Vašek Finěk Wins Pardubice Open

Czech chess fans can start celebrating. The greatest Czech chess talent, Vašek Finěk, shone at the Pardubice tournament, where he won the main event based on tiebreak criteria, adding another significant success to his career. Ameya Audi finished in second place, and experienced Jiří Štoček took third. This triumph is further proof of Finěk's exceptional talent.

The decisive game of the final round is worth replaying, don't you think?

Vašek Finěk, a young Czech chess talent, made history in Pardubice last year when, at the age of 13 years, 6 months, and 13 days, he earned the final norm required for the title of International Master (IM) at the Czech Open 2023. This achievement rewrote the historical records for Czech chess, as he surpassed the previous youngest player to earn the IM title, Thai Dai Van Nguyen, by nearly 10 months.

Among his other significant achievements are a silver medal at the European Youth Chess Championship for under 10s (2019), a victory at the PICF tournament (2020), a silver medal at the online World Youth Chess Championship for under 10s (2020), and the Talent of the Year 2020 award. Václav Finěk also surpassed several current elite world players in the ranking of "Best Players in History up to 12.5 Years Old," placing 16th, ahead of Magnus Carlsen (45th place) and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (33rd place).

Ameya Audi is a talented Indian chess player from Goa who earned the title of International Master (IM) in February 2020. He achieved his first IM norm at the World Junior Chess Championship in 2019 in Delhi, his second at the Delhi GM Open 2020, and his third at the Aeroflot Open B 2020. Audi has several international successes, including victories in the Balkans and at the České Budějovice Chess Festival Open 2023, where he achieved an impressive score of 8/9.

Jiří Štoček is a Czech chess grandmaster who became the Czech chess champion in 2011, achieving a score of 6/9. He has also achieved significant international success, including winning the Czech Open in 2019. He represented the Czech Republic at the Chess Olympiads in 2004, 2008, and 2012, and at the European Team Championships in 2003, 2005, 2011, and 2013.

Final Standings after 9 Rounds:

The success of the Czech colors at the Pardubice tournament brought more pleasing results. Štěpán Hrbek finished in a respectable fifth place, Jakub Pulpán ninth, Petr Gnojek eleventh, Marek Míča thirteenth, and Richard Mládek nineteenth. Unfortunately, no one achieved a grandmaster norm, which is a small blemish on the recently concluded tournament. However, IM norms could have been achieved by Valentyn Prokofiev and Petr Gnojek.

Tomáš Mík also performed excellently, being seeded 175th and finishing in a respectable 59th place. His result of 5/9 points, a performance rating of 2277, and a gain of 124 Elo points confirm that he is on the right path.

The excellent form and successes of Czech players, including Vašek Finěk's triumph in this tournament, are a great promise for Czech chess! Let's wish to experience such joys every day, and if not every day, then as often as possible. The Pardubice tournament has just concluded, and Czech fans can start celebrating!

Great job, guys!