Restless Optimism

Dear readers,

The busiest time of the year is starting for me these days. Many important tournaments are ahead, many interesting trips.

The first stop is at the Batumi Chess Olympiad (24 Sept - 5 Oct). As a team event, one where I represent my country, there is definitely some pressure on me, especially as I will be playing board 1 for Romania. Nothing's as motivating as a good challenge though and I can't wait for some big battles! (Check up my FB pages for updates during the tournament).

It is interesting to notice how years pass and I expect my eagerness to play chess to moderate somehow, but no, it doesn't matter that it's my 6th Olympiad already, I am still very much looking forward to it! Let's see what plans Batumi has on us...

Memory from the Baku Chess Olympiad in 2016, with Luminita Cosma, Cristina Foisor, me,

Ciprian Nanu and Corina Peptan. 

Next to follow is a quite unique tournament in Norway, Harstad (yeah, far North I head from the sunny Batumi). There will be 7 games, 3 rapids and 4 classical ones. I might even give some simul on one of the days, maybe even blindfold. I expect this trip to be very interesting. Anyhow, the Tromso Olympiad (2014) has left only good memories for me so I am quite optimistic about my return to Norway. 10-16 October is reserved for it.

Me, giving a blindfold simul

After no longer than 3 days of rest I will be heading to Isle of Man. It's been my dream to play there for quite some time and I am really excited about finally being able to make it happen! Being one of the strongest chess opens ever, names like Vladimir Kramnik, Vishy Anand, Levon Aronian and Wesley So are on the starting list and I can't be any happier about the chance to play in the same tournament with them and maybe even meet them at the chess board! (My optimism is restless lately...)

Yeah, this is how my end of September and whole October looks like.


It is probably too little to say that I am very grateful for the chance life has given me- to do what I love the most and to call it work!



Wish you all a nice end of week and remember, it is never too late for a dream to come true!

November Thoughts

Dear readers,

My apologies for writing so rarely. I've had a very tough schedule through this second half of the year- a lot of travelling from one tournament to another. It hasn't been very easy, but that's really nothing to complain about. I am very lucky to do what I love.

The last 4 tournaments I played- the Croatian League, Maria Albulet Memorial, the ETCC and Romanian League went quite well. I won the 1st board in Croatia after which Caissa smiled to me again- won the "Maria Albulet Memorial"...

The European Team Chess Championship came afterwards. It was the 2nd time I had the honor to play for Romania's team on the 1st board. It was very interesting and challenging. Somehow, I didn't play many strong tournaments after the EIWCC in Riga and I was a bit "bored of chess" if I can say so. You know this feeling when you play a lot vs lower rated opponents and at some point you feel like you can't take any more games like this- avoiding too "dry" variations, playing strange openings, having to fight in all the games like it's the last one. It can become a bit too stressful. That is why I was very happy when hearing I'd be on the 1st board- it meant I could finally play some "calm chess" and just enjoy it. I guess this is the main reason why I had a quite good tournament, scoring 6/9p. We had a slow start, but as I've noticed at this kind of tournaments- the finish is the most important. A good finish helped us share 4-5th place which was definitely a success for us!

from right to left: Alina l'Ami, Corina Peptan, Ciprian Nanu, Elena-Luminita Cosma, me and Mihaela Sandu

After barely 2 days of rest we had to go to the Romanian League. The opponents were not as strong as at the ETCC, but my chess got worse- too many blunders and misses, I guess I didn't have enough rest... It was a bit frustrating to know that I can play better and still not to be able to show it. Considering this fact, 6,5/8p was a decent result- good enough to help our team- "CS Politehnica Aqua Carpatica Iasi" to become Champion for the 3rd year in the raw!

from left to right: Bella Khotenashvilli, Alina l'Ami, me and Miruna Lehaci

There is one more classical tournament waiting for me this year- a strong ladies round robin in Wroclaw, Poland. It will start on the 29th of November. I hope to have a good rest until then and to  show some quality chess there!

May you have a wonderful end of the week!

Baku Chess Olympiad

     Some months with promises of posts have passed with me having no inspiration at all...

     Finally, some days after the World Chess Olympiad in Baku finished, I've found some energy to share some subjective impressions about it.

