Rogelio Antonio Jr. (born February 19, 1962) is a

Filipino Filipino may refer to: * Something from or related to the Philippines ** Filipino language, standardized variety of 'Tagalog', the national language and one of the official languages of the Philippines. ** Filipinos, people who are citizens of th ...

chess Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...

grandmaster, who was awarded the title in 1993. He is affectionately known as "Joey" Antonio or GM Joey. Antonio finished tied for 3rd-8th places in the 2009

Asian Chess Championship The Asian Chess Championship is a chess tournament open to all players from Asian chess federations ( FIDE zones from 3.1 to 3.7). It's held with the Swiss system and consists in two divisions, Open and Women's, the latter of which is reserved to f ...

(ultimately finishing in 6th place after tiebreaks) and became the first player in the Philippines' history to qualify for the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

later in 2009.

Chess career

FIDE World Chess Championship

Antonio participated in two World Chess Championship cycle, in the 1990-1993 cycle and the 1998-1999 cycle: In the 1990-1993 cycle, he participated in the Zonal 11 tournament held at Shah Alam, Malaysia where he ended up as the best-placed Filipino player tied for 9th-13th places with fellow Filipinos GM

Eugene Torre Eugenio "Eugene" Torre (born November 4, 1951) is a Filipino chess player. In 1974, at 22 years old, he became not just the first Filipino but also the first Asian to qualify for the title Grandmaster. Torre did this by winning the silver meda ...

and then IM

Rogelio Barcenilla Rogelio Barcenilla Jr. (born January 23, 1972, Bacolod, Philippines) is a Chess Grandmaster (chess), Grandmaster from Philippines. He was the International master, International Master (IM) in 1990 and Grandmaster in 2010. Barcenilla won the Asia ...

and IM

Edhi Handoko Edhi Handoko (August 28, 1960 – February 17, 2009) was an Indonesian chess player. He won the Indonesian Chess Championship in 1978, 1980, 1984 and 1991. Handoko earned the National Master title in 1978, before progressing to both FIDE Master a ...

and GM

Utut Adianto Utut Adianto Wahyuwidayat (born 16 March 1965), commonly known as Utut Adianto is an Indonesian politician and chess player, who is serving as a member of the People's Representative Council since 2009. A member of the Indonesian Democratic Part ...

, both of Indonesia. Antonio eventually ended up in 9th place with Handoko ending up 10th, Torre 11th, Barcenilla 12th and Adianto 13th. He was seeded No. 8 in this tournament with an ELO of 2440 and registered 6.0/11 recording 3 wins, 6 draws and 2 losses with a Tournament Performance Rating (TPR) of 2465. However, he did not qualify for the Interzonals as only the top 2 qualified. In the 1998-1999 cycle, Antonio (2540) tied for 1st-4th places in the Zonal 3.2a held at Yangon in December 1998 with Super GM Adianto (2610), IM Dede Liu (2375) of Indonesia and FM Dashzeveg Sharavdorj (2385) of Mongolia that necessitated a play-off among the 4 players as all 4 scored 6.5/9 with Antonio posting 5 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss with a TPR of 2565 in the 30-player field. In the ensuing playoff, Antonio came out on top with 4.0/6 (+2 =4 -0) as he qualified for the 1999 World Championship held at Las Vegas. As the 63rd-ranked player with an ELO of 2558, he progressed into the Round of 64 as he defeated the 99th-seeded Alexander Kozak (2330) of Russia, 2–0, in the Round of 128. However, he was defeated in the Round of 64 by Armenian Super GM

Vladimir Akopian Vladimir Akopian (russian: Владимир Акопян, hy, Վլադիմիր Հակոբյան; born December 7, 1971) is an Armenian-Americans, American chess Grandmaster (chess), Grandmaster. Career Akopian was born in Baku, Azerbaijan Sov ...

(2640), 2.5-1.5. Their best-of 2 matches ended up tied 1-1 as both games ended in draws that necessitated tiebreaks. After another draw in the first game of the 2-game tiebreaks, Antonio lost the second game as he bowed out of the World Chess Championship.

