CHESS IN MOLDOVA

Chess has always been very popular in Moldova, numerous national and Soviet Union tournaments having been organized here. For example, tournaments of the Armed Forces, of amateurs, held under the aegis of trade unions, as well as the so-called contest "White Rook", for women, juniors and school students, "The Moldovan Autumn", the international tournaments "Moldova's Summer".

The first champions of the republic were Vasily Veter (1944) and Decabrina Kazatzker (1949). Three decades ago, the Moldovan chess players hardly dreamed of entering the first division of the championship of the former USSR. The Republican Chess Federation made efforts in different directions. New chess clubs were opened: the city club in Chisinau, the Republican Club in Balti and Tiraspol. Meanwhile, the best players, inclu­ding members of the Federation presidium, trained primary school students. The compulsory primary training in chess was introduced in schools. In this way the nec­essary number of chess players was insured and the premises for a further development and assertion of the Moldovan chess school were created. In the 90s, as a result of the proclamation of the country's independence, Moldova got access to the world of international chess. In Chisinau they organized the first women's grandmaster tournament (19 94), the zone and inter-zone tournament of the world women's chess championship (1995). In 1997 they organized the tournament for the Cup of future Grandmaster, which has become traditional. In the same year Chisinau hosted FIDE's 68th Congress, this being another sign of appreciation of the efforts made by the national Chess Federation and the success of the Moldovan players on the international arena.

MOLDOVA'S PLAYERS ON THE WORLD ARENA

Viorel Bologan is the first chess player of the indepen­dent Moldova, who, in 1991, at the age of 20, became an international master and thus strongly trumpeted about the Moldovan chess school. Soon, 16-year-old little star, Almira Skipchenko, participating, in July 1992, in the Women's Junior World Championship in Duisburg, Germany, won the title and brought the gold to Moldova. A month later, in August 1992, in Warsaw, at the Junior under 16 european Champion­ship, Anja Susterman from Balti won the silver medal. In June 1993, at the World Championship in Bratislava, Slovakia (junior under 18), Almira Skripchenko won the bronze medal, followed, the next year, by the fourth place at the world championship in Kuritiba, Brasil (junior under 20).

At the international women's tournament from March 1995, in Chisinau, Almira won the first place and the right to join the inter-zone tournament. In 1995, in France, Cristina Moshin won the gold medal at the European Championship (juniors under 14). In 1996, at the European Championship in Spain (juniors under 14) she won the gold medal again and the Euro­pean title. Two years later, at the World Championship in Italy (juniors under 16), Cristina won the silver medal. In 2000, at the European team in Hungary (juniors under 18), Cristina Moshin and Elena Partac won the bronze medals, and Cristina Moshin, at the first table, won the first place.

In December 2000, Almira Skripchenko made her debut in the finals of the World Women's Championship in Delhi, India, and passing through three selection cycles and defeating Alisa Galliamova in the quarter finals, she got the 6th place. She repeated the same success a year later in Moscow's World Championship.

In May 2001, in Warsaw, at the European Women's Championship, Almira Skripchenko won the golden medal and the supreme title, bringing the champion crown to Chisinau.

In November 2001, in Leon, Spain, at the European Team Championship, Almira Skripchenko and Svetlana Petrenko won the silver medal. In 2003, Viorel Bologan adds a new victory to his arsenal, winning at the prestigious international tournaments Aeroflot Open and Dortmund, over passing Vladimir Kramnik, Vishwanathan Anand and Peter Leko. In January, in Holland, in Veik an Zee, Viorel shared the places 4-5, again over passing Vladimir Kramnik. Recently, in FIDE Ranking, Viorel Bologan gained 2700 Elo points and in this way he is on the 18th place in the world hierarchy. On the chess arena, world grandmasters such as Viorel Iordachescu and Dmitry Svetushkin, winners of many international tournaments, have shown their talents.

At the 2003 European Championship (juniors under 10) in Budva, Montenegro, the young champions from Moldova, Irina Bulmaga and Maria Butuc got the 5th and respectively 7th places. At the 2003 World Championship in Greece, Irina and Maria shared places 10-18. The 2004 European Junior Championship in Turkey gave Maria Butuc the bronze medal in the under 12 category, as well as the 6th place for Diana Baciu (under 10) and Lilia Doibani (under 18).