Biography

Romanian Grandmaster (1979) who the national championship eight times between 1952 and 1979.

Winner at Sofia 1962, Reggio Emilia 1966/67 and 1968/69, Tunis 1973, Dortmund 1974, Bucharest 1975, Santu Mare 1979 and Val Thorens in 1981.

A participant in eleven Olympiads between 1956 and 1982. He was one of the few who defeated Bobby Fischer (1962 in Varna).

Ciocaltea died of cancer. Since his dead a Memorial tournament is regularly organized. The last winners were:
1994 Michail Brodsky, 1995 Michail Brodsky, 1997 Liviu Nisipeanu, 1998 Mihail Marin, 1999 Mihail Marin, 2000 Viorel Iordachescu, 2001 Liviu Nisipeanu, 2002 Nikola Djukic, 2003 Viorel Iordachescu, 2004 Andrei Murariu, 2006 Andrei Murariu, 2007 George-Gabriel Grigore, 2008 Vadim Shishkin, 2009 Contantin Lupescu, 2010 Andrei Murariu, 2011 Gergely-Andras-Gyula Szabo.

Ciocaltea-Pachman, Prague 1956