Alina in Iasi: more chess and more players

International Chess Festival Iași Open

By Alina l'Ami

The first edition of the Iasi Open was held from May 10–18, 2014, in the Sports Hall of Iasi. The Open A, played at a rate of 90 min for 40 moves + 30 min for the rest with 30 sec increment for each move, is for all players and lasts nine rounds. The total prize fund is 25,000 Euros, guaranteed no metter the number of players and their distribution. WGM Alina l'Ami published three reports on the event:

• International Chess Festival Iasi Open
  5/14/2014 – It truly amazes: a €25,000 Open with 150 players (22 GMs, 25 IMs), playing in the Romanian town of Ia?i. It is pronounced YAsh and is arguably the most beautiful, friendly and hospitable places in the region. This is described by our reporter WGM Alina l'Ami, who hails from Iasi and implores us in a very passionate first pictorial report: Come to Romania!

• Bachmann leads with 6.5/7 in Iasi
  5/17/2014 – Axel Bachmann Schiavo, 24, is a South American GM (of German-Italian extraction) who who studied in Texas and was named Sports Person of the year in Paraguay in 2007. At the Iai Open Axel started with a clean 6.0/6 points, until he was stopped by a draw against – a Hollywood superstar?! The second report from Romania by WGM Alina l'Ami is full of great portraits of the participants.

• Iasi – a Romanian chess city
  5/22/2014 – Iasi (pronounced YAsh) is one of the largest cities in Romania, candidates for the very much sought after title of the European Capital of Culture. The first edition of the Iasi Open was held there, from May 10 to 18. But before she really digs into the chess, our reporter WGM Alina l'Ami, who hails from the city, tells us what it is like to live in a place that is in the process of being reborn.

In her final report Alina brings us more chess and pictures of players who are not so well known.

Besides tactical blows and sharp discussions, there were beautiful technical games too – the play of Igor Lysyj (above), who finished second, would fit the profile perfectly.

Igor was supported by the Russian IM, Irina Vasilevich

And yet the winners of the International Chess Festival Iasi Open were not the only ones to have produced chess jewels, we have our prodigy: Bogdan-Daniel Deac, whose game against the Greek GM Stelios Halkias is quite enjoyable to watch.

The game played by Igor Kovalenko and Emre Can is just as beautiful; I enjoyed (surely the Turkish GM didn't) the way the Latvian GM squeezed the life out of his opponent. Igor, who finished 7.5/9, was closely supported by Russian IM Irina Vasilevich.

The Moldavian GMs, Dmitri Svetushkin and Viorel Iordachescu, showed once again their powerful attacking chess but this time it was not to be...

You can take a look at the games Jianu-Svetushkin and Iordachescu-Miedema, both played in round five, to get an impression of their strength and, why not, to learn how to conduct a deadly attack.

And there are also the always interesting games played by the ladies… But women are mysterious beings and I invite you to uncover their chess secrets by yourself! It will surely be rewarding!

The final crucial round

In tenth place: Estonian GM Kaido Kulaots, 2571, 6.5/9 points

15th: Romanian GM and prolific trainer Vlad-Cristian Jianu, 2579, with 6.5/9 points

24th overall, first in the women's standings: IM Peptan Corina-Isabela, 2438, 6.0/9

IM Ekaterina Atalik, Turkey, 2435, finished on 6.0/9 and took
second place in the women standings

Remember her? WCM Georgiana-Steluta Morea, 1898, chess player and model

Indian FM Aravindh Chithambaram actually doesn't need any further IM norms –
he has them all. The 14-year-old lad is hunting for the GM title now.

Our talented junior David Gavrilescu

Is that allowed? A young player using a ballpoint pen to help concentration.

This is how juniors let the arbiters know they have finished the game

Special guest: FIDE Vice President Georgios Makropoulos, who is married to our compatriot, Marina Makropoulos, a very strong chess player and mother of two "half-Romanians", as the Vice President mentioned during his closing ceremony speech.

An exhibition blitz game between the tournament winner and our number one: Bachmann vs Lupulescu

The game was won by the GM from Paraguay, GM Axel Bachmann ...

... who receives the trophy and prize check from the President of our Romanian Chess Federation,
Sorin Iacoban, who is also member of the Romanian Parliament, and Georgios Makropoulos

The youngest participant, Andrei Ungureanu, son of one of the organizers

Margareta Perevoznic was also invited to hand out a couple of prizes. She is very well known in the Romanian chess scene, as many generations of good chess players, including yours truly, came out of her skillful training hands. I still remember the hard times she gave me, forcing me to hike all the mountains before my chess games. "Mens sana in corpore sano" was her main motto.

At the end of the tournament the sun did come out and is enjoyed by the citizens of Iasi...

... and even by the Dutch players Robert Ris and Erwin l'Ami

The l'Amis – Erwin from The Netherlands and Alina from Iasi

You have accompanied me all the way through my Romanian chess journey, but it is not entirely over yet. Next weekend there will be the Romanian rapid cup, so please do stay tuned!

Links Official tournament site All available games in PGN You can use ChessBase 12 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs to replay the games in PGN. You can also download our free Playchess client, which will in addition give you immediate access to the chess server Playchess.com.