Vlastimil Jansa is a prominent Czech chess grandmaster. He was born on November 27, 1942 in Prague, Czechoslovakia. He earned the International Master title in 1965 and was awarded the Grandmaster title in 1974 by FIDE.
Jansa's chess career includes several significant achievements. He has thrice won the Czechoslovak Chess Championship, in 1964, 1974, and 1984. He has also had an active participation in representing his country in international chess competitions, such as the Chess Olympiads and the European Team Chess Championships from the 1960s up until 2004; resulting in several team and individual medals.
Jansa's career highlight was starring at the 1972 Zonal tournament in Vrnjacka Banja, where he managed to qualify for the Interzonal tournament in Leningrad. Though he didn’t manage to secure a place at the Candidates tournament, he finished ahead of several world class grandmasters including former World Champion Vasily Smyslov.
His other achievements include victory in the Rubinstein Memorial in 1976 and a tie for first place in the 1991 Czech Open. Besides playing, Jansa has also made significant contributions to chess as a referee and as an author. He has also organized many major chess events in the Czech Republic.
In addition to his achievements as a chess player, Jansa has made contributions to the theoretical aspect of the game. He published several books on chess and started a chess coaching program for budding players. As a coach, he has overseen the development of multiple other grandmasters.