Ice cream money

Mamaia,EIWCC

     Summer is definitely gone and I feel somewhat nostalgic... There were so many nice tournaments and even more nice memories I've made there.
     My summer had started with the European Individual Women Chess Championship where I was

quite close to qualifying for the World Cup. My chess was not so good there but neither was my opponents'. I missed the previous EIWCC and I forgot how much different can an "all women" event be, especially such an important one like this one. I was satisfied with my overall result, the prize contributed a bit as well, though it would be a lie to say I didn't want more, the goal was to qualify... I guess it will have to be postponed until next year, hopefully.

Mamaia

     A tournament in Iasi followed, "Iasi Open" where my chess was more stable, though again- not too impressive. I had finally won a game vs a 2500 player, somehow it didn't occur so often lately. I won some Elo points, some "ice-cream money" and my thoughts were already in Greece, where I'd go for a full month of non stop chess.
     Greece... Uff, it's not so easy to write about it, it was too good!
     The first tournament, in Anogia (Crete) was a bless, even though I had a tough start there, losing 2 games vs Greek juniors, my chess style had to become more boring for the next tournaments in order to avoid these accidents, no more taking 3 pawns and giving away initiative. Youth hates boring, I guess that compared to when I was 16, I hate boring a little bit less at 22 :) You can read more impressions about Anogia in a whole post I dedicated to it :

Anogia

http://irinabulmaga.blogspot.md/2016/07/zorbas-world.html  Money for ice-cream again in place, time to head to the next tournament, this time in Paleochora.
     I promised to write a post about this place as well, but you know, it's never easy to write about something you already miss too much. It was my 3rd time being there. The first time I was there, in 2010, sharing the room and hopes with a very good friend- WIM Smaranda Padurariu was so nice that I came back in 2011 again, though just for vacation. I've missed the nice beaches of Paleochora so much since then, that I had decided to go again this year. Actually my planning of this years' summer concluded to answering a simple question: "where are the best beaches?". For me, the answer was simple- "Greece", it has a very special place in my heart. So... Paleochora- it was great, the rounds started in the late afternoon, so there was plenty of time to spend chillin' on the beach.

Enjoying the fantastic beach in Paleochora

I was a bit too full of chess so my preparation was more in drinking frappes and eating lamb as many times as I could (you can't imagine how much lamb I can eat, even I was surprised by my achievements!). Ah, and I've discovered a new traditional Greek wine "Retsina", you should definitely try it if you go to Greece! The tournament went well, wins vs lower rated opponents, draws and losses vs higher rated (in totally drawish positions, but whatever, some lamb and I was back on track!). The balance was clear: +some Elo points ; +3 (lamby) kg; + bag&shoes money. It was time to move further...

 The next stop was Kavala. The beach was not as spectacular as in Paleochora (very important point for me as you can see), but the tournament was organized very nicely and it was a pleasure to play, though again my preparation continued to reduce with every day that passed. Again wins vs lower rated opponents, some stupid losses vs higher rated ones, culminating in an unforgettable last round game vs a 2600+ player, where I fought for sharing the 1st overall place. I had an extra pawn, the pair of bishops- a totally wining position which turned out to be (as it happens too many times in women chess) not so winning. I lost that game and I felt very sorry for myself to finish such a fantastic month in Greece in such an inconvenient manner. I have to say that as the hours were passing and the night was approaching the day became better and better so finally, it became (despite of this unfortunate game) the best day in Greece! Balance: +some Elo points; + ice cream money; +unforgettable moments.

the Romanian Team in Baku

    The next stop- the Olympiad in Baku, about which I've already written a post you can see here: http://irinabulmaga.blogspot.md/2016/09/baku-chess-olympiad.html

     There were a lot of opposite feelings about it, I'm still trying to process the whole event... The most memorable moment was the one were I went for a totally crazy carousel ride, maybe that's the reason I'm still processing everything, my brain got too shaken, yeah...  Balance: no ice cream money, the Elo unchanged, -3kg; +extra adrenaline from that crazy ride...
     The vacation I had on Cyprus after all of these was a bless. I am tanned like never before and I still feel the summer in my veins!

Cyprus, with my dear sis'- Elena

xoxo from Chisinau ;)
     

Bitter ladies

     Warning!!! Regardless of the title, this post is about lemonade :P

     After my last post I've managed to score only 0,5p/3. The logic of a normal superstitious woman chess player would tell that posting anything else would be insane,but I have always thought that what is not normal is good, so here it is- a new post from Plovdiv.
     Four rounds have passed in no time at all and though I have not so many points, I have a fantastic time here and lots of energy and inspiration that still wait to be directed to the right point.
     I will not speak much about the mistakes I've made during the games, let's say it was just bad luck. The only decision I regret so far is that a waiter convinced me to take lemonade instead of the desired ice coffee- that's where my bad decisions for today have started (maybe it was the same waiter's fault that I sacrificed a bunch of pieces today).
     So, from now on- no more lemonades- cause no one likes bitter ladies, just coffees and the points will start to come :D


xoxo from Plovdiv ;)

