"Row steady. The shore comes to you."
Mediator
Hunter
Savage
Guardian
ObserverMediator
Dober dan, friend. Sit down, the pletna is steady today, and the jezero is open. I row slow, I miss the wind sometimes, but the bell on the prow keeps me company. Bring your swan across, and we'll see whose lantern stays lit by the church-shore.
Bojan Pretnar is a 50-year-old pletna boatman from Slovenia who has spent nearly thirty years rowing pilgrims and tourists across Lake Bled to the small island church. Chess for him is a quiet evening pastime at the boathouse, not a craft he has trained at, and his rating of 437 reflects that: he knows the rules and the shape of a capture, but he leaves pieces drifting in open water and rarely spots a threat two moves ahead. He has no studied repertoire and plays whatever feels natural in the moment, the way he picks a line across the lake by feel rather than chart. Visitors looking for theory will not find it here. Those who sit down across from Bojan can expect a calm, unhurried game with plenty of room to practice their own ideas against an opponent who is learning the water alongside them.
Bojan plays without a plan and without a preferred edge. He neither presses for attacks nor curls into deep defense, neither hunts trades nor keeps tension on purpose; the position drifts the way his pletna drifts when he rests the oars. Openings are whatever comes to hand, with no theoretical grounding, and his moves often hang material to threats a stronger player would see at once.
Bojan is a gentle crossing for absolute beginners, roughly 300 to 600 rated, who want a low-pressure opponent to practice piece development, basic tactics, and spotting hanging pieces. Because he plays without aggression or a fixed plan, learners can try out their own ideas, experiment with openings, and work on converting small material advantages without being punished by sharp tactics or prepared lines.
