Barbosa becomes PH 3rd Super GM

Oliver Barbosa became the country’s third Super Grandmaster after topping the recent 10th Parsvnath International Grandmasters Chess Tournament at Ludlow Castle Sports Complex, Civil Lines in New Delhi, India.

Barbosa joins Mark Paragua and Wesley So in the elite group of Pinhoy Super GMs.

Barbosa of Taytay, Rizal finished the 11-round Swiss system tournament with 9.5 points on account of eight wins and three draws en route to the coveted title.

The victory more importantly enabled the former University of the Philippines (UP) mainstay to raise his ELO live rating to 2627 from 2573 points.

The undefeated Filipino gained 53.8 ELO rating points plus a Tournament Rating Performance (TPR) of 2710 points.

A player needs to equal or breach the 2600 mark to become a Super GM.

“We at the NCFP are honored to present Oliver Barbosa, our newest Super Grandmaster,” said National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) chair Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr.,  who supported the Pinoys’ overseas campaign as part of the Philippine Team’s preparation for this year’s 38th World Chess Olympiad in Istanbul, Turkey.

Paragua was the country’s first Super Grandmaster when he breached the 2600 mark by finishing second in the 2006 Asian Zonal 3.3 Chess Championships.

In the India meet, Paragua scored 8.5 points to finish fourth overall. He has a live Elo rating of 2546 points after gaining 24 points with a TPR of 2550.

Wesley So, on the other hand, achieved a rating of 2627 in 2009, a Philippine national record, to become the country’s second Super GM. So, the country’s topranked player, achieved his GM title at 14 years, 1 month and 28 days, making him the 7th youngest person to earn a GM title in the history of chess.

Meanwhile, GM John Paul Gomez, who finished second in the 10th Parsvnath International Grandmasters Chess Tournament, has a live rating of 2553 after earning 47 points and a TPR of 2601.

The Filipino woodpushers arrived from their successful stint in India yesterday.