MANILA, Philippines – Filipino chess players Oliver Barbosa and Richard Bitoon were officially conferred their Grandmaster (GM) titles in 82nd FIDE Congress 2011 in Krakow, Poland.

Barbosa was conferred the title on the basis of his performance in the DYTM Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah Invitational Masters at the Swiss Garden Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last September.

He bagged the overall title in the tournament.

Barbosa, who is scheduled to compete in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia, credited his success to the support given by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP).

Bitoon, on the other hand, earned his 3rd and final GM norm in the same tournament.

Barbosa and Bitoon are now ranked among the country’s roster of GMs, which includes 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 a total of 16 GMs. – By Marlon Bernardino