GG Ionescu

Alexandru Ionescu is finishing a chemistry doctorate in Cluj on catalytic reactions, work that rewards patience and punishes shortcuts. His lab group put a board in front of him eight months ago. He did the reading first. His cube decisions are already better than half the club's, because a threshold is a thing that can be looked up and memorised, and he memorised it. His checker play is another matter entirely and he knows exactly how far behind it is, because it is written down. He keeps a notebook. He does not talk while he plays. Every decision also takes him about the same length of time, the easy ones included, and that is deliberate: a pause that varies tells the other man which positions are hard.