Cluj-Napoca Chess Weekend - 2nd ed.
30 players participated in this 7-round tournament, held from 05 Feb 2026 to 08 Feb 2026 in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Top 10 Elo average was 1901, and top seed was Mihai Veneteanu (🇷🇴 ROU, 2109).
Mihai Veneteanu (🇷🇴 ROU, 2109) won with 6.5/7, ahead of Dan-Sebastian Horvat (5.0) and Janos Helmer (5.0). Veneteanu won solo starting round 4.
The biggest upset came in round 1: Vlad-Codrin Luca (1572) beat Alexandru-Sabin Ripan (1825), a +253-point gap.
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How it unfolded
Top 6 · 7 roundsMihai Veneteanu led from R4; +1.5-point edge over the runner-up.
Mihai Veneteanu never relinquished the lead after R4; final gap +1.5 over the runner-up.
Mihai Veneteanu drew with Janos Helmer (Black).
Mihai Veneteanu 4 wins (R1–R4)Janos Helmer 3 wins (R2–R4)
Key matchups · top 4
Head-to-head between the four finishers| Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Mihai Veneteanu | * | ½ | 1 | — |
| 2Janos Helmer | ½ | * | — | — |
| 3Dan-Sebastian Horvat | 0 | — | * | — |
| 4Alexandru-Sabin Ripan | — | — | — | * |
Grille américaine
| # | Player | Elo | Fed | R1 | R2 | R3 | R4 | R5 | R6 | R7 | Pts | Bu C1 | Bu | SB | Perf | Δ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Veneteanu, Mihai | 2109 | ROU | +10N | +14B | +2N | +9B | =3N | +4B | +7B | 6.5 | 25.5 | 28.5 | 26.00 | 2311 | +23.4 |
| 2 | Horvat, Dan-Sebastian | 2019 | ROU | +8B | +6N | −1B | +16N | =11B | +9N | =14B | 5.0 | 25.0 | 28.0 | 18.25 | 1961 | -5.4 |
| 3 | Helmer, Janos | 2019 | ROU | =15N | +11B | +24N | +4B | =1B | −7N | +17N | 5.0 | 24.5 | 26.5 | 17.75 | 1989 | -1.4 |
| 4 | Milasan, George | 1855 | ROU | =12B | +29N | +5B | −3N | +24B | −1N | +16B | 4.5 | 24.5 | 24.5 | 11.25 | 1898 | +19.2 |
| 5 | Ripan, Alexandru-Sabin | 1825 | ROU | −19N | +22B | −4N | =20N | +18B | +10B | +13N | 4.5 | 19.5 | 22.0 | 13.75 | 1724 | -14.4 |
| 6 | Tat, Alin-Sebastian | 1683 | ROU | +30B | −2B | =19N | =12N | +26B | =8N | +9B | 4.5 | 19.5 | 19.5 | 9.50 | 1765 | +12.4 |
| 7 | Bobocea, Laurentiu-Vlad | 1936 | ROU | +20B | F | =16N | +15B | =9N | +3B | −1N | 4.0 | 23.5 | 23.5 | 13.75 | 1961 | +6.2 |
| 8 | Hale, Eduard | 1660 | ROU | −2N | F | +25B | +21B | =17N | =6B | +15N | 4.0 | 20.0 | 20.0 | 11.25 | 1857 | +60.0 |
| 9 | Illes, Sandor-Ferenc | 1912 | ROU | +13N | +19B | +21N | −1N | =7B | −2B | −6N | 3.5 | 26.0 | 28.5 | 10.50 | 1812 | -16.0 |
| 10 | Paraschiv, Andrei-Cristian | 1674 | ROU | −1B | +23N | =12B | −11N | +22B | −5N | +19B | 3.5 | 23.0 | 25.5 | 9.25 | 1684 | -0.6 |
| 11 | Vlasin, Radu-Cristian | 1797 | ROU | F | −3N | +20B | +10B | =2N | −17B | +21N | 3.5 | 21.5 | 21.5 | 11.00 | 1870 | +24.0 |
| 12 | Valean, Sofia-Ayana | 1573 | ROU | =4N | =15B | =10N | =6B | =19N | =21B | =20N | 3.5 | 20.5 | 23.0 | 11.50 | 1696 | +45.2 |
