Person of day   -  20 APRIL 2023

VIOREL IORDACHESCU

VIOREL IORDACHESCU

Viorel Iordachescu was born on 20thApril 1977 in Kishinev. He is a pupil of the celebrated coach Vyacheslav Chebanenko and he represented the Moldovan chess school in junior competitions, as well as making it to Soviet finals and playing for Moldova at European and world championships. Viorel graduated from Kishinev university with a specialisation in journalism and communication. 

From 1994, Iordachescu has represented his country in Olympiads and European championships. Interestingly enough, the young chess player did not apply for the title of international master after his first serious successes- in the 1990s, he merely counted as a candidate for master with a rating over 2500. Victories in Dresden in 1996, Bucharest in 1996 and 1998 and Calimanești in 1999 brought Viorel the title of grandmaster. He won the Romanian championship with RAT team and the Moldovan championship with ULIM. 

In 2000, Iordachescu came second in the zonal championship that was attended by the strongest chess players from Moldova, Belarus and Azerbaijan, thus qualifying for the FIDE knockout world championship. The tournament in Minsk was also attended by Vugar Gashimov, who would later have a working relationship with Iordachescu that would go on for many years. The contest for the right to play in Delhi saw Viorel win against Michele Godena and lose to Sergei Movsesian in the tie-break. One of the leaders of Moldovan chess often played in FIDE knockout tournaments and World Cups; the pinnacle of his achievement is the third round.   

Viorel Iordachescu triumphed in Vlissingen in 2005, came second in the Moscow Open in 2009, won the Bavarian championship in that same year, split 1stplace at the Dubai Open in 2010 and came first in the Nakhchivan Open in 2012. He won the Moldovan championship several times, the most recent victory happening in 2016.  

With Viorel Iordachescu in its ranks, the Moldovan team achieved its highest result at the 2006 Olympiad in Turin. 

“I will give Turkey as an example because I worked there as a coach. There, a talented young chess player is taken by the national federation under its wing; it pays him a stipend, financing participation in three international tournaments per year. We had something similar. When our team came 18that the 2006 Olympiad in Turin, our Ministry of Youth and Sport gave a similar stipend to our players, paying them 2000 leus per month. But all this ended after a change of government, although the ministry still finances the national champion at European championship. Thiscomestoasumofabout1500-2000 euros.” (V. Iordachescu)

While working with Vugar Gashimov- one of the world’s strongest chess players- his trainer made significant progress. Iordachescu’s rating soon surpassed 2650. Alas, a serious illness took the Moldovan grandmaster’s colleague in 2014. Iordachescu also helped Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu and Denis and Axel Rombaldoni. 

Viorel Iordachescu has been a FIDE Senior Trainer since 2015. The celebrated grandmaster works actively to promote chess in Moldova. As the chairman of his country’s National Chess Academy, he oversees the “Chess Unites” project. Iordachescu speaks several European languages and often commentates at super tournaments.