RIP: A fighter on the chess board and in life

WIM Sona Pertlova passes away
A fighter on the chess board and in life

The member of the Czech Olympiad Team 2008 WIM Sona Pertlova died this Sunday after a long fight with cancer. She was 23.

Sona Pertlova who was also a top-level athlete chose to aim her talents in chess in her teen-age. She soon became one of the best female players of the Czech Republic. Suddenly serious health problems occurred during a tournament in the summer of 2008 and she had to cancel the tournament due to unbearable pains. The physicians stated a rare and very dangerous form of cancer.

Sona decided to fight the disease, under the influence of strong medication she played the Dresden Olympiad and undertook the chemotherapy right after it. After a year of intensive medical care she seemed to be fit again and she made the best individual result of the Czech players on the European Team Championship achieving a WGM norm. But the cancer came back. In the September of 2010 she became paralyzed during the tournament in Rijeka and the prediction of the doctors didn’t give much hope.

“Sona kept her friendliness and optimism even after these bad news and she has been fond of chess all that time in hospital until her last days. It’s very sad she left us so soon”, wrote David Navara on his blog. Sona stays in our hearts as an extraordinary example of a fighter – over the chessboard and with all the problems a life may bring. Sona, we’ll miss you!

By Viktor Novotny

Chessdom expresses condolences to the friends and family of WIM Sona Pertlova