FORMER two-time Asian Junior champion Grandmaster Rogelio “Banjo” Barcenilla Jr., makes his much-anticipated comeback in the local chess scene in the National Chess Championship: 4th Battle of the Grandmasters which starts today at the historic National Press Club (NPC) in Intramuros, Manila.
Maria Antoinette San Diego, a 12-year-old wonder from Dasmarinas, Cavite, will be the youngest competitor in the World Chess Federation-sanctioned event while the country’s top woodpushers try to end GM Wesley So’s three-year stranglehold of the meet.
“Naalala ko huling beses ako naglaro sa Pilipinas noong 1999 pa eh,” said Barcenilla, who obtained his third and final GM norm in the 2009 Copper State International Chess Championship in Mesa, Arizona, USA.
Barcenilla though concedes, that the 17-year-old So remains the prohibitive favorite. “Pero si Wesley pa din ang top favorite dito,” said the Arizona-based Barcenilla, who finished third during the 1991 Mamaia, Romania World Junior Chess Championships.
Barcenilla, who topped the 1989 Asian Junior Chess Championships in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and the tournament’s 1991 edition in Kerala, India, opens his bid against GM John Paul Gomez who also picked So to win.
“My chance of winning is good against anybody not named Wesley,” said Gomez who finished second to So last year.
The event has attracted a record nine GMs in the men’s division whose top winner will get P150,000 and its average rating of 2508 is also an all-time high.
GM So will open his title defense against GM Joseph Sanchez of Cebu.
Even 12-time national champion GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. also installed So as the player to beat.
“Wesley always says that he enjoys playing chess. Well, hindi kami nag-e-enjoy pag s’ya ang kalaban namin,” said Antonio, who finished in a tie for third last year. “He is definitely the favorite to rule this tournament.”
Antonio and Asia’s first GM Eugene Torre will cross paths in an interesting opening round encounter.
The other first round matches pit GM Darwin Laylo against GM Mark Paragua, GM Roland Salvador vs. International Master Oliver Barbosa, Cebuano IM Richard Bitoon vs. IM Yves Ranola and IM Rolando Nolte vs. Ateneo High School standout IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia.
The five IMs in the field will earn a GM norm by scoring at least 8.5 points. Supervising the tournament is International Arbiter Gene Poliarco. /Correspondent Marlon bernardino