Cebuano chesser Joseph Sanchez is RP’s 11th Grandmaster

MANILA, Philippines – Add the name of 39-year-old Cebuano wood pusher Joseph Sanchez to the growing roster of Filipino chess Grandmasters. A Mandaue born chesser who’s now based in Europe, Sanchez become the country’s 11th Grandmaster after the International Chess Federation (FIDE) confirmed his GM title last week during its 1st Quarter Presidential Board meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. Sanchez’s new status will take effect April 1. Sanchez, who had served second to GM Mark Paragua during his early years, clinched his third and final GM norm by accumulating 6.5 points at the 23rd Cannes International Chess Festival in France last month. He was actually a strong contender for the championship through eight rounds but eventually settled for third after dropping his final round assignment. The Cebuano pride, whose ELO rating is expected to reach 2482 next month, thus joined Eugene Torre, the late Rosendo Balinas Jr., Rogelio Antonio Jr., Buenaventura Villamayor, Nelson Mariano II, Paragua, Wesley So, Darwin Laylo, Jayson Gonzales and John Paul Gomez in the Philippines’ elite club of GMs. Meanwhile, the country welcomed two new International Masters (IMs) in its ranks after the FIDE promoted Virgilio Vuelban and Kim Steven Yap. The 27-year-old FIDE Master Vuelban is based in Italy while the 18-year-old Yap also hails from Cebu, born to a chess-playing family. His father is National Master Lincoln Yap while his uncles are IM Rico Mascarinas and FIDE arbiter Marvin Ruelan. –GMANews.TV