Things have changed

     It's unbelievable how quickly this year has passed... It's been a very unusual year for me, so many things have changed (yeah,Bob Dylan would agree). It's a bit upsetting not to be in control- not to be in control of time.


     I've been thinking and I don't really understand the idea of celebrating another year passing by. Is it about the hope that the next one will be better? People celebrate it in different ways: clubbing, exotic trips, skiing, family reunions, home parties... I just want to wake up in 2013 and to know exactly how I would want this year to be like, what I would like to change in my life. It just seems that I've been running from myself lately, all these 15 countries a year travelling, I've even counted- 36 flights in 2012 :))) This year has passed under the motto: "Yeeessss, I'm finally 18!" and I just want the next one to be more like "I'm soon to be 20".
     I wish you all to have a little bit more health, more success, more determination, more love, more of whatever you'd like in 2013!

Thailand,I'm coming!

     I'm very excited to add a new tournament to my calendar for the 2013 year-the 13th BCC Open, held in Thailand from the 14th to the 21st of April! I've never been to this country before and I'm sooo looking forward to visiting it! Here's the official site of the event: http://bangkokchess.com/events-calendar/13th-bcc-open-2013

The Dusit Thani Pattaya Resort,the place where the tournament will be played

     Looks like the summer will start a little bit earlier for me! :D

   

We are golden!

     I had an amazing afternoon in Chisinau with my friends today! The holliday spirit is definetely coming closer and closer!

with Diana Baciu

Diana and Ana-Maria

Diana Baciu and Ana-Maria Ursu

Diana and Ana-Maria 

     We're young,golden,shining and the best!!! No modesty,just the truth!  Love u,girls!

Interview with GM Viorel Bologan

    1.         This year has been a successful one for you, you’ve achieved the highest Elo in your chess career -2734-and climbed on the 18^thrank in the World rating list list (on the 15^th according to the live ratings), repeating the success you had in 2005. So what makes a strong GM become an elite one in your opinion?

     There is very tiny difference between strong GM and Elite GM. For me the Elite list of GMs finishes somewhere on the position 15. So I can say that I neighbored them for a few days. I didn’t really become an Eilte GM. To become one you need stability in results first of all. Many GMs are jumping now over 2700 mark but very little of them can get really high.

2.       You shared the 2^nd-14^th place at the European Individual Championship in Plovdiv this year, taking the 7^th place and qualifying for the World Cup, making it the best performance of yours at an EICC. What made you better than so many other strong Gms at that tournament?

      

          Plovdiv is a good place for me with a good ambience. I feel good there. May be this helped me in a very tough competition which EICC is. Also we had a very strict regime with my friend Ernesto Inarkiev who almost shared the first place.

  3.        You’ve been involved in a lot of “chess activities” lately besides playing- coaching, writing books, DVD-s, introducing chess in schools in Moldova and launching your own Chess Academy. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

One by one J

-          DVDs - I do them for Chessbase and I enjoy not only the payment and the pleasure from the process itself, but also the very friendly atmosphere in Hamburg. For now, I have registered already 17 opening DVDs.

-          Books – this year I’ve sorted out my fifth book on Catalan, which can be very helpful for any level chess player.

-          CiS in Moldova - in the summer together with the Government and Chess Federation of Moldova, Bologan’s Chess Academy implemented a unique project of opening  45 chess classrooms in 45 schools in Moldova. Already in 2012-2013 our Academy together with the national federation and with the financial support of FIDE will introduce chess in another 100 schools in Moldova.

With his wife,Margarita,after winning the super-tournament in Dortmund,2003

   4.       Looking back over the years, what was the best decision you made in order to become who you are nowadays?

    

           I am used to take paradox life decisions from time to time, like last one I moved back to Qatar recently. Normally I don’t regret on what I made. May be the best in me is that I trust myself and just let it go. 

5.        What do you want the New Year  to bring you?

     Progress in my work (both as a coach and as a player), family happiness (spend more time with them), health for my relatives and friends.

Hoogeven wins World Cities Team Championship in Al Ain

From left to right- Ivan Sokolov, Anish Giri, Sergey Tiviakov and Jan Smeets

     The Dutch team composed of  Anish Giri, Ivan Sokolov, Sergey Tiviakov and Jan Smeets won the World Cities Team Championship winning match by match, eliminating in their way: Russia, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan in the final match with a 2,5-1,5 score and winning a 21,000$ prize.
     The decisive point was brought by Sergey Tiviakov who won his game against Nidjat Mamedov yesterday.
      As about the Romanians, unfortunately, they were less successful, not managing to pass their group (Kazahstan, Azerbaijan and Turkey).

