RP vote junks Barce

A Filipino vote became the crucial factor as the classification, titles and ratings committee of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) voted against conferring a grandmaster’s title to Filipino candidate Rogelio Barcenilla Jr.

The committee voted 4-3, with Casto "Toti" Abundo, accredited FIDE delegate appointed by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines and currently the FIDE rating administrator, casting the deciding vote in a meeting here Sunday.

Those who voted for Barcenilla’s inclusion in the roster of grandmaster were William Kelleher of the US Chess Federation, committee chair Kevin O‘Connel of Ireland and M. Markula of Finland.

Kelleher thus remained true to his commitment that he would help Barcenilla in his GM bid since the tournament, last June’s Marshal Invitational Tournament in New York where he earned his third and last GM norm, was sanctioned by the USCF.

Kelleher, along with Norway‘s Morten Sand, the FIDE legal consultant, has been at the forefront of an effort by the Western countries to uphold the regular membership of the PCF and had initiated talks to strike a compromise agreement between the PCF and the NCFP.

The talks are on-going.

A few days ago, NCFP president Eugene Torre was reported to have offered, in a long-distance call to Barcenilla’s residence in the United States, to help the Filipino candidate-GM push his GM bid provided the latter became a member of the NCFP.

Barcenilla, however, elected to honor his commitment to the PCF where he was named board one member of its Philippine team.

"Why does he have to be an NCFP member to earn a title? And why do they have to go to the extent of voting against Barcenilla if he is not on their side," PCF president Jess Ingeniero said.

PCF officials considered the offer as a ploy to win a top Filipino player to the side of the NCFP to prove its point that the PCF has lost the support of Filipino chess players.

Barcenilla was scheduled to arrive here Nov. 1 to play for the PCF-backed Philippine chess team but cancelled his trip when the FIDE World Chess Olympiad organizers honored the team sent by the NCFP.

He also wanted to be here to follow up his application for a GM title.

The five other members of the PCF team had since returned to Manila while the NCFP squad is currently competing in the tournament now on its eighth round.

"If Barcenilla joined the NCFP, he would have been a GM. Abundo would have voted in his favor. This is a simple case of politics destroying Philippine sports," said Ingeniero. "I thought they are for the good of chess players," he added.

Abundo, FIDE secretary general when Filipino Florencio Campomanes was president, was named FIDE delegate who will also have the Philippine seat in the General Assembly, which is set to vote on the membership of the NCFP during one of its plenary sessions reset No. 9-12.