National Champions
Romanian Chess Champions
A list of Romanian Chess Championship winners, covering the open national title from the early events to the latest completed championship.
Last reviewed: July 15, 2026.
Current Champion
Bogdan-Daniel Deac
Current champion after winning the 2026 Romanian Championship in Timișoara with 7.5/9.
Most Listed Wins
Florin Gheorghiu, 9
First Championship
Early championships from 1926; annual series established in 1946
Listed Champions
45
92 listed title wins across 92 chronological entries.
Championship History
Romania's first listed championship was held in Sibiu in 1926 and won by Alexandru Tyroler. After an irregular prewar period, the championship became an annual event in 1946.
Florin Gheorghiu holds the record with nine titles, followed by Victor Ciocâltea with eight. The modern roll includes Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu, Constantin Lupulescu, and Mircea Pârligras.
The 2026 championship was a nine-round Swiss in Timișoara. Bogdan-Daniel Deac scored 7.5/9 to secure his second national title after his first win in 2021.
Romania Champion List
Champions are shown chronologically from oldest to newest. Shared titles and tied first places are represented by the same year appearing for more than one player.
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 1926 | Alexandru Tyroler |
| 1927 | Alexandru Tyroler |
| 1929 | Alexandru Tyroler |
| 1930 | János Balogh |
| 1931 | Stefan Erdélyi |
| 1932 | Boris Kostić |
| 1933-4 | Stefan Erdélyi |
| 1935 | Heinrich Silbermann |
| 1936 | Ivan Halic |
| 1943 | Petre-Vlad Seimeanu |
| 1946 | Octav Troianescu |
| 1947 | Traian Ichim |
| 1948 | Toma Popa |
| 1949 | Stefan Erdélyi |
| 1950 | Ion Bălănel |
| 1951 | Tudorel Flondor |
| 1951 | Gheorghe-Gică Alexandrescu |
| 1952 | Victor Ciocâltea |
| 1953 | Ion Bălănel |
| 1954 | Octav Troianescu |
| 1955 | Ion Bălănel |
| 1956 | Octav Troianescu |
| 1957 | Octav Troianescu |
| 1958 | Ion Bălănel |
| 1959 | Victor Ciocâltea |
| 1960 | Florin Gheorghiu |
| 1961 | Victor Ciocâltea |
| 1962 | Florin Gheorghiu |
| 1963 | Theodor Ghițescu |
| 1964 | Florin Gheorghiu |
| 1965 | Florin Gheorghiu |
| 1966 | Florin Gheorghiu |
| 1967 | Florin Gheorghiu |
| 1968 | Octav Troianescu |
| 1969 | Victor Ciocâltea |
| 1970 | Victor Ciocâltea |
| 1971 | Victor Ciocâltea |
| 1972 | Carol Partoș |
| 1973 | Florin Gheorghiu |
| 1974 | Aurel Urzică |
| 1975 | Victor Ciocâltea |
| 1976 | Mihail-Viorel Ghindă |
| 1977 | Florin Gheorghiu |
| 1978 | Mihail-Viorel Ghindă |
| 1979 | Victor Ciocâltea |
| 1980 | Mihai Șubă |
| 1981 | Mihai Șubă |
| 1982 | Ovidiu-Doru Foișor |
| 1983 | Mihail-Viorel Ghindă |
| 1985 | Mihai Șubă |
| 1985 | Sergiu-Henric Grünberg |
| 1986 | Adrian Negulescu |
| 1987 | Florin Gheorghiu |
| 1988 | Mihail Marin |
| 1989 | Mihail-Viorel Ghindă |
| 1990 | Ioan Biriescu |
| 1991 | Dragoș-Nicolae Dumitrache |
| 1992 | Andrei Istrățescu |
| 1993 | Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu |
| 1994 | Mihail Marin |
| 1995 | Romeo Sorin Milu |
| 1996 | Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu |
| 1997 | Bela Badea |
| 1998 | Bela Badea |
| 1999 | Mihail Marin |
| 1999 | Constantin Ionescu |
| 2000 | Iulian Sofronie |
| 2001 | Mircea Pârligras |
| 2002 | Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu |
| 2003 | Mihai-Lucian Grünberg |
| 2004 | Alin Berescu |
| 2005 | Alin Berescu |
| 2006 | Vlad-Cristian Jianu |
| 2007 | Constantin Lupulescu |
| 2008 | Vladislav Nevednichy |
| 2009 | Eduard-Andrei Valeanu |
| 2010 | Constantin Lupulescu |
| 2011 | Constantin Lupulescu |
| 2012 | Vladislav Nevednichy |
| 2013 | Constantin Lupulescu |
| 2014 | Vlad-Victor Bârnaure |
| 2015 | Constantin Lupulescu |
| 2016 | Mircea Pârligras |
| 2017 | Andrei Istrățescu |
| 2018 | Tiberiu Georgescu |
| 2019 | Lucian-Costin Miron |
| 2021 | Bogdan-Daniel Deac |
| 2022 | Mircea Pârligras |
| 2023 | Kirill Shevchenko |
| 2024 | Mircea Pârligras |
| 2025 | David Gavrilescu |
| 2026 | Bogdan-Daniel Deac |
Sources
Current-champion details were checked against official federation, organizer, or FIDE reports where available. Historical winner lists were cross-checked against maintained championship tables.