Plovdiv

     Here it is, another European Championship- this time in Plovdiv.
     Somehow, I think that I fully understand the time passing only by another Europeans coming... Last year-Belgrad, 2012-Turkey and so on. What is it different about this European Ch? I am not sure that there is anything new about any of them at all. I mean- you just play chess and the best ones qualify to the World Cup and that's all.
     I like playing in Plovdiv, have been here another 2 times and really enjoyed my time :) It is a very pleasant city to take walks in and also for shopping :D These Bulgarian manufactured shoes and bags are just wallet killers :P
     As about the tournament itself, here is the official page: http://www.eiwcc2014.eu/  and here you can follow the results: http://chess-results.com/tnr136442.aspx?lan=1&art=2&rd=2&flag=30&wi=821
     Some photos from my yesterday's walk:

xoxo from Plovdiv ;)

Gigantic Suitcase

     A great period will start for me soon, one which I can't wait to begin!
     I haven't played chess so much lately, my last tournament was somewhere in the middle of May... I was caught with lots of exams at University (don't mean to gloat- but I passed all of them and now-I'm officially in my last year of Uni  :D ).
     A difficult task is now to be solved- how to pack a suitcase for 2 months? :))) I will go to the EIWCC in Plovdiv on the 4th of July, then a little vacation in Greece, after that- Olympiad and Turkish League, and I will be back home in September :D  The difficult part about it is that the Olympiad will be held in Norway, Tromsø, where it's more an early spring than a real summer in August.
     I've really missed traveling non-stop and playing strong tournaments... I have missed my chess friends, I have missed the tournament atmosphere! I guess you can feel my enthusiasm about the forthcoming months :)
     All in all, I am very optimistic about everything and I am really thankful for the opportunity of having such an amazing life as a chess player!


xoxo from Chisinau ;)

Kavala

     Here I am in Kavala, after a long, tiring and unsuccessful tournament in Belgrade.
     I went to the beach the last 2 days and I had some time to think about what happened. It wasn't in my plans to play so badly- it was even a small shock for me... I wanted to qualify, but instead- I finished on -1 and a big Elo loss. I guess that bad tournaments happen but it's a bit dissappointing when they happen to be the most important ones.
     There are more tournaments to go, more Europeans and more chances to qualify- there's nothing to do now but to try to focus on the upcoming events.
     Kavala is a really nice city, with amazing beaches and nice surroundings. I was a bit afraid to come to play here after my horrible tournament in Belgrade, but I am happy with my decision now- as the Greek sun has charged my batteries, filling it with some positive thoughts :)

     Here is the link where you can follow the results: http://chess-results.com/tnr106851.aspx?lan=11

Wish you all a nice summer!

Getting hotter

     Six rounds have already passed at the EIWCC in Belgrade.
     There's no one with a perfect score- Nino Khurtsidze is leading the tournament with 5,5p/6, followed by 5 players with 5p- Valentina Gunina, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Salome Melia, Hoang Thanh Trang and Deimante Daulyte.
     I am on a "mighty" +1... :P I managed to win yesterday after losing 2 games in a row. You can follow the live games here: http://belgrade2013.liveschach.net/
     It's unbelievable how many blunders happen in each game here! Everyone blunders- no matter of the level- I guess that the Serbian heat is to blame :D It's not my fault that I blundered a piece, right?
     Well, and now seriously- it's a tough tournament- there's no "weak" player- everyone is motivated- everyone prepares and everyone tries to show his best.
     It is the last round before the free day today and I really hope to be in a good mood for visiting the city!
     Here are some photos:

Carmen Voicu-Jagodzinsky, me and Luminita Cosma

WFM Daria Visanescu

The playing hall

 

Belgrad's Soul

     Here I am in Belgrad. It is my first time here and I'm already in love with this city! I hope to have more time to explore it during the free day! Like a friend told me- Belgrad has a soul ;)
     As about the tournament- it is organized on a very high level- as it was expected, there's live commentary of the live games every day- the playing hall is also nice- there's nothing to complain about.
      I've got 2p/2 so far, winning as a favourite. You can follow the results here: http://chess-results.com/tnr106978.aspx?art=2&rd=3&lan=11&turdet=YES&flag=30&wi=984
     Here are some photos:

With Daria Visanescu

WGM Carmen Voicu-Jagodzinsky

   

WFM Daria Visanescu

With Luminita Cosma

     All the best from Belgrad! ;)

   

EIWCC-2013

     There are 2 more days until the start of the European Individual Women's Chess Championship in Belgrad, Serbia.
     It will be the first EIWCC where I'm going to start as a favourite- I was in the 2nd half of the starting ranking list all the previous years. I am nr. 29 out of 168 this time.