The Romania-Azerbaijan match

     They had good chanches along the matches, but there was no luck at all on their side...
     There was an interesting event held in the same time in Al Ain- an open where the players from the knocked-out teams could play, starting with the number of points they got in the team championship by the time they were eliminated. The winner was Edouard Romain (2686), from France, who scored 7p out of 9. The only Romanian player to participate- Parligras Mircea- finished on the 7th place, with a 6,5p score.

Friends since 4ever

     It's so good to have real friends! Coming to Chisinau is much better when you're here too!

Me and Diana Baciu,Crete 2002

Saint-Petersburg,2009

Moscow,2012

Prague,2011

     We know each other for like 11 years :))) God-that's much,more than half a life :DD Of course we had our bad moments too, but all that matters is that we know that we can count on each other whenever we'd need :)

The forbidden apple

     What if you want something that you can never have? Do you still try to get it? Of course you do, it's in the human nature to want the forbidden things and the untouchable ones.

     All of these has started with the question of a friend of mine: "What'd you do if you were Eve, would you have done the same thing?" I said "Yes" with no doubt - it's not about humans to resist to temptations.

     It's cool that there are no such things in chess, if you want something, you just work hard enough to get it, no one can forbid you doing it. 

     As in life, everyone has his own forbidden apple or orange,pear or strawberry- the main problem from my point of view is what to do with it when it's no longer forbidden, isn't it to simple just to take a bite? Will there still be anything special about it if I'd know it's taste? It's like when you were a child and your mum didn't let you eat sweets, you're a grown up now, no one can tell you what to do, but you still get a guilt feeling when having sweets... This guilt can be very tricky and it's one's call whether it's worth or not knowing the taste ;)

   

Winter Memories

     It's a melancholic day for me,well, mostly like all the winter days... Here are some photos from the winter  of 2008 :D

My sister-Elena- and me-"let's go down this hill!"

In the process of sleighing

My sister and mum

Boris Itkis,Elena,my father and me

     Just so you know,I've got pictures of them sleighing too :)))

The best Romanian Chess Players of the year

     The Romanian Chess Federation has chosen the best 10 chess players of the year: http://www.frsah.ro/index.php?action=listingview&listingID=730
     According to the given list, here's the Top 10:

1. Foişor Cristina-Adela (CS AEM Luxten Timişoara)
2. Pârligras Mircea-Emilian (CS AEM Luxten Timişoara)
3. Nevednicii Vladislav (CS AEM Luxten Timişoara)
4. Lupulescu Constantin (CS AEM Luxten Timişoara)
5. Bulmaga Irina (CS Politehnica Iaşi)
6. L’Ami Alina (CS Politehnica Iaşi)
7. Vişănescu Daria-Ioana (Clubul de Şah Deva)
8. Cosma Elena-Luminiţa (ACS Apa Nova Bucureşti)
9. Vajda Levente (CS Universitar Ploieşti)
10. Şerban Florin (Clubul Municipal de Şah Alba Iulia) 
    Năstase Robert-Paul (Clubul Central de Şah Bucureşti)

     With this list here, I've decided to think about my achievements from this year:

1. Have achieved the WGM title
2. Got my 2nd and 3rd IM norms in Plovdiv,at the EICC- the best tournament in my chess career so far, with a 2503 Elo Performance
3. Got my highest Elo so far- 2386
4. Won for the 1st time against a player with a 2500+ Elo, and the 2nd time and the 3rd time :))))
5. Was very close to sharing 1st-4th place at the WJCC
6. Graduated highschool
7. Got into University
8. Visited 2 new countries-Poland and Austria
9. Have realized that my life is to be mostly about chess

     As about the things I want for the 2013 year:

1. Get to 2450
2. Qualify to the World Women's Championship
3. Win the WJCC
4. Become the Romanian Women's Champion


     All of these being said, I wish you a Happy New Year and to achieve whatever you want!

xoxo from Chisinau ;)

