Checkmate in Prague The Memoirs of a Grandmaster
Ludek Pachman was born in Bela pod Bezdezem, Czechoslovakia on May 11, 1924. Czechoslovakia went to political extremes, first being occupied by the Nazis and then being liberated by the Communists. Pachman was in the middle of all of this, first being sent to a Nazi concentration camp and later being imprisoned by the Communists. Pachman's first big break came at an international tournament in Prague in 1943 with Alekhine and Keres. Pachman finished in the top half and created a sensation. Pachman led a remarkable and amazing but somewhat tragic life. Although one of the world's strongest players who won 15 international tournaments, he missed qualifying to the World Champion Candidates Tournament by a half-point twice. He got into serious political trouble by first being a staunch pro-Communist who supported the 1968 reforms of Alexander Dubcek, the head of Czechoslovakia's Communist Party.  He spent months in prison without being charged. He was released in 1970 but was rearrested in January 1972. He was released again in the summer of 1972. In November 1972, he was allowed to leave the country with his cat and he settled in West Germany.  Ludek Pachman died on March 6, 2003 in Passau, Germany.