Barce, Salvador gain GM titles

MANILA, Philippines - Rogelio “Banjo” Barcenilla and Roland Salvador were officially conferred the Grandmaster title by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) during the Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia Thursday.

Barcenilla, the former Asian junior champion now based in the US, clinched his third and final GM result in the 2009 Copper State International Chess Championship in Mesa, Arizona where he finished with seven of the possible 10 points.

Salvador, on the other hand, earned his third and final GM norm during the 11th edition of the International Chess Tournament Fermo-Porto San Giorgio in Italy where he is based.

He scored seven points in nine games to top the event via tiebreak and completed the double celebration by clinching the needed GM result.

Barcenilla and Salvador thus joined the elite circle of Filipino GMs that include Eugene Torre, the late Rosendo Balinas Jr., Joey Antonio Jr., Bong Villamayor, Nelson Mariano II, Mark Paragua, Wesley So, Darwin Laylo, Jayson Gonzales, John Paul Gomez and Joseph Sanchez.

Meanwhile, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov was re-elected FIDE president during the Congress. He beat former world champion Anatoly Karpov, 95-55.