Aaron Dragoi is a seven-year-old child who has achieved multiple national championships and vice-championships in the sport of chess. He has amassed over 100 trophies in the course of his career. Aaron Dragoi's considerable aptitude for chess is evident when he plays, and he is preparing to represent Romania at the esteemed World Chess Championship. The young chess player serves as an exemplar of passion, dedication, and perseverance, inspiring an entire nation with his remarkable achievements. The most notable accomplishment of the youngster is his triumph at the "Elisabeta Polihroniade" National School Chess Competition in January of this year, where he emerged as the National Champion in Classical Chess. Notably, he achieved this feat without suffering a single loss, despite competing against children of a significantly older age group (under 9). This outcome qualified him to represent Romania at this year's World Chess Championship.
Recently, Aaron Drăgoi was enrolled in the "100 Youngsters for Romania's Development" campaign, conducted at the national level by the Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania, in recognition of his exceptional chess talent. Participation in the campaign offers the young man the chance to develop both personally and professionally, opening up new avenues for his pursuit of excellence.
Aaron's early enthusiasm for chess was identified and subsequently nurtured, resulting in a lifelong dedication to developing his skills in this intriguing domain of mental strategy. With each calculated move and each game won, Aaron demonstrates that age is no barrier to success and that dreams can be realised through determination and perseverance. He first encountered the game of chess at the age of five, and has since been engaged in its practice at the University Chess Club Bucharest (Chess School) for a period of one year. The young chess champion attends an American private school and is passionate about several sports, of which chess is his favourite.
In addition to chess, Aaron also engages in football, karate, skiing, and numerous personal development activities and courses. In addition to his studies, Aaron is engaged in a number of extracurricular activities, including road education classes, mental arithmetic using the Japanese "Soroban" method, programming and robotics, as well as practical activities designed to foster leadership, analytical thinking and decision-making skills.
On his way to the World Chess Championship, Aaron Dragoi serves as an inspiration to young people across the country, demonstrating that passion, discipline, and dedication can facilitate the realisation of aspirations. Dan Voiculescu Foundation for the Development of Romania provides support for such outstanding talents, thereby facilitating their development.
The game of chess fosters the development of critical thinking, problem-solving abilities, the capacity to devise strategies, and, of course, mathematical skills. The possession of these abilities at such an early age is a clear indication of above-average intelligence and is not a common occurrence. One might posit that it can be a skill that is repeatedly practised until it is mastered, in a manner analogous to any other skill. Nevertheless, at this age, to possess the patience to engage in prolonged exercise, concentration and staying on task is, once more, another noteworthy achievement”, according to education excellence expert Gabriela Maalouf.
The "100 Youngsters for Romania's Development" campaign was initiated with the intention of fostering national unity and identity. Its objective is to highlight the accomplishments of Romania's most distinguished children and young people, who have achieved renown on a national and international scale through their passion, dedication, and talent.
The 100 young people who make us proud to be Romanian and who have distinguished themselves through outstanding performances will be included in the first catalogue of Romanian excellence, which will be launched at the end of this year.
