The Blind King

A traditional tournament of veteran chess masters is being held on the Czech-Polish border. As is tradition, an unfinished game is interrupted in the evening and adjourned until the next day. The tournament's biggest favourite, the eighty-five-year-old blind Vadim Sováček, is found drowned in the local swimming pool during the night. Is it a tragic accident or a case of jealousy from one of his rivals? Inspector Bodlák has his mind made up. Following King in Trouble (2024) and Wayward King (2025) comes The Blind King, the final detective short story from the pen of the legendary Czech chess player. He threw himself into writing stories for his desk drawer at a time when, after a decisive defeat of the world star, the Russian Karpov, his passport was confiscated and he was prevented from participating in further tournaments. The trilogy of "Kings" was only published in book form in Germany, after the author's later emigration. The Czech version was first published in 2021.