Filipino Grandmaster Oliver Barbosa has demonstrated that he still possesses the skill needed for a World Chess Olympiad appearance after a strong showing at the 14th New York International.
The event, held at the Marshall Chess Club on 10th Street, attracted 70 players, including 13 grandmasters, and ran to a final round on Wednesday.
Barbosa finished undefeated with 6.5 points from four wins and five draws, including a decisive victory over fellow Filipino GM Mark Paragua in the last round.
He finished tied for third place with Indian GM Karthik Venkataraman and Ukrainian GM Oleksii Bilych, but tiebreaks placed him fourth overall.
During the tournament, Barbosa earned wins against the fifth‑seeded Indian GM Prraneeth Vuppala and drew with top seed Venkataraman, as well as with US GM Mackenzie Molner and Indian GM Labit Babu.
His performance signals that he could be a strong candidate for the Philippines’ 2024 Olympiad squad in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.
Fourteen years earlier, Barbosa represented the country in Istanbul, playing second board and scoring seven points from eleven games.
Mark Paragua, also an Olympiad veteran, finished 17th overall after starting strong with 5.5 points in the first seven rounds but losing his final two.
The Philippine Chess Federation has two remaining men's spots for the upcoming Olympiad. One is expected to go to US-based GM Inno Sadorra, who played top board in Budapest two years ago.
IM Jem Garcia, GM Darwin Laylo, and IM Michael Concio Jr. secured the first three slots by finishing in the top three at the Battle of the Grandmasters last month.
The final slot remains open, and there is optimism that it may be awarded to Barbosa.
