Theodor Ghițescu (November 6, 1934 – July 25, 2008) was a notable Romanian chess Grandmaster. He was born in Bucharest, Romania, and quickly developed his talent for chess from a young age. His noteworthy accomplishments were imprinted early in his career, winning the Bucharest Championship in 1954 and 1955, as well as the Romanian Chess Championship in 1955, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1965, and 1971.

Ghițescu participated in several Chess Olympiads, representing Romania with notable achievements. Some of his best results on this international stage took place in 1968 in Lugano, Switzerland and 1974 in Nice, France, where he gained individual bronze medals. His other participation includes legendary competitions such as Interzonal tournaments in Stockholm (1962) and the Biel Interzonal (1976) where he ranked at respectable positions.

Over his career, Ghițescu played against several world champions and prominent players including Tal and Fischer. He earned the International Master title in 1957 and the Grandmaster title in 1971. Ghițescu continued a professional career in chess as a player and coach for many years and wrote multiple books on the topic. He worked as the head coach for the Romanian women's national team from 1993 to 1997 with substantial success. Ghițescu died in 2008 at the age of 73.