The Romanian Championship 2022 took place in Eforie Nord from February 20–27. The event included Open, Women’s and Amateur championships with a total prize fund of 100,000 lei (approximately $26,700). All three competitions were 9-round Swiss tournaments with classical time control.

The Open Championship that brought together all top Romania players, except for the 2021 champion Bogdan-Daniel Deac, was a very close affair, with the rating favourites vying for the top position to the very end. GM Mircea Pârligras (pictured below) stringed together four victories in the middle of tournament distance and finished with three draws against his main rivals, which was enough to climb to the top with an impressive result 7/9. Mircea took his third national title - he previously won this event in 2001 and 2016.

Four players tied for second place, scoring 6½/9. The Buchholz favoured a five-time national champion, Constantin Lupulescu and Tiberiu-Marian Georgescu, who claimed silver and bronze, respectively.

Final standings:

In the Women’s Championship, the defending champion Alessia-Mihaela Ciolacu (pictured below) started off with five wins in a row, grabbed the lead and never looked back. Coming into the final round a full point ahead of her closest competitors, she pushed hard against Andreea-Bianca Panainte and reached a won position but let the victory slip away in the endgame. Still, she netted impressive 7½ points out of 9 and won her second straight national title.

The ninth-rated Miruna-Daria Lehaci surprised many by scoring 7/9 and claiming silver. Mihaela Sandu finished on 6.5/9 and took bronze.

Final standings:

Stefan Romulus (pictured above) and young Mihai Venetenu shared first place in the Amateurs section, with the former claiming the title thanks to better tiebreaks.

Official website: frsah.ro/

Photo: Romanian Chess Federation Facebook page