In the last list of the top Chess players we published, we went over the best Georgian Chess players. Now in this article, we’re ranking the best Czech Chess players from the Czech Republic, more recently known as Czechia, starting with the number ten ranked from FIDE.
10. Tadeas Kriebel
Full name: Tadeas Kriebel
Title: International Master
Born: January 1, 1995
Federation: Czech Republic
Ratings
World ranking: 582
Rapid: 2432
Blitz: 2437
Classical: 2518
Profiles
Tadeas Kriebel was granted the title of International Master in 2014 and the FIDE Master title in 2010. He has played a total of 838 games; 345 wins, 201 losses, and 292 draw- accumulating to an average score of 42.66 percent. He has played in several games, including; Exraliga SVK 2018, 2017, 34th Volvoda Cup 2018 & 2017, and Mitropa Cup, among others.
9. Jiri Stocek
Full name: Jiri Stocek
Title: Grandmaster
Born: May 10, 1997
Federation: Czech Republic
Ratings
World ranking: 403
Rapid: 2529
Blitz: 2384
Classical: 2548
Profiles
In 1998, Jiri Stocek was accorded the title of Grandmaster and the International Master title in 1994. In 2011, he clinched the Czech chess tournament. In addition, Stocek has played 1317 games from 1991 to 2021, winning 534, losing 228, and drawing 492 earning an overall winning percentage of 62.2. His FIDE rating is 2589 and a Peak rating of 2606. Most notable tournaments he has played include; the 37th world open-2009, the Czech championship- in 2005, the 32nd world open- in 2004 Chigorin memorial- in 2013, and the European championship- in 2010, 2018, and 2013.
8. Vojtech Plat
Full name: Vojtech Plat
Title: Grandmaster
Born: January 23, 1994
Federation: Czech Republic
Ratings
World ranking: 371
Rapid: 2553
Blitz: 2484
Classical: 2554
Profiles
Vojtech Plat was presented with the grandmaster title in 2017, the International Master title in 2009, and the FIDE Master title in 2008. He clinched the Czech chess tournament in 2016 and 2021 and the O Losinskeho Kapra in 2019. He has played 1036 games from 2004 to 2021; he won 73, lost 38, and drew 83, thus equaling a percentage winning score of 59.00 percent. Among the notable tournaments he has played include; the European team championship 2017, European Individual Championship 2021, European championship 2010 &2017, Groningen chess festival 2011, Pro chess league 2018, Baku Olympiad 2016, and European club cup 2019, among others.
7. Zbynek Hracek
Full name: Zbynek Hracek
Title: Grandmaster
Born: September 9, 1970
Federation: Czech Republic
Ratings
World ranking: 368
Rapid: 2559
Blitz: 2534
Classical: 2555
Profiles
In 1993, Zbynek Hracek was granted the title of Grandmaster, the International Master title in 1990, and attained a FIDE rating of 2564 and a Peak rating of 2625. In 2016, FIDE recognized him as an International Trainer. Hracek clinched the Czech Chess tournament in 1994 and the Zonal tournament Odorhea in 1995. He also represented Czech from 1994 to 2014 at the chess olympiads and the European team chess tournaments in 2007, 2005, 2003, 1999, and 1997. Notable championships he has participated in include; the European championship in 2007,2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, & 2013, Tromso Olympiad 2014, and the European club cup in 2014, among others.
6. Vlastimil Babula
Full name: Vlastimil Babula
Title: Grandmaster
Born: October 2, 1973
Federation: Czech Republic
Ratings
World ranking: 308
Rapid: 2556
Blitz: 2430
Classical: 2571
Profiles
Vlastimil was crowned the title of Grandmaster in 1997 and 2016, and he was recognized as a FIDE trainer. He has a FIDE rating of 2464. He is the Czech Republic 1993 chess championship and came second at the 1993 world junior championship. In 2007, he shared the first position at the Czech Open with Laznicka Viktor and played in the 2011 chess world cup but was knocked out in the first round by Efimenko Zahar. Babula has represented his country in 10 chess olympiads in the even years of 1994 to 2012.
