Moldovan Chess Players Conquer the World

It has been ten years since FIDE Presidential Council announced the official establishment of the Chess Federation of Moldova and admitted it into the International Federation in 1992. Fyodor Scripcenco, the Executive Secretary of the Federation and an honored chess coach of Moldova shared some of the successes of Moldovan players with Welcome.

Welcome: The Chess Federation of Moldova is ten years old. If you look back, what were some of the difficulties you faced at the beginning?

Answer: As you can recall 1992 was a period of economic reform for Moldova, old principles were destroyed and new ones not yet acquired. The economy was totally shattered and there was nobody to think about us. I remember when in February 1992 we received a letter from FIDE, which stated that since the USSR did not exist anymore neither did its Chess Federation. Moldova had to resolve the issue of joining the International Federation on its own. I completed all paperwork and sent it to FIDE that wrote back with a positive answer and concluded that Moldova was a full member.

From then on Moldova officially obtained the right to participate in International Competitions. The 30th World Chess Championship was taking place in Manila then.

With the downturn of its economy Moldova lacked necessary funds, which constituted about two million rubles to send its players to the Olympics. The Ministry of Sports simply denied all requests for financial support and we turned to the business world. However our attempts there were also in vain. Moscow Fifth Wheel Company president finally agreed to sponsor our team, which included Viorel Bologan, Victor Popa, Naira Agababian, Elmira Scripcenco, and myself. $12 thousand granted to us assisted in obtaining good results at the Olympics. Our men's team ranked 35th out of 102 participants and the women's team ranked 15-17th out of 74 teams overall.

Where did Moldova earn its first-ever international gold medal?

Practically a week within the Olympics our team traveled to Germany to participate in a Junior World Championship. Elmira Scripcenco was victorious in a match against Germany.

Who was the first to extend their financial help among Moldovan businesses? How did you manage the 1995 Women's Regional Championship?

Many Moldovan entrepreneurs are chess amateurs but not all of them are prepared to give away money for sport. In 1995, Interautoservice accepted my request for sponsorship assistance. With their help we were able to organize the championship and invite some of the best Chess Masters from Belarus, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova. Some fantastic wins brought Moldova the honor to host the Regional Championship in 1995. 64 Chess Masters from 53 different countries took part in it. Thanks to this event Moldova became known around the globe as a country that plays chess.

Do you think world champion Anatolii Karpov's stay in Chisinau was a sign of recognition of Moldova's success in chess?

In cooperation with the Primaria Chisinau hosted the 68th International FIDE Congress. Delegations from over 100 different countries arrived in Moldova. Anatolii Karpov presided over the congress. FIDE president Kirsan Ilyumjinov announced that Moldova was the initiator of organizing special chess classes in schools. Karpov made an attempt to predict future success for Moldovan chess players and pointed out their hard work and training.

Approximately at the same time Chisinau mayor Serafim Urecheanu was elected president of the Moldovan Chess Federation.

He was elected unanimously at the Republican conference of chess players and always assists in resolving some of the problems we encounter.

Who else in your opinion contributed to the success of Moldovan chess players?

I believe that our success on the world arena is due to cooperation among different social structures that relate to chess: the Department of Education, Science, Youth and Sport managed by Anatol Mocrac consistently supports chess classes in schools, school No. 7 that trains chess players for the Olympics, etc.

One of the honored guests at the 10th anniversary was the president of Moldova Vladimir Voronin. Do you consider his presence a tribute to the Federation?

For the first time in the history of the Moldovan chess club the president, who is a big fan of the sport, attended it. In his speech he said he was proud of Moldovan chess players and their success, which upgrades the country's world image. The president awarded some of the best players with gifts, medals and diplomas.

We would like to wish you the best of luck and a victorious future.