Hungarian-born chess grandmaster Richard Rapport, who switched to the Romanian Chess Federation in September last year, declared on Friday at the opening of the 2023 Superbet Chess Classic Romania tournament that he is excited to compete for Romania.
"I am excited to represent Romania, unfortunately I don't spend as much time in Bucharest as I would like because I travel a lot. My life as a chess player involves a lot of travel. But it was really a big change for me to move here and I can only thank everyone because I feel at home here. People are friendly, I was well received, it's a change for the better for me," said the world's No. 13 grandmaster.
Rapport is hopeful that the Romanian Chess Federation will succeed in introducing chess into the school curriculum: "Chess is becoming increasingly popular, and this is evident in Romania too. Many people are taking interest in this sport. And I hope that the Romanian Federation succeeds to introduce chess in schools so that many children get the chance to practice it."
Rapport said that he hasn't set himself any goals at the 2023 Superbet Chess Classic taking place in Bucharest.
"Whenever you make plans, you end up with surprises. I don't want that, therefore I didn't make any plans for my performance at Superbet Chess Classic Romania. I don't fear anything, I too was in the top 10, I played against everyone. It's a competition and anything can happen. Of course I have goals, I want to be a world champion at some point, but my dream in life is to be a better person," he explained.
27-year-old Richard Rapport was born in Szombathely, Hungary. He earned his grandmaster title at the age of 13 years, 11 months and 6 days, a record in his native country. In 2013 he won the European Rapid Chess Championship, and in 2017 he defeated former world champion Magnus Carlsen at the Tata Steel Tournament. At the end of March 2022, Rapport secured the top position at the FIDE Grand Prix in Belgrade, and two months later he came in 5th in the world ranking. He represents Romania since September 2022.
Richard Rapport and Bogdan Deac are Romania's representatives at the 2023 Superbet Chess Classic Romania, a tournament that takes place in Bucharest between May 6 and 15. AGERPRES
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