is just reacting? And what piece does Czechia represent on the global chessboard?
Visit the freshly renovated premises of Kino 64 U hradeb on Monday, March 3rd at 19:00 to see a panel discussion. It will feature host Čestmír Strakatý leading a discussion striving to find answers with social and cultural ecologist Ivan Rynda, economist, philosopher, and university lecturer Tomáš Sedláček, his son Kryštof, mathematician and social innovator Karel Janeček, and Slovak GM Ján Markoš, co-founder of the Socratic Institute.
The Geopolitical Chess Game
When: Monday, March 3rd 2025 from 19:00
Where: Kino 64 U hradeb (Mostecká 273/21, 118 00 Malá Strana)
Entry: tickets available at GoOut