Banjo Set for GM Title

Looks like the Philippines is going to get another grandmaster. The now US-based international master Rogelio Barcenilla will finally receive his long-awaited GM title. Marlon Bernardino reports here.

For Barcenilla, also known as 'Banjo', it wasn't an easy road to this high honour:

However, the World Chess Federation (FIDE) didn't confirm Barcenilla’s GM status 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 he cited was the tournament format being used in the last event Barcenilla competed in which was the Marshall system, a format that was not included among those cited in FIDE's guidelines that could bestow GM norms.