Cebuano Bitoon, Barbosa conferred chess GM titles

CEBUANO Richard Bitoon (2515) and Oliver Barbosa (2571) of Rizal are the country’s newest chess grandmasters after the FIDE, the world governing body for chess, officially conferred the titles to the two during the 82nd FIDE Congress last Oct. 15-22 in Krakow, Poland.

A player needs three GM norms to earn the title.

Barbosa earned his third and final norm by winning the DYTM Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah Invitational Masters at the Swiss Garden Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last September with a score of 7.0 points.

The victory earned for Barbosa 4,000 RM.

“Nagpapasalamat po kami ni Richard (Bitoon) kay chairman (Butch) Pichay kasi kung hindi dahil sa kanya hindi namin nakamit ang pangarap namin na GM title,” said Barbosa who will represent the country in the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia next month.

Bitoon, the former Southwestern University stalwart from Medellin, Cebu, earned his third and final GM norm also during the DYTM Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah Invitational Masters where he scored 6.5 points in a tie for second to third spots.

Barbosa and Bitoon, both join the elite circle of Filipino GMs that include Eugene Torre, Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr., Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor, Nelson Mariano II, Mark Paragua, Wesley So, Darwin Laylo, Jayson Gonzales, John Paul Gomez, Joseph Sanchez, Roland Salvador, Rogelio “Banjo” Barcenilla Jr., Julio Catalino Sadorra and the late Rosendo Balinas Jr.

The country now has 16 GMs in its roster.

Meanwhile, National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) chairman/president Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr., who is credited for producing most of the country’s GMs, is eyeing to produce four more next year to enable the country to stage its own zonal championships.

“Target natin ma hit y’ung 20 grandmasters next year para puwede nating ilapit sa World Chess Federation (FIDE) na magkaroon na ng sariling zonal championships ang Pilipinas,” said Pichay.

In the latest Philippine-FIDE rating list for November, Barbosa climbed to No. 2 spot with an Elo rating of 2571 behind topranked GM So who has an Elo rating of 2659 while 12-time National Open champion Antonio Jr. is in 3rd place with 2557 points.