Born in Durrės and awarded the Grandmaster title in 1998, Erald Dervishi is Albania's first and so far only GM as well as its top player. He is a lawyer by trade. Championships In 1994 he was the European U14 chess champion and came =3rd in the 1996 U18 European Championship. He was Albanian Champion in 1996 and 1997. Also in 1996, he helped his team Teuta Durrės to the Albanian Club Championship for that year.
Tournaments Dervishis best results were 1st at the Elitia Open in 1997, 2nd at the Montecatini Open in 1998, 2nd at the Jesolo Open in 1999, 3rd in the Genova Open in 1999, 2nd at the Bratto Open in 1999, 2000 and 2004, 1st at the Durrės GM tournament in October 2001, =1st at Bratto 2006 and first at Bratto in 2009, =1st at the Padova Open in 2000 and 1st at the FE Padova in Italy in 2006, 1st at the FE Castione della Presolana in Italy in 2008 and 1st at the Durres Open in 2013.
Olympiads Dervishi first represented Albania at the Olympiads of 1994 on board 4 and in 1998 he won the individual bronze medal for board 2. He played top board during the Olympiads of 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006, and did so again at the Chess Olympiad (2012), scoring 8/11 on top board.
Rating As of 1 May 2013, Dervishi's rating was 2549.
Photo: http://www.chessbase.de/2011/tirana...