The Romanian chess is in mourning: one of its greatest players, IM Cristina Adela Foisor (nee Badulescu) passed away on 21st of January, at the age of 49 years.
Starting playing chess in official tournaments at 13 years, Cristina made quick progresses, winning in 1985 the bronze medal at the European Chess Championship in the Romanian resort Baile Herculane. In short time, she became a main member of the Romanian Olympic team, with 14 presences between 1988 and 2016 (13 of them at the first two boards), missing only the edition of 2008, with 7th place as best individual board result (1990) and 4th place in general standing (1994). As team performances, she won silver and bronze with Romania (1997, 2001) at the European Team Championship, as well as gold and two silvers (1998, 2000, 2001) with the club AEM Luxten Timisoara at the European Club Cup. In the continental field, it has to be mentioned the 5th place at the individual edition of 2001 and the title of European Union Champion, gained at Arvier in 2007.
At the World Women Championships, her highest performances were the qualification at the Candidate Tournament in Tilburg (1994) and the access into the quarter of finals at Moscow (2001). Sadly, the last qualification (for Tehran 2017) will no more be honoured by her presence.
Five time individual champion of Romania (from 1989 to 2013), she had many gold medals in the National Team Championships.
It is important to remember, too, her involving into chess developing and popularization, as President of the Romanian Committee for Women Chess and also grace to her blog foisorchess.wordpress.com. As trainer (alongside with her husband IM Ovidiu Foisor, National Champion in 1982), she has the accomplishment of launching, in the top chess, of their daughters WGM Sabina-Francesca (now playing for USA) and WIM Mihaela-Veronica (resident in Great Britain).
With her sudden disappearance, Cristina-Adela Foisor let a huge empty place in the National team but, also, a spiritual heritage which has to be always a landmark for the whole Romanian chess movement.
www.fide.com