Barbosa, Bitoon nail GM results; So stays on top

MANILA, Philippines - GM Wesley So kept the lead despite a fifth straight draw even as IMs Oliver Barbosa and Richard Bitoon clinched their second GM results in the ninth round of the National Championships at the NPC auditorium yesterday.

So, who swept his first four matches, was held to a draw by GM Eugene Torre, setting for his fifth straight in 32 moves of a Queen’s Pawn London System for 6.5 points.

But a slew of others moved within at six points, including Barbosa and Bitoon, with the former gaining a point from draws with So and Mark Paragua, and the latter upending GM John Paul Gomez in the ninth round.

Barbosa and Bitoon thus reached the six-point barrier in nine matches against rivals with average rating of 2500 for the GM norm.

The event, backed by Pilipinas Shell, Waterfront Hotel and Casino and the Philippine Sports Commission, is organized by National Chess Federation of the Phils. president Butch Pichay with GM Jayson Gonzales as tournament director.

Barbosa held his own against So in Wednesday night’s eighth round and then split the point with Paragua after 31 moves of a Slav Exchanged Variation.

Bitoon, on the other hand, turned a slight positional edge into a winning attack as he stunned Gomez in 38 moves of a super-sharp Sicilian encounter.

“I’m glad I obtained my second GM norm and closer to accomplishing my goal, which is to become a GM,” said Bitoon in Filipino.

IM Rolando Nolte, who needed a win to likewise clinch his second GM result, failed to do so as he dropped a heartbreaking 42-move setback to France-based GM Joseph Sanchez in their Center-counter game.

Nolte was stalled at 4.5 points and will need to sweep the last games to clinch a GM norm.

At joint fourth with 5.5 points are the 59-year-old Torre and GM Darwin Laylo, who settled for a draw with IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia in 40 moves of a Neo-Gruenfeld.

In other results, Italy-based GM Roland Salvador downed IM Yves Ranola in 40 moves of the Nimzo-Indian Defense while GMs Joey Antonio and US-based Banjo Barcenilla halved the point in 30 moves of a Caro-Kann.