Bitoon, Barbosa earn GM norms

Standings after round 9:

6.5 pts — GM Wesley So

6.0 pts — IM Oliver Barbosa, IM Richard Bitoon

5.5 pts — GM Darwin Laylo, GM Eugene Torre

5.0 pts — GM Rogelio Antonio Jr., GM Joseph Sanchez

4.5 pts — GM Mark Paragua, IM Rolando Nolte

3.5 pts — GM John Paul Gomez, GM Rogelio Barcenilla, IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia

3.0 pts — GM Roland Salvador

1.0 pts — IM Yves Ranola

INTERNATIONAL Masters Richard Bitoon and Oliver Barbosa earned 9-round grandmaster norms yesterday in the National Chess Championship: 4th Battle of the Grandmasters at the National Press Club in Intramuros, Manila.

Bitoon upset GM John Paul Gomez after 38 moves of Sicilian while Barbosa drew with GM Mark Paragua after 31 moves of Slav to pull off the feat in the ninth round of the 13-round tournament. Both players now have 6.0 points and two GM norms under their belt.

Bitoon of Cebu got his first during the 2008 Singapore International Open while Barbosa earned his during the 10th Asian Continental Individual Chess Championships in Mashhad, Iran last May.

The two trail solo leader GM Wesley So by half a point after So drew with GM Eugene Torre after 35 moves of London System Opening to push his total to 6.5 points. It was So’s fifth straight draw after starting with four straight wins.

GMs Darwin Laylo and Rogelio “Joey” Antonio, Jr. remained in the hunt for the P150,000 top prize after drawing their respective matches.

Laylo drew with Ateneo junior standout IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia after 35 moves of Neo Gruenfeld to join Torre at fourth spot with 5.5 points while Antonio drew with GM Rogelio Barcenilla Jr. to notch his fifth point.

GM Roland Salvador beat IM Yves Ranola after 53 moves of Queen’s Indian Defense to tally 3.0 points while GM Joseph Sanchez spoiled IM Rolando Nolte’s own target of a GM norm by beating the latter in 42 moves of Center Counter. Sanchez joined Antonio at sixth place.

Nolte could have secured a GM norm with a victory. Instead, he’s now facing a tall order of scoring four more points in the last four rounds to get it done. Correspondent Marlon Bernardino