Romanian Rapid Club Cup

     I am at the Romanian Rapid Club Cup with my team- "Politehnica Iasi', in Snagov now.
     There are 6 teams playing in the women section:

1. Clubul Central de Sah Bucuresti (RtgAvg:2016 / TB1: 2 / TB2: 2)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	Pts.	Games
1	WIM	Marin Irina-Luiza	2145	ROU	1.0	3.0
2	WFM	Baciu Anca-Otilia	2062	ROU	1.0	3.0
3	WNM	Vasilescu Maria	1842	ROU	0.5	3.0
4	I	Nastase Andreea-Cristina	1620	ROU	0.0	0.0
2. CSM Bucuresti (RtgAvg:2241 / TB1: 4 / TB2: 0)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	Pts.	Games
1	IM	Peptan Corina-Isabela	2419	ROU	1.0	2.0
2	WGM	Ionescu Irina	2239	ROU	1.5	3.0
3	WNM	Anusca Madalina-Maria	2065	ROU	1.0	1.0
4	WCM	Morea Georgiana-Steluta	1866	ROU	2.0	3.0
3. CS Otopeni (RtgAvg:1792 / TB1: 2 / TB2: 0)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	Pts.	Games
1	WCM	Vasile Teodora	1952	ROU	1.0	3.0
2	I	Stanciu Andreea-Briana	1741	ROU	2.0	3.0
3	I	Firaru Roxana-Maria	1684	ROU	1.5	3.0
4. ACS Sah Apa Nova Bucuresti (RtgAvg:2112 / TB1: 4 / TB2: 0)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	Pts.	Games
1	WGM	Cosma Elena-Luminita	2301	ROU	3.0	3.0
2	WFM	Chirita Andra-Marina	2022	ROU	1.5	3.0
3	WCM	Ilie Maria-Ruxandra	2012	ROU	0.0	0.0
4	WCM	Serbanescu Diana-Maria	1944	ROU	2.0	3.0
5. CS Snagov (RtgAvg:1108 / TB1: 0 / TB2: 0)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	Pts.	Games
1	II	Rata Anamaria	1209	ROU	0.0	3.0
2	III	Dragomir Carmen-Teodora	1115	ROU	0.0	3.0
3	III	Istrate Camelia-Elena	1001	ROU	0.0	3.0
6. CS Politehnica Iasi (RtgAvg:2325 / TB1: 6 / TB2: 0)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	Pts.	Games
1	WGM	Bulmaga Irina	2363	ROU	2.0	3.0
2	WGM	L'ami Alina	2405	ROU	3.0	3.0
3	WIM	Padurariu Ioana-Smaranda	2208	ROU	3.0	3.0
4	WCM	Gelip Ioana	2047	ROU	0.0	0.0

     Our team haw 3 wins out of 3 so far. You can follow the results here: http://chess-results.com/tnr101903.aspx?art=8&lan=1&wi=821

     The men's section has gathered a lot of strong teams with all the best Romanian GMs playing.

