"gens una sumus" but nevertheless we all are different at least for the age. I am borned in Bucharest,Romania where I spent most of my life. Now I am working for a couple of years in Abu Dhabi,UAE. I play chess from childhood when my father teached me the rules. I was playing with my friends on cartoon chess and figures made by jetons. It was looking very much like what we see today on computer monitor.When have been the great match between Fischer and Spasky we all the boys made a tournament in the same way like world championship. I played the final (the best from 24)with one boy two years older and I lost it 8-13. I was very disapointed. After a couple of years one colegue from high school took me to a chess club. Since then I began to study chess and the improvement was visibil. Anyhow what I gain is not first of all my better playing but my passion for chess. I played in many tournaments but I can't say I have ever been a profesionist. When I started my job as economist I have had less and less time for competitions. I started playing by corespondence and who ever played knows what dificult was to arange for every match and every move again the positions. It is a huge difference with what we can enjoy today with computers on internet. And so, here I am the same chess lover playing with other chess lovers only for fun.