Apparently the U. S. of A. is not the only country in the habit of buying up foreign grandmasters! Romanian gambling entrepreneur Sacha Dragic is apparently behind Richard Rapport’s switching federations from his native Hungary to neighboring Romania.

Congrats to Romanian chess fans, and my condolences to Hungarian chess fans. Hungary has had some great players over the years, and one of the greatest players of all time was of Hungarian descent. Peter Leko came within a draw in the last game of a world championship match of winning the title, but the top title remains elusive. With Rapport’s departure, the wait for this great chess country will be a little longer.