Interview with Irina Bulmaga

The star of Romanian chess, the silver medalist of Europe, and just recently the Team Champion of Montenegro – Irina Bulmaga is much more than a chess player. Known for her resilience, strategic brilliance, and dedication to the game, Irina Bulmaga is active both on the board and in social life – a true asset for the game of chess.

Chessdom had the honor to speak to her right after her team victory in the Montenegro Women Chess League

Congratulations Iriana on winning the Montenegro Chess Championship 2025! You have helped the Herceg Novi Outpost Team finally reach a gold medal, after winning silver and bronze in previous editions.

Thank you! It’s been a nice experience. The team captain Lena Govedarica is very professional and has created a good atmosphere. I knew well my teammates and everyone did their best. I am happy to have been part of it.

It is a very successful spring for you. You have played multiple European Women’s Individual Chess Championships in classical chess (2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011-2014, 2016-2019, 2021-2025) and finally you bagged a medal – silver in Rhodes! Tell us more about the emotions there and what it is to step on the podium of the most important European competition?

It’s been a good spring indeed. Actually, there were not too many emotions, neither during the event, nor after. I think it might have been one of the reasons why the medal came this time and not before. I was very calm and took it just game by game. It feels good to have won this medal, but nothing has changed. I don’t think of myself differently than before and all I am happy about is the fact that I have rediscovered the joy of playing.

You have added 15 ELO in March playing the Memorial of Krystyna Holuj-Radzikowska 2025 and Ober Liga, 16 in April with the 25th European Women’s Chess Championship 2025 and the German Women Bundesliga, now more is on the way. What are your personal targets?

While rating is indeed important for invitations and other such things, I have stopped paying too much attention to it. My main goal is to enjoy the process of training and playing and not to put too much pressure on myself. There is the World Cup coming in July and hopefully the Grand Swiss in the autumn. I wish to approach these tournaments in good mood and enjoy the chess I play there.

What are your next tournaments in your personal calendar?

I will play for my team in the French women’s league in a few days and then I will take a break from playing. There will be other chess related events I will attend in Bucharest and Iasi, as well as training camps. I would like to play some classical event in June, but for now, I have nothing planned until the World Cup in July.

Is it difficult to find tournament for a female player gravitating around top 50 in the world?

Finding tournaments is easy, more challenging is making a living out of them. If you’re not in the Women’s Grand Prix series, where perhaps top 20 women get, striking a balance between strong tournaments one should play in order to improve their level and the lesser events one plays for financial reasons is a challenge.

You are the outstanding leader among Romanian women chess players, having 150+ elo more than the second player. How do you see chess developing in the country?

I think we are moving in the right direction. Juniors are getting better support from the Romanian Federation and it already shows in their results. We have a lot of good, talented kids and with the right support, I am sure great results could be achieved. Explaining the big gap in rating is not so difficult. I am the only woman who is a professional in Romania and unfortunately, this is not a profession which one could call stable or attractive for a young woman. I can see why most of parents would encourage their daughters to follow another paths. I can only hope that this would eventually change.