Second free day at the 40th Olympiad

   What an amazing day has been today! Our both teams won! We won against Netherlands with a 3.5-0.5 score and the men's team won with 2.5-1.5 against France!!!
   I finally played a nice game against a strong opponent-Lanchava Tea! I think that the last round is going to be a very tough one,but after today's game,my confidence is back ;) After scoring 5,5 points out of 6 in the last games,I think I've recovered almost all my Elo points I've lost in the first three rounds :D

   Tomorrow is a free day,so we are going to celebrate tonight! Everyone will be going to this bar next to our hotel-"Choppers",so I guess it will be fun!
   I will share my impressions from tonight tomorrow (hopefully with some new photos too :))))

Autumn at Olympiad

   The weather has become very unpredictable in Istanbul,one minute the sun is shinning,the other minute it becomes really cloudy. That's exactly the way I feel now. I am happy that there are 4 more days,but on the other side, the tournament will come to an end so soon and that'll mean that we have to leave...Everyone will have to return to their own lives and moreover,I will start my studies at the University,I will become a part of a world that doesn't really go along with chess... I won't see my friends from chess most probably until the next spring.
   Well,now trying to switch to the"sunny" mode,here's a photo from yesterday I've found myself tagged in :)

   

      I hope to take more photos on the next free day,on the 8th of September and the night before :D

   

Three more rounds to go

   Our lucky race has ended today,as we lost against Armenia 3-1. We had won 3 matches in a row before today,and we were quite determined to continue this way. Unfortunatelly,we couldn't make it happen,we had some chances during the match,but Caissa seemed to turn her back to us...
   I didn't play my best today and I had to fight hard for a draw-I'm happy I managed to hold it.
   Three more rounds are left-the most important ones.I wrote that I believed we had chances for the Top5,well,I don't see it happening now-none of us is playing at her best. We are all trying,but for different reasons,it doesn't work.
   I just hope to play some good games and to finish the tournament on a decent place.
   Some conclusions should definetely be made after this tournament,but I'll have a lot of time to think about it later...

Free day in Istanbul!

   Here I am,in Istanbul,wanting to share my impressions from the yesterday's Bermuda Party.
   It was really amazing to see all my friends having fun! Everyone came,some to celebrate their wins,others to forget their losses (thx God,I was in the first category)))) The music was really nice and everyone seemed to be enjoying it. I was kind of dissapointed when I enetered because the place was soooo huge and there were too many unknown people and I felt a bit overwhelmed,not finding anyone whom I knew. But after the first drink (some red wine-actually not bad at all) things got better! I went to the dance floor (who cares about me wearing  some 20 cm heels??? :P) and we DANCED :))) It was really much fun-chess players definetely know how to party! I started seeing a lot of known faces around,we talked,gossiped,had some shots,danced again. The party finished at about 4 am... (I don't know how I can still walk:))))
   I feel so charged with positive energy that the World seems to be at my feet! (maybe the caramel frappuccino I'm drinking now is responsible for that :D)
   So,on this positive thought I will continue my frappuccino,letting you wish you were here the last night at Bermuda!

Bermuda Party

   It's been an amazing day today-one still to continue! Our both teams won with 4-0!
   Tonight is the traditional Olympiad party-Bermuda,actually it has already started,but we'll be fashionably late :)))
   Tomorrow is a free day,so we'll have a sight-seeing/ shopping day! It feels so nice to finally win a game-I hope to maintain this feeling for the rest of the tournament!
   I will keep you updated with the the impressions from Bermuda!
  Now,TIME TO PARTY!!! :P

One more round before the free day

   The 4th round is over. We lost the second match in a row against Israel today.
   This is the part I hate the most about chess- blundering in totally winning positions ,then striving some good hours for a draw and when the moment comes to make it-blundering again... Moreover,being a team tournament I feel more dissapointed. I guess it can happen to anyone and probably in one month I won't even remember it,but when we lose against a weaker team with a 3,5-0,5 score I can't help asking myself "Why?". For me,the answer is pretty obvious-being tired-in the second game in a row I blunder after 3-4 hours of playing. I guess I must have rested more after playing the WJCC...
   These being said-I will try my best in the next rounds. I think I will prepare less and rest more.These are the moments when one can see if a player is strong or just common.I hope I will be able to prove to myself that I have fighting spirit and some losses can't bring me down.

40th World Chess Olympiad

   Here it is-the most awaited tournament of the last two years-the World Chess Olympiad. It's held in Istanbul.
   This tournament is so amazing not only because of the possibility of becoming an Olympic Champion,but also because of all the people that come from every country of the World. We see friends from the other side of the globe, we chat,remember and make new memories-memories to last a life!
   It's my 3rd Olympiad,well the 1st one I played in Dresden,in 2008, when still being a member of the Moldavian team. I remember how eager I was to go there-I was only 15 years old and playing at the Olympiad had been my dream for years.I played at the 4th board and I managed to score a very good 8 points out of 11. My 2nd Olympiad I played in Khanty-Mansyisk-but this time representing Romania.I was the reserve player,so I played only 4 games,scoring a mere 2,5 points.
    This year I'm playing on the 2nd board-which I am both proud of and worried. It's a big responsibility and I will try to do my best.Our coach and captain is Gergely Szabo. The team is composed of:
                                                                            1.IM Foisor Cristina-Adela 2402
                                                                            2.WIM Bulmaga Irina 2380
                                                                            3.WGM Cosma Elena-Luminita 2352
                                                                            4.WGM l'Ami Alina 2372
                                                                            5.WGM Sandu Mihaela 2246
   We are number 10 on the starting rank list and I believe we have real chances for a place in the Top5!
   I think that Team Spirit is the most important thing in a Women Team Championship and we've got a very friendly one! It's also important to feel comfortable-so having a room-mate with whom to get along really well (as in my case-Alina) is vital.
   We play with Luxembourg in the 1st round.I've got a rest day today,so I'll be supporting the girls from the tribunes (or just virtually,from our fancy hotel room).
   The Opening Ceremony was well organized,but quite boring. The only joyfull thing about it was meeting my friends! This can be also a big problem-when connecting with too many people-which is kind of unavoidable at the Olympiad- one can have a very hard time focusing on chess. Too many people,even if they're friends may not have such a good influence on the quality of your chess.That's why I've decided to detach from all the "outside" factors and to be all in playing chess!
   I will keep you updated and the photos from the R1 will follow soon!
 

   Good luck,Romania!