WGM Raluca Sgîrcea - Author at TheChessWorld Blog
WGM Raluca Sgîrcea is a Romanian chess player and coach. She was born on 11 July 1989.
Her peak rating was 2302 in October 2014.
She won the European Youth Chess Championship in the U10 girls category in 1999. She became a Woman International Master (WIM) in 2011 and achieved one Woman Grandmaster (WGM) norm. She speaks Romanian, English and Spanish.
Chess Articles by WGM Raluca Sgîrcea
Doubled Pawns: Weakness or Strength – Part 1
It is very frequent that, after the trades made during a game, the pawn structure changes, and doubled pawns appear on the board. As a result, both pawn and pieces mobility is affected. There can be isolated doubled pawns, when none of the pawns can be protected by another pawn and doubled pawns defended by […]When a Knight is Better Than a Bishop
Not to disappoint those who prefer a Knight to a Bishop, we are now going to investigate what are the elements that make this minor piece a better weapon. As we mentioned in the previous article, there are no fixed rules to tell us when to keep a Knight and get rid of the Bishop.When a Bishop is Better Than a Knight
Continuing our series of strategical elements, we are now going to discuss those positions in which we must choose between keeping a bishop or a knight on the board. There is no established rule that can tell us that a bishop is better than a knight or vice versa. It all depends on the characteristics […]Opposite Color Bishops
Another important element of the chess strategy is the presence of opposite color bishops on the board. Inexperienced players tend to think that every position with opposite color bishops is drawish. This common stereotype very often leads them to make small positional mistakes. For example, simplifying the game to enter into an opposite color bishops […]The Bishop Pair: 5 Things to Know
In modern chess, the bishop pair has been established as a positional advantage in the majority of cases. It’s very common nowadays to hear teachers tell their students ‘keep your bishops’ or ‘capture that bishop’. In today’s chess, the importance given to this element has increased to the point that in some of the most […]Beating the Najdorf Sicilian: Common Middlegame Structures
In today’s article WGM Raluca Sgîrcea and IM Renier Castellanos conclude the detailed discussion of Sicilian Najdorf. We will focus on the most common middlegame structures that arise in the Sicilian Defense. In order to be proficient in this opening and be able to play it on a high level, you need to be familiar […]Beating the Najdorf Sicilian – The Karpov’s System: Part 2
Today WGM Raluca Sgîrcea and IM Renier Castellanos continue their discussion on beating the Najdorf Sicilian for white. Previously, we have looked at 10…Nbd7 variation. This time we are focusing on what happens if black responds with 10…b5.Beating the Najdorf Sicilian: Part 1
In today’s lesson, WGM Raluca Sgîrcea and IM Renier Castellanos will take a look at one of the most common Black’s responses after 1. e4 – 1…c4. The opening will be looked at from the white’s perspective, featuring the most common and successful plans in defeating the Najdorf without playing sharp variations and risking losing […]King’s Indian Defense: Fighting the Fianchetto Variation
In today’s article, WGM Raluca Sgîrcea and IM Renier Castellanos will teach you the fundamentals of the King’s Indian Defense, one of the most popular opening systems played against 1.d4 on virtually all levels from novice players to Super Grandmasters. We will primarily focus on one of the most solid lines that white has: the […]