5. Peter Michalik
Full name: Peter Michalik
Title: Grandmaster
Born: September 15, 1990
Federation: Czech Republic
Ratings
World ranking: 357
Rapid: 2526
Blitz: 2607
Classical: 2559
Profiles
Michalik was conferred with the title of International Master in 2011 and the FIDE Master title in 2008. Michalik has participated in a total of 94 games between 1994 and 2022. In those particular games, Michalik has won 361, drawn 371, and lost 211, earning him a winning percentage score of 57.95 percent. The last tournaments he played include; Sachy.cz Extraliga 2021, TCh-HUN 2021, TCh-CZE 1 Liga Zapad 2021, and the TCh-SVK 2021.
4. Stepan Zilka
Full name: Stepan Zilka
Title: Grandmaster
Born: November 11, 1988
Federation: Czech Republic
Ratings
World ranking: 236
Rapid: 2424
Blitz: 2446
Classical: 2593
Profiles
Zilka was granted the title Grandmaster in 2014 and the International Master in 2007. He has a FIDE rating of 2560. In 2009, he triumphed in the Olomuc Chess Summer, defeating Chemyshov Konstantin. Zilka and the other Czech team emerged victorious in the Mitropa Cup in 2016. Between 1998 and 2021, Zilka has played 600 games and earned a winning percentage of 55.2.
3. Thai Dai Van Nguyen
Full name: Thai Dai Van Nguyen
Title: Grandmaster
Born: December 12, 2001
Federation: Czech Republic
Ratings
World ranking: 143
Rapid: 2462
Blitz: 2483
Classical: 2629
Profiles
Nguyen was accorded the title of Grandmaster in 2018, the International Master title in 2016, the FIDE master in 2015, and the Candidate Master in 2014. He has a FIDE rating of 2610. In 2011, Nguyen clinched the Under-10 Czech Youth chess championship and twice the Under-12 in the same championship. He played in the Budapest International Chess tournament and became victorious twice in 2017. He won the first round of the 2021 chess world cup but was eliminated in the second round.
2. Viktor Laznicka
Full name: Viktor Laznicka
Title: Grandmaster
Born: January 9, 1988
Federation: Czech Republic
Ratings
World ranking: 160
Rapid: 2639
Blitz: 2540
Classical: 2620
Profiles
In 2006, Viktor Laznicka was accorded the title of Grandmaster and the FIDE Master title in 2002. He has a peak rating of 2704 and a FIDE rating of 2620. He has triumphed in various age groups in the national championships- U10 (1997), U12 (1998 & 1999) and came second in the U18 (2001). Viktor became a bronze medalist at the U18 European youth chess championship.
1. David Navara
Full names: David Navara
Title: Grandmaster
Birth: March 27, 1985
Federation: Czech Republic
Ratings
World ranking: 47
Rapid: 2659
Blitz: 2676
Classical: 2688
Profiles
David Navara was accorded the grandmaster title in 2002 and the International Master title in 1999. He has been the Czech Republic chess champion for a record 11 times, with his latest triumph in the championship in 2022. He has a FIDE rating of 2681 and a Peak rating of 2751. He clinched the Open section of the Rubinstein Memorial in 2003, finished first in the 2007 Ordix Open, and participated in the FIDE world cup that same year, where he was eliminated in the second round by Sergei Rublevsky after a tie break.
That concludes the list of the best Czech Chess players. If you like list posts like this, you may also be interested in seeing the ten best Bullet Chess players or the best Blitz Chess players.
Sources
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- Crowther, Mark. “The Week in Chess: 19th Pamplona International”. Chess.co.uk. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
- “Viktor Laznicka Wins City of Good Wine Rapid”. Chessdom. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- “Chess-Results Server Chess-results.com – Kategorie H12”. chess-results.com.
- Crowther, Mark (2011-09-21). “TWIC: FIDE World Cup Khanty-Mansiysk 2011”. London Chess Center. Retrieved 14 April 2012.
- Crowther, Mark (9 August 2009). “TWIC 248: FIDE World Chess Championships”. London Chess Center. Archived from the original on 30 September 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
- Staff writer(s) (20 May 2011). “Czech Republic Individual Chess Championships”. Chessdom. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 29 September 2018.
- Staff writer(s) (10 July 2014). “Manželská partička”. NSS.cz (in Czech)
- Staff writer(s) (September 2018). “Federations Ranking: Czech Republic”. FIDE. Archived from the original on 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2018-09-29.
- Staff writer(s) (February 2018). “Federations Ranking – Czech Republic”. FIDE. Archived from the original on 2018-10-01. Retrieved 2018-02-24.