| 13 | Tamas, Alexandru-Marius | 1578 | ROU | −9B | +28N | +26B | =17B | −14N | +24N | −5B | 3.5 | 17.0 | 17.0 | 4.50 | 1686 | +15.2 |
| 14 | Ciciovean, Paul-Nicolae | 1772 | ROU | +18B | −1N | F | F | +13B | =16N | =2N | 3.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 10.50 | 1863 | +22.0 |
| 15 | Bran, Horatiu | 1657 | ROU | =3B | =12N | +27B | −7N | −16B | +26N | −8B | 3.0 | 20.5 | 21.5 | 6.25 | 1632 | -7.6 |
| 16 | Guo, Aris-Dian | 1683 | ROU | +28N | F | =7B | −2B | +15N | =14B | −4N | 3.0 | 19.5 | 19.5 | 6.50 | 1776 | +19.6 |
| 17 | Frent, Andrei-Stefan | 1766 | ROU | +23B | F | F | =13N | =8B | +11N | −3B | 3.0 | 18.5 | 18.5 | 9.75 | 1774 | +4.4 |
| 18 | Dumitrache, Andrei-Augustin | 1569 | ROU | −14N | F | F | +25B | −5N | +22N | +24B | 3.0 | 14.0 | 14.0 | 6.50 | 1719 | +38.8 |
| 19 | Luca, Vlad-Codrin | 1572 | ROU | +5B | −9N | =6B | −24N | =12B | =27N | −10N | 2.5 | 21.5 | 22.5 | 9.00 | 1581 | -10.8 |
| 20 | Stangu, Sofia-Maria | 1606 | ROU | −7N | F | −11N | =5B | +25N | =23B | =12B | 2.5 | 20.0 | 20.0 | 7.25 | 1624 | -6.0 |
| 21 | Cretiu-Codreanu, Tudor | 1769 | ROU | +25N | F | −9B | −8N | +27B | =12N | −11B | 2.5 | 17.5 | 17.5 | 4.75 | 1585 | -28.0 |
| 22 | Pacurar, Iulian | 1416 | ROU | −24B | −5N | +23B | =27N | −10N | −18B | +28B | 2.5 | 16.5 | 16.5 | 3.00 | 1415 | -15.2 |
| 23 | Sandea, Dorin-Gheorghe | 1473 | ROU | −17N | −10B | −22N | F | +28B | =20N | +26B | 2.5 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 2.25 | 1453 | -3.0 |
| 24 | Drob, Emil | 1693 | ROU | +22N | F | −3B | +19B | −4N | −13B | −18N | 2.0 | 21.0 | 21.0 | 5.00 | 1552 | -23.8 |
| 25 | Lucaciu, Alexandru | 1487 | ROU | −21B | F | −8N | −18N | −20B | +28N | +27B | 2.0 | 13.0 | 13.0 | 1.00 | 1370 | -30.8 |
| 26 | Hale, Stefania | 1488 | ROU | F | F | −13N | +28B | −6N | −15B | −23N | 1.0 | 13.5 | 13.5 | 0.00 | 794 | -57.6 |
| 27 | Gligor, Ana Maria | 1519 | ROU | F | F | −15N | =22B | −21N | =19B | −25N | 1.0 | 12.5 | 12.5 | 2.50 | 1355 | -16.4 |
| 28 | FIDE 42262216 | 0 | — | −16B | −13B | F | −26N | −23N | −25B | −22N | 0.0 | 14.5 | 14.5 | 0.00 | 725 | 0.0 |
| 29 | Salagean, Viorel | 1669 | ROU | F | −4B | F | F | F | F | F | 0.0 | 10.5 | 10.5 | 0.00 | 1055 | -5.2 |
| 30 | FIDE 42227984 | 0 | — | −6N | F | F | F | F | F | F | 0.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 0.00 | 884 | 0.0 |
Key insights
Biggest movers and upsets — the story behind the numbers.
- 1Hale, EduardROU+60.04.0 pts · #6
- 2Valean, Sofia-AyanaROU+45.23.5 pts · #8
- 3Dumitrache, Andrei-AugustinROU+38.83.0 pts · #14
- 1Hale, StefaniaROU-57.61.0 pts · #30
- 2Lucaciu, AlexandruROU-30.82.0 pts · #26
- 3Cretiu-Codreanu, TudorROU-28.02.5 pts · #17
- R1+253 Elo gap
- R7+229 Elo gap
- R7+124 Elo gap