Ном.			Имя	код FIDE	ФЕД.	Рейт.Межд.	пол
1		GM	Muzychuk Anna	14111330	SLO	2594	w
2		GM	Dzagnidze Nana	13601903	GEO	2558	w
3		GM	Lagno Kateryna	14109336	UKR	2542	w
4		GM	Kosintseva Tatiana	4133471	RUS	2528	w
5		GM	Cramling Pia	1700030	SWE	2524	w
6		IM	Khotenashvili Bela	13602640	GEO	2512	w
7		GM	Gunina Valentina	4167570	RUS	2507	w
8		GM	Cmilyte Viktorija	12801259	LTU	2497	w
9		GM	Stefanova Antoaneta	2902257	BUL	2497	w
10		GM	Kosteniuk Alexandra	4128125	RUS	2489	w
11		IM	Muzychuk Mariya	14114550	UKR	2484	w
12		WGM	Pogonina Natalija	4147855	RUS	2478	w
13		GM	Zhukova Natalia	14101513	UKR	2471	w
14		GM	Hoang Thanh Trang	12400149	HUN	2467	w
15		IM	Javakhishvili Lela	13601458	GEO	2465	w
16		IM	Mkrtchian Lilit	13300601	ARM	2454	w
17		IM	Paehtz Elisabeth	4641833	GER	2454	w
18		IM	Khurtsidze Nino	13600320	GEO	2443	w
19		IM	Bodnaruk Anastasia	4181751	RUS	2440	w
20		IM	Peptan Corina-Isabela	1201930	ROU	2439	w
21		WGM	Girya Olga	4195752	RUS	2437	w
22		GM	Socko Monika	1106619	POL	2436	w
23		IM	Atalik Ekaterina	4130189	EUR	2430	w
24		IM	Melia Salome	13602446	GEO	2428	w
25		IM	Guramishvili Sopiko	13602888	GEO	2421	w
26		IM	Matnadze Ana	13601377	ESP	2412	w
27		IM	Kovalevskaya Ekaterina	4116704	RUS	2407	w
28		WGM	Batsiashvili Nino	13602993	GEO	2405	w
29		WGM	Bulmaga Irina	13903063	ROU	2403	w
30		IM	Vega Gutierrez Sabrina	2219026	ESP	2402	w

     You can find the full list of participants here: http://chess-results.com/tnr98226.aspx?lan=11&zeilen=99999

     Romania will be represented by 8 players:

20	IM	Peptan Corina-Isabela	1201930	ROU	2439
29	WGM	Bulmaga Irina	13903063	ROU	2403
35	IM	Foisor Cristina-Adela	1200496	ROU	2387
53	WGM	Cosma Elena-Luminita	1201590	ROU	2329
68	WGM	Voicu-Jagodzinsky Carmen	1206729	ROU	2296
87	WGM	Sandu Mihaela	1204327	ROU	2237
131	WFM	Visanescu Daria-Ioana	1200518	ROU	2061
152		Olea Liliana	1202138	ROU	1905

     More information about the tournament can be found on the official site of the event: http://belgrade2013.org/index.php/en/

     It is going to be my first time in Serbia, I've been only to Montenegro before. I am very curious to see it and I hope to like it there.

     As about the tournament, it is going to be a very tough one, so I don't know what to expect- everything can happen- I just want to enjoy myself there and to play some quality chess.

Will keep you posted!

Polo

     The tournament is over, but not our stay in Kazan. We've got 2 extra days to visit the city and to have some fun ;)
     I lost in the last round against the Chinese Tan Zhongyi (2478) like a kid, blundering a piece at some point. I don't remember when was the last time when I did it... I guess I was too tired- so many double rounds immediatly after the Turkish League were too much. All in all, I've finished the tournament decently, on a +3 Elo points. You can find the final standings here: http://chess-results.com/tnr106012.aspx?art=1&rd=9&lan=11&flag=30&wi=821
     I hope to have a good rest until the European Individual Women's Chess Championship, which will start on the 23rd of July in Belgrad and to play some good games there.
     Trying to forget about the "not very pleasent" loss yesterday- we went to a polo match- which was quite a delight for our eyes :P Here are some photos:

Raluca Sgircea

Teodora Vasile and me

With our Serbian friends

Teodora,Raluca and me :)

Universiade is about making new friends,right?

     xoxo from Kazan ;)

Denizli

     The Turkish League is over. Unfortunately, our team didn't qualify for the 1st League... We were really close, but we were too unucky in the last round's match.
     I've scored 7,5p/9, winning some Elo points. Here's my game from the last round:

     It was really nice to play after one and a half month without chess!
     I will play in Kazan, at the Universiade starting from tomorrow. I am still in Denizli now- will get to Russia tonight. The tournament is going to be a very tough one- with double rounds and a lot of strong opponents. It will be a good preparation for the following EIWCC in Belgrad.
     In the same time, I'm really curious about the atmosphere at the Universiade- so many young athlets from all over the World gathered in one place!

     I hope to have a good tournament there and to make some worthy memories!

xoxo from Denizli ;)