 Corina Peptan, Elena Luminita Cosma, Ciprian Nanu, me and Cristina Foisor

     Many people say that it was the best organized Olympiad ever. Frankly, I don't share this point of view. I will try to explain myself.
     I liked the hotel we stayed in and Baku itself but the food was too big of a challenge for my stomach and I had problems with it from day 1 until the last day. Moreover, it was sooooo cold in the playing hall that I also got totally sick at the middle of the tournament. One could imagine my joy going to the round with my stomach crying, sniffing all the time and dreaming of a "Parasinus" I couldn't take because of an eventual doping control.

Elena Luminita Cosma, Angela Dragomirescu, Corina Peptan and me

     Another negative thing I had to experience was some arbiters' incompetence. Imagine the following situation: I am playing my game, the endgame looks quite drawish, though it's me who has to make the draw, I find some repetition, if my opponent doesn't go for it, I can finally have some ideas to improve my position, we've repeated the position for 2 times and suddenly my opponent goes to the arbiter saying she wants to ask the captain if to make a repetition or not, the arbiter allows her. I want to specify that there was no draw offer at all. Practically, my opponent was asking her captain "Should I make this move or not?". Despite our captain's protests nothing happened. The same situation happened to one of my teammates in another match, moreover, that other arbiter couldn't even speak English, though he was quite friendly with our opponents who were Spanish speakers as him and allowed the player to talk to the captain and ask about repetition.
      I suppose that the other participants didn't have the same experiences I had and that's the reason they call this Olympiad the best one ever.
     All these facts had shadowed the joy of being a part of the biggest celebration of Chess.
     Otherwise, Baku seemed to be a really nice city. I was happy to see many of my friends from all over the World. I am normally a very positive person and I've tried to find positive things to hold on to through the tournament...
     The tournament started quite good for our team, culminating in an equal match we've made vs the future winners- China. The 2nd part of the tournament didn't go as we wanted, though we fought very hard each match. I guess that the conclusions are yet to be drawn.
     Sport is sport!

Reykjavik Lights

From left to right: Mihaela Sandu,Victor Bologan, me and Luminita Cosma

     A bit more than a week has passed since I came back from the European Team Chess Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland. I have to confess that it felt more like a month :))) I will tell you why a bit later. Let's get back to the Europeans first.
     Our result as a team was not so bad- 10th place, we've completed our minimal goal, though after the first half of the tournament our hopes aimed much higher... I started with 3/4 and it should have been even 4/4 if to look at the positions I got, the team was also doing very well sharing the 3rd place. The problems started after we lost the match to Ukraine in the 5th round. Somehow none of us could pull herself together to play the chess we played at the beginning of the tournament...

     All in all, it was an interesting experience- visiting Iceland, though- frankly speaking, I didn't have much time to enjoy its sites. It was too cold for long walks and too expensive for cabs :)) The thing I liked the most was the fantastic quality of still water and the closing ceremony, which was fun and very well organized. Hm... Yes, besides that- Iceland has left me with a somewhat bitter taste.


     The Romanian Rapid and Blitz Championships followed shortly after our return from Reykjavik. The host was the beautiful city I've never been to before- Cluj. I really enjoyed taking walks through the old center, admiring its beauty and lively people. The tournaments were neither bad nor good for me, a silver medal at rapid and a bronze one at blitz. Both of them were really close to being gold, but an a bit odd coefficient wasn't on my side at rapid and a lost game in the 8th round took the 1st place away from me at blitz.
     That's the way November came and passed for me and I can hardly believe that it's already December and Christmas is just around the corner... One more tournament awaits for me this year- an open in Austria and then... God knows :)))
     Here are some photos from the Rapid & Blitz in Cluj (courtesy to https://www.facebook.com/young.chess.7?fref=ts) :

Playing vs WGM Irina Ionescu

Always tough games vs IM Corina Peptan

From left to right- IM Corina Peptan, me and WGM Irina Ionescu

   
      Two more medals were added to my collection and a busy December has started!



xoxo from Romania ;)
     