1. CS AEM Luxten Timisoara (RtgAvg:2556 / TB1: 4 / TB2: 0)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	Pts.	Games
1	GM	Lupulescu Constantin	2634	ROU	1.5	3.0
2	GM	Parligras Mircea-Emilian	2632	ROU	2.5	3.0
3	GM	Nevednichy Vladislav	2580	ROU	3.0	3.0
4	IM	Grunberg Sergiu-Henric	2379	ROU	0.0	0.0
5	CM	Toma Radu-Cristian	2143	ROU	2.0	3.0
2. Clubul de Sah al Municipiului Baia Mare (RtgAvg:2555 / TB1: 6 / TB2: 0)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	Pts.	Games
1	GM	Nisipeanu Liviu-Dieter	2625	ROU	2.5	3.0
2	GM	Vajda Levente	2550	ROU	3.0	3.0
3	GM	Szabo Gergely-Andras-Gyula	2555	ROU	2.5	3.0
4	GM	Grigore George-Gabriel	2491	ROU	0.5	1.0
5	FM	Hajbok Robert	2365	ROU	2.0	2.0
6	FM	Szabo Attila	2290	ROU	0.0	0.0
3. CS Politehnica Iasi (RtgAvg:2477 / TB1: 6 / TB2: 0)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	Pts.	Games
1	GM	L'ami Erwin	2642	NED	3.0	3.0
2	IM	Mateuta Gabriel	2477	ROU	2.5	3.0
3	IM	Danilov Vladimir	2434	ROU	1.0	2.0
4	FM	Ungureanu Vlad	2324	ROU	0.5	1.0
5	FM	Manole Vasile	2355	ROU	0.0	0.0
6	CM	Stegariu Vlad-Ionut	2279	ROU	3.0	3.0
4. CSU Ploiesti (RtgAvg:2406 / TB1: 4 / TB2: 0)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	Pts.	Games
1	IM	Cioara Andrei-Nestor	2471	ROU	2.0	3.0
2	IM	Tomescu Vlad	2389	ROU	2.0	3.0
3	IM	Baratosi Daniel	2432	ROU	0.0	0.0
4	IM	Ionescu Doru-Alexandru	2331	ROU	1.5	2.0
5	FM	Voiteanu Gabriel	2278	ROU	1.0	1.0
6	CM	Deac Bogdan-Daniel	2173	ROU	2.0	3.0
5. CSM Lugoj (RtgAvg:2391 / TB1: 4 / TB2: 0)
Bo.		Name	Rtg	FED	Pts.	Games
1	GM	Jianu Vlad-Cristian	2525	ROU	2.0	3.0
2	FM	Balla Tamas-Kristof	2382	ROU	1.5	3.0
3	IM	Dragomirescu Robin-Alexandru	2372	ROU	3.0	3.0
4	IM	Vasilescu Lucian-Mihail	2283	ROU	1.0	2.0
5	CM	Domanyek Ernest-Iosif	2206	ROU	1.0	1.0
6	I	Neagu Mihai-Cosmin	1992	ROU	0.0	0.0

     You can follow the results here: http://chess-results.com/tnr101901.aspx?art=0&lan=11&wi=821

Here are some photos:

Erwin l'Ami playing with white

Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu

Levente Vajda

Vlad Jianu with white

Cristian Chirila with black

Lucian Miron vs Tiberiu Georgescu

"Politehnica Iasi" with Vladimir Danilov, Gabriel Mateuta and Erwin l'Ami

"AEM" with Vladislav Nevednichy, Mircea Parligras and Constantin Lupulescu

     A big photo report from last night's blitz matches will follow!

Interview with GM Constantin Lupulescu aka "The Wolf"

1. Hi, Constantin! First of all, let me congratulate you with sharing the 1^st place at the European Individual Chess Championship in Legnica! How do you feel about it, do you think you could have achieved more?

     

     Hi, Irina, thank you! Well, I think if I could achieve  more- it had to be in my game against Moiseenko. I played quite uninspired and I was slightly worse for some time but right after the time trouble I had a powerful  41.g5 that would have given me a big advantage. I totally missed the idea which the engine shows immediately.  Of course everyone can hit space and become an expert after the game so I guess I cannot complain with my +5 finish.

2. Which were the critical moments of the tournament, the ones where you felt confident in your chess and the ones which made you worry the most?

         

      Actually the first time when I really worried was right in the first round against a 2400 player. I got a bad position and it was enough for him just to play normal moves to get a big advantage. Luckily, he went for a “winning” combination and eventually the game ended in a draw. After that I started playing really well with nice attacking games. I think I felt most confident in my game against Fedorchuk, it was that game when I started to think that I could achieve more than just qualification.

3. Your best Elo was 2657, in November 2011, since then you dropped it to 2603 in May 2012 and you’re raising it again this year, with a live Elo of 2655 now.  Do you see yourself as a 2700+ player in the near future?

     As you said it was really not difficult to lose more than 50 points so I try not to be bothered by rating anymore. I will just try to play good chess.

4. Which qualities should a chess player have in order to become a strong  Grand Master?

         

     It's not so easy to give a clear recipe but basically I think you need a lot of hard work and determination and this is of course possible only if you really like chess. :)

5. When was the moment when you’ve decided that chess is the thing that you want to do for  your whole life?

         Since I was quite young I enjoyed playing chess much more than the subjects I had in school. I started to go in a lot of tournaments and I began having good results. After a while playing chess for a career was just the natural thing to do.

Constantin playing vs Dieter

6. You played on the 1^st board in the last team events, leading the team to a great result -8^th place at the last Olympiad in Istanbul, 2012. What do you think about the absence of Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu in the last team events?

     We also got 9^th place on the European Team Championship in 2011 in Greece. Well I didn't play particularly well but somehow the team managed to get very good results. But of course, having again in the team someone like Dieter Nisipeanu, with a 2700+ level understanding and also with good leadership skills surely would be very nice.

