Alina l'Ami

Professional chess player, born and raised in Iasi (Romania). She graduated cum laude in psychology but returned to her first love: chess, which brought her great (and less good) results, including the World Champion and European Champion titles or the Sports Merit Order and the Fair Play prizes in her native country. Alina is an IM and a very enthusiastic person in everything she does: playing, training, reading, writing, photographing. She loves travelling to the world's most remote places in order to play chess tournaments and report about them here on ChessBase! As chance would have it Alina is also an excellent photographer.

Recent news

Alina in Mexico

1/8/2020 – Life is not fair, why should I be? So asks ALINA L'AMI as she kicks off her photo report of a recent tournament in Mexico with an enviably sumptuous beach scene. Another gem: She writes, "'typical' Mexican is atypical". If you can't swing a visit to beautiful Cancún yourself, this is the next best thing! "I love how sportive and fun this nation is," she added later noting that a recent trend towards enjoying outdoor runs (see photo) was brought about by the Mexican organizer, Señor Armando. | Photos: Alina l'Ami

Chess Connects for the 5th time at the Global Chess Festival

11/2/2019 – The Global Chess Festival 2019 returned to the Hungarian National Gallery and featured all the usual events for children, including simuls and appearances by all three Polgar sisters — Judit, Sofia and Susan. Singer/songwriter Juga performed and Vladimir Kramnik gave a simul and was Judit's guest for a live question and answer session. ALINA L'AMI reports in exquisite detail from Budapest. | Photos: Alina l'Ami

Letter from Hell

9/7/2019 – Certainly you have noticed the big "H" in the headline for this post. And indeed, ALINA L'AMI is alive and well, reporting on a chess tournament in the Norwegian village "Hell", which lies about 40 km east of Trondheim. And as always, Alina managed to create magical photos, not to mention the obligatory photo with the providentially humoristic sign; “Gods Expedition” — in fact the archaic spelling for cargo handling. | Photos: Alina l'Ami

Made in Taiwan

8/24/2019 – The second edition of the CTCA International Open took place in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, where modern technology and ancient traditions meet. Not only did ALINA L'AMI manage to take some remarkable photographs for this report, but she also finished the tournament in second place. Let us get to know this unique culture through the eyes of a chess explorer.

64 squares in a kaleidoscope

7/27/2019 – “If it ain't broke, don't fix it” is a false statement in Indonesia. Improvement is always possible for the JAPFA GM & WGM round robin tournaments, traditionally held in Jakarta. The wind of change began to breeze last year in Solo City, where the chess events were relocated, and carried on whiffing towards the latest edition organized this June in Yogyakarta (or Jogja for short) where, IM ALINA L'AMI witnessed some interesting methods to get to the game on time...

Hersonissos: Stress management for the soul

6/23/2019 – An instant fix for a thalassophile (a person who loves the sea) with the sounds and shades of sunset waves. It's just impossible to get bored on the Lyttos Beach (pictured). IM ALINA L'AMI sends her photo reportage of another picturesque chess holiday destination that will have you dialing your travel agent. Don't miss her instructive annotated games and game fragments!

A Reykjavik retrospective

4/30/2019 – "A bit of sun and five degrees" — that's how IM ALINA L'AMI begins her photographic tour through the GAMMA Reykjavik Open 2019. In her characteristic way she blends beautiful photography and highlights from the chessboard to paint a picture of one of the most visually stunning tournaments in the world. | Pictured: IM Tania Sachdev who finished with 5½/9 | All photos: Alina l'Ami

Play together, stay together

11/8/2018 – Such a strong open with such a unique final result (husband and wife winning, with the main prize decided on Armageddon) deserves a second look. Radoslaw Wojtaszek and Alina Kashlinskaya won the event, but there were so many side-stories that it is hard to cover all of it in daily reports. ALINA l'AMI brings us a behind-the-scenes look into one of the most exciting tournaments of the year. Luckily, a laptop mishap only delayed but did not prevent her from filing her (semi-traditional) photo retrospective. | Photos: Alina l'Ami

