“BANJO” BARCENILLA WILL FINALLY AWARDED HIS GM TITLE NEXTH MONTH—PICHAY

ROGELIO “Banjo” Barcenilla had something to cheer about.

This after National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president/ chairman Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr. revealed to this writer in his office on Monday at the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) that the Chandler, Arizona based Barcenilla will finally awarded his “long overdue” grandmaster title next month.

“Maaward na din ang GM (grandmaster) title ni Banjo (Rogelio Barcenilla) next month,” said Pichay, who has already produced five GMs in three years in office (NCFP president) that includes Wesley So, Darwin Laylo, Jayson Gonzales, John Paul Gomez and Joseph Sanchez.

The former Asian Junior champion Barcenilla, the top player of San Sebastian College and the country’s No.4 rated player with an Elo Fide rating of 2518 will join RP’s elite group of grandmasters (GMs) which includes
Eugene Torre, Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr., Buenaventura “Bong” Villamayor, Nelson Mariano II, Mark Paragua,  So, Laylo,  Gonzales,  Gomez, Sanchez and the late Rosendo Balinas Jr.

Former Philippine Chess Federation (PCF) president/ Cebuano sportsman Matias “Bombi” Barcenilla Aznar said in an interview ” It’s a long overdue,” said Aznar to his nephew.

Twelve-time national open champion GM Rogelio “Joey” Antonio Jr. said to his friend yesterday, ” The addition of my good friend (Rogelio Barcenilla) to the group of Filipino GMs… This is another good news to Philippine Chess. We are welcome him,”

Alex Dinoy, chief coordinator of Shell National Youth Active Chess, also a confidante of Barcenilla said in a recent interview” Darating sa bansa si Banjo. Maglalaro yata sa Subic chess,”

Barcenilla achieved his first GM Norm in 1993 in Jakarta, Indonesia. He picked up his 2nd norm in 1998 in Subic, his 3rd GM norm in June 2000 in New York and his 4th GM in June 2009 at the Copper State International in Phoenix, Arizona.

Actually, Barcenilla became the fourth Filipino GM when he obtained the third and final GM result in the Marshall Chess Club GM Invitational in New York in June 2000.

In winning his last GM result in June 2000, Barcenilla defeated the late Polish GM Alexander Wojkeiwicz, the 1998 Far East Bank GM Centennial Classic champion, and Russian GM Kher and drew with American GMs Gregory Serper and Alexander Stripunsky in the category 10 tournament.

FIDE rules require six of nine points for a player who must play at least three GMs in the tournament, rated as a Category 10 tournament.

However, the World Chess Federation (FIDE) didn’t confirm the GM title status of Barcenilla in the 2000 FIDE Congress in Istanbul, Turkey.

His GM title application came to a final standoff when votes were tied after all but one of the officials had cast their votes. The last official to vote, who will therefore break the tie and decide whether or not Barcenilla becomes a GM, happened to be a Filipino. But to everyone’s surprise, he voted to reject the application.

The reason was due to the fact that the supposed third GM norm of Barcenilla was a result of a tournament that he had won in the US, which used the Marshall system, a tournament format that was not included among that those cited in FIDE’s guidelines that could bestow GM norms.

Other achievments of Barcenilla, a black belter in Judo,  who is currently based in Chandler, Arizona along his wife, former Olympian Woman National Master (WNM) Lilibeth Lee.

Barcenilla was an accomplished player as a junior, winning numerous Philippines and Asian Youth Championships, as well as playing on the Olympiad team. In 1991, Barcenilla finished 3rd overall at the World Junior Championship in Romania. Since moving to the United States, Barcenilla has won numerous open tournaments in Arizona and has fared well in open tournaments outside of Arizona.

Barcenilla was the top player for the Scorpions in 2008, where he played board 1 for the matches held in Phoenix, and faced all the top GM’s in the league finishing with an even score. Barcenilla defeated GM Nikola Mitkov, drew the likes of GM’s Alexander Stripunsky, Vinay Bhat, and Julio Becerra, losing only to GM Jaan Ehlvest. Barcenilla plays with an attitude of no fear, not caring who he faces each week.

BY: MARLON BERNARDINO.