The Romanian chess is in mourning: one of its greatest players, IM Cristina Adela Foisor (nee Badulescu) passed away on 21st January, at the age of 49 years.
Started playing chess in official tournaments at the age of 13, Cristina made quick progresses, winning the bronze medal at the European Chess Championship in 1985, in the Romanian resort Baile Herculane.
In short time, she became the 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 is worth of mentioning 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 playing in the quarter finals in Moscow (2001). Sadly, the last qualification (for Tehran 2017) will no more be honored by her presence.
She was five time Individual Champion of Romania (from 1989 to 2013), and had many gold medals within the National Team Championships.
It is important to remember 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 managed to launch in the top chess, her two daughters WGM Sabina-Francesca (now playing for USA) and WIM Mihaela-Veronica (resident in Great Britain).
With her sudden disappearance, Cristina-Adela Foisor left a huge empty place in the National team, but also, a spiritual heritage which has to always be a landmark for the whole Romanian chess movement.