7. What is your opinion on the latest cheating “trend”? Do you have any ideas of how to fight against it?

     I think nowadays it became easier and easier to cheat as even a smart-phone can play at a very high level. Of course I am not an anti-cheating expert but I think there should be taken the minimum measures to at least discourage the most primitive cheaters (like the jamming devices they already use against students cheating in some universities).

8. The match Carlsen-Anand, on whom would you bet your money and why?

      

     I think that if Anand gets back some of his motivation it will not be as easy for Carlsen as most people expect. Nevertheless, I think that the odds would still tip in Carlsen's favour.

9. What are your goals for the future?

        

     Even after a good tournament like the one I had you still discover a lot of faults. So I would really like to improve my play in the areas I feel it's lacking.

10. Which things do you like besides chess?

         

     Whenever I get the chance I like to spend some time with my family and friends. Although I am not really an expert- I like playing some table tennis and some pool from time to time. However, I would like to have more time to visit the places where I travel to play chess.

11. What are the things that motivate you to be better or who are the persons who inspire you for greatness?

           

     A strong tournament like the Europeans always motivates me a lot. Although usually I had the starting rank around 80 and more I was very close to qualify in 2007, 2008 while I qualified in 2009, 2011 and 2013. I don't have someone particularly in mind but I usually try to be around optimist and honest people. It always lifts my mood to be among persons like that.

12. Why have you chosen living a life of a chess player- always travelling-never home, do you ever regret making this choice?

       I like that in chess compared to a regular job you get an immediate feedback of your abilities and skills. If you miss-evaluate yourself, your opponent brings you down on earth immediately. I also like that I can travel to a lot of places and meet a lot of interesting people. Of course sometimes I cannot be at home on Christmas or Easter (like it was last year when I played Al Ain in late December and now the European Championship) but I think these troubles are outweighed by the opportunities I am offered.

13. You’ve become Romanian Champion earlier this year, now this great result at the EICC, what is the recipe of your success ?

    2012 was really not a good year for me as a chess player but I learned a lot from my mistakes and after some hard work I started to have good results again.

14. How do you recover after a painful loss during an important tournament?

  I think it's important to try to relax somehow in order to forget a little bit about the tournament after such games. But what I think that is the most important it's having a good sleep after such losses; which as the most chess players know, is much easier said than done. Always when you're half asleep a position comes back to haunt you. However, a bad sleep after a painful loss is like a time trouble in a bad position – hard to give a good advice anymore.

15. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

    I will probably be at the peak of my chess career. I will also, most likely, be already teaching chess for some time. And of course with a nice family. :)

Lucky Poland

     There are only 3 more rounds to go.

Some analyzing after the game with Robert Ruck

     I am on 50 % so far, gaining some 9 Elo points. It's quite good. I made a draw with Duda Jan-Krysztof (2506) yesterday, with white. I didn't get anything from the opening, forgetting my variations, so I started to play for a draw. He got into time-trouble and I had a nice chance- to sacrifice the queen and to get an almost winning position, but somehow- I didn't want to risk and settled for a draw. You can see the game here:


     The leadership of the tournament is kept by Moiseenko Alexander, with 7p/8, followed by Constantin Lupulescu- on sole second with 6,5p. They will play against each other today- "The Wolf" having white. It is funny that the only time a Romanian became European Champion- Liviu Dieter Nisipeanu, in 2005- the championship was also held in Poland. Maybe Poland is lucky for Romanians?
     Here are the pairings of all the Romanians:

9	1	54		GM	LUPULESCU Constantin	2634	6½		7	GM	MOISEENKO Alexander	2698		13
9	35	53		GM	L'AMI Erwin	2634	5		5	GM	PARLIGRAS Mircea-Emilian	2570		102
9	42	6		GM	AKOPIAN Vladimir	2705	4½		4½	GM	JIANU Vlad-Cristian	2555		112
9	64	109		GM	ESEN Baris	2557	4½		4½		DEAC Bogdan-Daniel	2183		259
9	66	21		GM	NISIPEANU Liviu-Dieter	2679	4		4	GM	AJRAPETJAN Yuriy	2498		148
9	76	128		GM	MAIOROV Nikita	2535	4		4	WGM	BULMAGA Irina	2393		199
9	78	133		GM	SEBENIK Matej	2527	4		4		STANCIU Alexandru-Ovidiu	2335		220
9	81	137		GM	BUKAVSHIN Ivan	2520	4		4	IM	PETRISOR Adrian-Marian	2378		211
9	83	258			MARJANOVIC Dejan	2186	4		4	IM	ARDELEAN George-Catalin	2510		142
9	109	243			SVANA Peter	2255	3		3	IM	ANTON Teodor	2441		175
9	112	260			HUBER Martin Christian	2176	3		3	IM	MANEA Alexandru	2389		201
9	130	277			TOMCZAK Mikolaj	2002	2½		2	FM	POSEDARU Bogdan	2339		219