Rainbow

     I am back in Iasi, morally preparing myself for the following 6 exams that I have to pass.
     The last weekend was so nice! I can't believe that I was still playing chess yesterday, feeling great and I have to study for my exams now. My session will last for 2 weeks. I hope that everything will be just fine and I'll be able to start enjoying my super busy summer schedule afterwards.
     I already miss the tournament atmosphere. The reason why I like to play tournaments in Romania is because I know everyone and I've got a lot of friends with whom I can hang out :)
     We were playing blitz in the first evening. It was very fun playing against such strong players and beating them time to time :D

Constantin Lupulescu vs Mircea Parligras

Vladislav Nevednichy vs Constantin Lupulescu

      The tournament ended very well for our team- we took the 1st place in the women's section and 2nd place in the men's one!

      You can see the final standings below:

1	CS Politehnica Iasi	*	*	2	1½	3	2½	3	1	2½	3	3	3	17	0	24.5	298.5
2	ACS Sah Apa Nova Bucuresti	1	1½	*	*	2	0	3	3	2½	2½	3	3	15	0	21.5	233.8
3	CSM Bucuresti	0	½	1	3	*	*	2½	2	3	2	3	3	14	0	20.0	212.0
4	Clubul Central de Sah Bucuresti	0	2	0	0	½	1	*	*	2	1	3	3	8	0	12.5	113.5
5	CS Otopeni	½	0	½	½	0	1	1	2	*	*	3	3	6	0	11.5	91.3
6	CS Snagov	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	*	*	0	0	0.0	0.0

     Here are the first 5 ranked teams in the men's section:

1	2	Clubul de Sah al Municipiului Baia Mare	9	8	0	1	16	0	27.5	553.5
2	3	CS Politehnica Iasi	9	7	1	1	15	2	26.0	530.5
3	1	CS AEM Luxten Timisoara	9	7	1	1	15	0	26.0	527.3
4	10	Clubul Central de Sah Bucuresti	9	5	1	3	11	0	22.0	386.0
5	5	CSM Lugoj	9	5	0	4	10	0	23.5	438.3

     Here are some photos from the last day and from the closing ceremony:

COnstantin Lupulescu following the game of Crisitian Chirila vs Dieter Nisipeanu

Sergiu Grunberg following the games of his team- "AEM"

Erwin l'Ami with white vs Andrei Cioara

Deac Bogdan vs Stegariu Vlad

Corina Peptan

Madalina Anusca with white

Georgiana Morea with black

Luminita Cosma vs Luiza Marin

Teodora Vasile

Alina l'Ami

Smaranda Padurariu and Jan Smeets

The team of "Politehnica Iasi"

The youngest team

3rd place- CSM Bucuresti

2nd place- ACS Sah Apa Nova Bucuresti

1st place- Politehnica Iasi

3rd place in men's section: CS AEM Luxten Timisoara

2nd place- Politehnica Iasi

1st place- Clubul de Sah al Municipiului Baia Mare

Smaranda Padurariu

Rainbow on our way back :)

Playing vs Marin Luiza

Against Corina Peptan

     It's been a very nice weekend!

xoxo from Iasi ;)

     

French trend

     Here's my last game from the Women's National, against the nr.1 favourite- Corina Peptan (2443). I decided to play a completely new opening for me- the French Defence and I quite liked it.
     I wanted to play something duobtless and in the same time something that she wouldn't expect.

Drug addiction

   We had a double round yesterday- I finished the last my both games-5 hours each  and I felt no exhaustion, only a great joy and pleasure! Really, I'm so happy that I love chess and I have the possibility to play! As I'm writing now, I'm already thinking of how cool will be tomorrow (another double round!). Chess has become a drug for me :)
   I made 2 draws yesterday, the first one against Marius Manolache (2541) and the 2nd one against Milenkovic Mladen (2399). Here are the both games and just to mention- I'm very proud of my endgame against Milenkovic- I have finally got the damn rook endings!!! :D

   There are 4 players who have 3,5 points out of 4:  Manolache Marius, Petrisor Adrian, Corina Peptan and Vlad Jianu. I play with a young and very talented kid- Deac Bogdan-Daniel (2039). He was born in 2001,so I guess I'll have the opportunity to see what the children of the new century are capable of  :)