Karel Treybal

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Karel Treybal (February 2, 1885 – October 2, 1941) was a prominent Czech chess player of the early twentieth century.

Treybal was born in Kotopeky, a village to the southwest of Prague in central Bohemia. He trained as a lawyer and became chairman of the district court in Velvary, a small town on the opposite side of Prague. Though he played chess as an amateur, his level of play was such that he was among the world's top fifty players for much of his life [1]. He was a younger brother of František Treybal who was also a prominent Czech chess player.

In 1905, he tied for 3rd-4th in the 1st Czech Championships in Prague (Oldřich Duras won). In 1907, he tied for 2nd-4th in Brno (2nd CZE-ch; František Treybal won). In 1908, he won in Prague (B tournament). In 1909, he took 2nd, behind Duras, in Prague (3rd Cze-ch). In 1921, he tied for 1st-3rd with Karel Hromádka and Ladislav Prokeš in Brno (7th CZE-ch).

He played for Czechoslovakia in three Chess Olympiads.

• In 1930, at second board in 3rd Olympiad in Hamburg (+3 –4 =6);
• In 1933, at second board in 5th Olympiad in Folkestone (+4 –3 =5);
• In 1935, at fourth board in 6th Olympiad in Warsaw (+5 –1 =9).

He won team silver medal at Folkestone 1933.

Treybal's greatest international success was sixth place alongside Aron Nimzowitsch in the 1923 Karlovy Vary (Karlsbad) tournament. His performance featured a win against subsequent World Champion Alexander Alekhine.

Treybal died during the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia. On May 30, 1941, he was arrested, imprisoned and later charged with concealing weapons for use by resistance forces and the illegal possession of a pistol. It is not known whether these charges had any foundation. He was condemned to death and executed on October 2. Following his execution, his body was not handed over to his family and whereabouts of his grave or remains are unknown.

In 1945, a tribute to Treybal appearing in the Czech chess magazine Šach stated that Treybal had been executed without trial and had "never occupied himself with politics". Prokeš, following Treybal's death, published a monograph on him in 1946.

[edit] References

• Note 3729 from Karel Mokrý in Edward Winter's Chess Notes Archives [10]

[edit] External links

• Karel Treybal's games as listed at Chessgames.com.