Theory of conspiration

     Hypocrites, manipulators, scheming, conspiracy- no, it's not a novel, it's a kind welcome to the adult life. It's ridiculous how often I've started to be in the middle of  these. It can go no longer, I couldn't care less about what one said that another one said about me, am I so cool that there's no other topic to talk about? Yes? Thanks a lot.
     The point is that I practice chess, I train quite much and I like it, I like to have fun with my friends, I am a rock music addicted listener, I believe in God, though I sometimes doubt His existance, I love my family and I'd be home at 10 pm if my mum would tell me so, I love chocolate and I eat it when I feel bad, I like drinking tea with my family late at night, I smoked and I loved it until it started to make me feel spoiled and I gave it up, I like writting and I'm not afraid to tell what I think, I don't lie-unless it's live or die necessary, I drink a lot of coffee, I jog when I feel like my head's gonna' explode, I sing russian rock ballads when I'm melancholic,when I'm very upset about a lost game,I drink a glass of beer with chips while watching some 3 episodes of criminalistic serials, I have a diary and I hide it, I've got no boyfriend and I like it this way for now, I've got friends and I love them, I've got family and I love them even more and I've got myself  and I tell myself every day how awesome I am and I love myself even more for all of these :D
     Is it enough to use it against me? If not, just tell me, I can provide some more information ;)
 

What are you afraid of?

    I've been reading some interesting book lately, one about rebellion and everything that's uncoventional, one where the main character is not afraid of death. That made me ask myself if I'm afraid of it and I realized that I'm not, the only thing I'm afraid of is... I still don't know what I'm afraid of- maybe to stop enjoying chess, maybe to see the people I care about suffering, but I'm not afraid to suffer, the pain is the thing that reminds me how real is everything...Sometimes I get this strange feeling that I've already lived this life and whatever I'd do, it won't make a difference... These moments really suck, they make me feel a hole in my stomach, a hole that goes so deep that I can start crying for no reason. I don't know if it's normal, I suppose it shouldn't be. You might think "Man,she's twisted!". Well, maybe I am :)))

Astana-Timisoara 2,5-1,5

   It's been an unfortunate day for our men's team, playing at the World Cities Championship. They lost the match against Astana with a 2,5-1,5 score, with Constantin Lupulescu making a draw against Kazhgaleyev Murtas (2596), Mircea Parligras winning against Jumabayev Rinat (2567) and Mihail Marin and Vladislav Nevednichy losing their games to Kotsur Pavel (2550) and respectively Ismagambetov Anuar (2463).
   Here are some photos from the opening ceremony I've found on the official site of the event http://worldcitieschess.com/photos/ :

Sergiu Grunberg, the captain of the Timisoara team

   Here's the group they're playing in :

Group 4
Baku (AZE) Astana (KAZ) Timisoara (ROM) Istanbul (TUR)

   It's a pity they lost today, but still, nothing is lost, they play against Istanbul tomorrow and I hope they'll manage to recover :) Maybe it was the big temperature difference, it's +25C in Al Ain, compared to the -10C in Romania. Whatever the reason was, I'm sure that it will get better tomorrow :)
   Here's Mircea's game:


   I wish good luck to our team and maybe they could send us some Arabian sun to us through their games! :)

The magic of Chisinau

My sister-Elena- I missed her so much!

   I chose to spend the "End of the World" at the "Gala Laureatilor" in Chisinau, Moldova, where the best Moldavian chess players of the year have received prizes. It has made me feel a little bit nostalgic... I remembered the times I used to wait this event being so proud  of becoming the best women player of the year :) I watched all of those kids receiving prizes and looking so proud and I saw the elder generation, my ex coaches... No matter how big the prizes were it was a special atmosphere there- a "homy" one :)

My very good friend- WIM Diana Baciu

Igor Dodon- the president of the Moldavian Federation and  Deputy in the Moldavian Parliament

Chess goes well with playing the violin- Vanesa Cheptene

The best player of the year- Viorel Bologan, his father-Anton-receiving the prize

The best result of the team at the Istanbul Olympiad- Dmitrii Svetushkin

Serghei Vedemediuc- prize for the best Coach

Nichita Morozov- the best U14

Paula Gitu-the best G14

Marius Abramciuc- the best U16

Mihai Bizovi- the best U18

Olga Hancu- the best girls U18

Gabriela Cazacu- the best girl U16

Boris Nevednichy- the best among veterans

Svetlana Haritonova- the best arbiter

Boris Itkis- prize as a coach whose pupil has obtained the only international medal this year

Ion Solonar- a very respected coach in Moldova (the first coach of Viorel Bologan)

Valerii Iovcov- the best U20

Oleg Gorbanovsky

Diana Baciu- the best among women

Anton Bologan,the proud father of the best chess player of the year-Viorel Bologan

Anastasia Corotcova being crowned as Miss :)

   It was cool to remember how it used to be once, when I lived in Moldova...

   I want to congratulate all the winners and to wish them to obtain even more in the upcoming year!

xoxo from Chisinau :)