Karel Skalička (1 November 1896 – 30 December 1979) was a Czech‑Argentine chess master. Born in Prague, then part of Austria‑Hungary, he became one of the leading Czechoslovak chess players in the early 20th century. Skalička earned the title of Czech master (Mistr ÚJČŠ) in 1919 and was a signatory of the protocol establishing the World Chess Federation (FIDE) for Czechoslovakia in 1924.
Skalička represented Czechoslovakia at the 1st unofficial Chess Olympiad held in Paris in 1924, where the team won the gold medal. He also competed for Czechoslovakia (and later for the Argentine team after emigrating) in several official Chess Olympiads, securing an individual gold medal in 1931 and a team silver medal in 1933. Among his notable tournament performances, he placed third in the group eliminations of the 1924 Paris event and tied for 21st–31st in the final tournament. His game against fellow Czech master Karel Opočenský at the 14th Czechoslovak Championship in Poděbrady is frequently cited for the “Mannheim Variation” in the Queen’s Gambit Declined.
In the late 1930s Skalička emigrated to Argentina, where he continued to participate in national competitions and contributed to the development of chess in his adopted country. He died in Buenos Aires on 30 December 1979.