     I have black against Maiorov Nikita (2535) today. I really hope to have a good game!
     It is interesting to notice the fantastic result of the 12 y.o. Romanian- Deac Bogdan-Daniel, who's got 4,5p/8 and a 2461 performance! I think he's the most promising Romanian junior. I see him at 2600 in some some 5 years.
     These being said, I'll go for the final 30 minutes of preparation. :)

xoxo from Legnica ;)

1st Round

      The 1st round couldn't pass without some surprises.
      The nr.1 favourite- Dmitry Jakovenko couldn't win against the Polish IM- Duda Jan.

1

144

IM

DUDA Jan-Krzysztof

2506

0

½ - ½

0

GM

JAKOVENKO Dmitry

2731

1

      The nr. 6 seed- Akopian Vladimir made a draw against GM Trator Marko.

6

6

GM

AKOPIAN Vladimir

2705

0

½ - ½

0

GM

TRATAR Marko

2498

149

     The nr. 1 Romanian player- Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu suffered a defeat against IM Pacher Milan (2470) of Croatia.

20

21

GM

NISIPEANU Liviu-Dieter

2679

0

0 - 1

0

IM

PACHER Milan

2470

163

     Here are the results of all the Romanians in the 1st round: http://chess-results.com/tnr95789.aspx?art=25&fedb=ROU&lan=11&fed=ROU&flag=30&wi=821

     I lost unfortunately. I had very good chances- receiving a nice position after the opening, but I got too optimistic afterwards and sacrificied a pawn- which didn't lead to anything good. You can see my game here:

     Here are some photos I took today, during my morning walk through the rainy Legnica:

Grigoryan Avetik and Danielian Elina of Armenia also taking a walk 

"Welcome to the Hotel California/ Such a lovely place..." Well, it's actually "Kamieniczka"- but lovely anyways :P

     I play against a lower rated player today, again from Czech Republic- Pavlicek Miroslav (2014). I hope to have a good game and to win :)

Will keep you posted!

xoxo from Legnica!

Sweet Emotion

     There's this feeling I get every time right before a tournament. I am excited and worried in the same time. I hope that it will be a good tournament for me and in the same time, I'm afraid it could go wrong. This feeling usually lasts until I make the 1st move and then everything goes away.
     I will travel to Bucharest tomorrow night and then, I'll have a flight to Berlin, where the organizers will pick us and take to Legnica. The 1st round is on the 5th of May.
     There are a lot of Romanians playing in the European Individual Championship (12):

21   GM    NISIPEANU Liviu-Dieter ROU 2679
54   GM    LUPULESCU Constantin ROU 2634
103 GM    PARLIGRAS Mircea-Emilian ROU 2570
113 GM    JIANU Vlad-Cristian ROU 2555
144 IM     ARDELEAN George-Catalin ROU 2510
181 IM     ANTON Teodor ROU 2441
205 WGM BULMAGA Irina ROU 2393
208 IM     MANEA Alexandru ROU 2389
218 IM     PETRISOR Adrian-Marian ROU 2378
226 FM    POSEDARU Bogdan ROU 2339
227           STANCIU Alexandru-Ovidiu ROU 2335
267           DEAC Bogdan-Daniel ROU 2183

     I can't wait for the tournament to begin! It's going to be the toughest event I'll take part at this year. I am nr. 205 from 298!  You can see the starting ranking list here: http://chess-results.com/tnr95789.aspx?art=0&lan=11&fedb=ROU&flag=30&wi=821&zeilen=99999



Will keep you posted!

300p make a difference

     What a day in Bundesliga! Baden-Baden is simply smashing everyone! Nisipeanu won in 16 moves with black against a 2330 player, while Aronian finished his game against Prusikin (2546) with 1h 26m left on the clock and a full point in the cross-table. Enjoy the feist!