A perfect chess day in Budapest

10/26/2018 – Earlier this month, Judit Polgar showcased chess for the fourth time in the Hungarian capital Budapest, presenting her Global Chess Festival with the theme "chess connects us". ALINA L'AMI was an official photographer on behalf of the festival and sent us this recollection replete with visual highlights of the day — interspersed with her typical whimsical prose — for a colourful jaunt through this annual chess celebration. | Photos: Alina l'Ami

The knights of Africa (part 2)

8/14/2018 – Photojournalist and IM ALINA l'AMI continues her reflection (see Part 1) on the Ivory Coast Rapid & Blitz Invitational, with gorgeous photos and a unique story recounting what the tournament winner, Bassem Amin, calls "the best tournament in Africa". | All photos: Alina l'Ami

The knights of Africa (part 1)

8/10/2018 – The Egyptian GM Bassem Amin won the Invitational Rapid & Blitz event held in Abidjan, July 24th to 30th. We previously reported on the results but now give it the ALINA l'AMI treatment. | Pictured: From left to right: (top row) GM Bassem Amin (EGY), GM Kenny Solomon (RSA), IM Mokliss El Adnani (MAR), IM Andrew Kayonde (ZAM), IM Fy Rakotomaharo (MAD), (bottom row) IM Arthur Ssegwanyi (UGA), GM Slim Belkhodja (TUN), IM David Silva (ANG), GM Mohamed Haddouche (ALG), IM Oladapo Adu (NGR) | All Photos: Alina l'Ami

Chess on the beach

7/11/2018 – Would you be able to sit in a dark quiet room for, say, two months, with nothing to read, nothing to do, nothing but your own thoughts? According to (I think it was) Goethe, that's the veritable test of a true man. But as a chess player, and under the influence of Stefan Zweig's "Schachnovelle", my surmise is that we could all do it! Philosophers should rebuild their furnace because the supreme test for a grandmaster — and an amateur alike — is to play (and play well!) at the Hersonissos Open. | Photos: Alina l'Ami

Indonesia's red hot chili peppers

6/23/2018 – Surakarta, also known as Solo or Sala, a city in Central Java, Indonesia, hosted two round-robin tournaments earlier this year — one for GMs and one for WGMs. Alina l'Ami was there and prepared a long article filled with anecdotes, chess games and some extra spicy dishes. | Photos: Alina l'Ami

Kathmandu, world of dreams

5/31/2018 – Photojournalist ALINA l'AMI continues the story of her journey to the Kathmandu International Open, battling sleepless nights, meeting interesting characters, and all the while trying to make a decent showing across a chess board. A vicarious trek through the urban scene in remote Nepal.

A journey to Kathmandu

5/30/2018 – Jet-setting photojournalist and International Master ALINA l'AMI has collected her thoughts and pictures from remote Kathmandu, Nepal, and as far-flung a destination for a chess tournament as you're likely to see. Timeless, strange things, and a travellers Disneyland await.

Scenes from the Jersey International

5/1/2018 – Beautiful scenery and tough competition made for a wonderful event at the 2018 Jersey International tournament. IM Alan Merry picked up his 2nd GM norm, while GM Tiger Hillarp Persson took home first. A total of 42 talented veterans and up and coming youth competed in the nine-round event. ALINA L'AMI provides visuals and impressions.

A Reykjavik retrospective

3/26/2018 – Looking back on the beauty and grandeur of Iceland's flagship event, the Reykjavik Open, with photos from International Master Alina l'Ami, annotated game highlights, and comments from the eventual winner Baskaran Adhiban.

I know what I did last weekend

3/5/2018 – Bunratty's 25th Anniversary is over, but it's still on the mind of ChessBase photographer Alina l'Ami, who sends this retrospective from her own (quite successful) visit to the Irish hamlet. Fun for all and all for fun! | Pictured: A sampling of the 362 players | Photos: Alina l'Ami
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