FIDE World Cup

Antonio also qualified in the 2009

Chess World Cup The FIDE World Cup refers to three different events over the years. Since 2000, it has been a major chess event organized by FIDE, the International Chess Federation. Since 2005, it has been a 128-player single-elimination chess tournament, formi ...

held in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia held from November 20 - December 15, 1999 which is a knock-out format. Antonio earned the berth after finishing tied for 3rd-8th places in the 2009

also known as the Asian Continental Championship, eventually placing 6th. The top 10 finishers in the tournament qualified for the Chess World Cup. Seeded 102 among 128 players, Antonio (2574) faced 27th-seeded Super GM

Gata Kamsky Gata Kamsky ( tt-Cyrl, Гата Камский, italics=no; russian: Гата Камский; born June 2, 1974) is a Soviet-born American chess grandmaster, and a five-time U.S. champion. Kamsky reached the final of the FIDE World Chess Cham ...

(2695) in the Round of 128. He bowed to Kamsky, 0.5-1.5, after losing the first game and drawing the 2nd game.

Chess Olympiad

Antonio has played many times for the Philippines

Olympiad An olympiad ( el, Ὀλυμπιάς, ''Olympiás'') is a period of four years, particularly those associated with the ancient and modern Olympic Games. Although the ancient Olympics were established during Greece's Archaic Era, it was not until ...

team, mostly on board 2, behind the Philippines' first GM Torre. Antonio's tally in this arena has never fallen below 50% and in 2000, at

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

, he scored 7/10 with a performance rating of 2684. He has already scored a high 74 points out of 117 games on the strength of 48 wins, 52 draws and 17 losses for a winning percentage of 63.2%. : + Team-best Rank ^ Unbeaten tournament

Asian Team Chess Championship

: He ended up his stint at the

Asian Team Chess Championship The Asian Team Chess Championship (recently also called the Asian Nations Chess Cup) is an international team chess tournament open to national federations affiliated to FIDE in Asia and Oceania. It is organized by the Asian Chess Federation, and th ...

with a record of 21.5 points in 34 games in 4 appearances posting 14 wins, 15 draws and 5 losses with a winning percentage of 63.2% winning 2 medals in the individual standings (1 gold and 1 silver) and 3 medals in the team competitions (1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze).

Asian Cities Chess Championship

: After the 2013 edition, his 5th participation in the tournament, Antonio has already compiled a total of 29.5 points in 44 games winning 23 games, drawing 13 matches and losing 8 games for a 67.0% winning rate. He ended up with 2 silver medals in the individual competitions and 1 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze in team competitions.

Asian Individual Chess Championship

: In six (6) appearances in the

, Antonio has already recorded 30.5 points in 54 games registering 18 wins, 25 draws and 11 losses for a 56.5 winning percentage.

Asian Games

Antonio (2573) was also part of the silver medal-winning Philippine Team to the 16th

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...

held in Guangzhou, China where they stunned the highly rated all-Super GM Indian team led by GMs

Krishnan Sasikiran Krishnan Sasikiran (Tamil: கிருஷ்ணன் சசிகிரண்; born 7 January 1981) is an Indian chess grandmaster. He was one of Viswanathan Anand's seconds in the World Chess Championship 2013. Chess career Born in Madra ...

(2688) and

Pentala Harikrishna Pentala Harikrishna (born 10 May 1986) is an Indian chess grandmaster. He became the youngest grandmaster from India after attaining the title in 2001, a record now held by Gukesh D. He was Commonwealth Champion in 2001, World Junior ...

(2657) in the semifinals, 2.5-1.5, to advance to the gold medal game versus China. He manned Board 2 where he played a total of 7 games, going undefeated with 5 points posting 3 wins and 4 draws for a 71.4% winning rate that included his great win against Sasikiran in the semifinals. He was the team's top scorer and had a very high TPR of 2730.

Asian Indoor Games

Antonio (2557) was also part of the Philippine Team that participated in the 3rd Asian Indoor Chess Games held at Hanoi, China in 2009 where he played Board 1. After nine (9) rounds of preliminaries, the team placed 7th among 15 teams and failed to advance to the cross-over semifinals. Antonio played all 8 games (the team had a bye in the 7th round) and scored 5 points (+4 =2 -2) for a winning rate of 62.5% although he had a rather low 2495 TPR and was the team's 2nd-leading scorer behind GM

Mark Paragua Mark Callano Paragua (born March 29, 1984) is a Filipino chess grandmaster. He won the Philippine Chess Championship in 2012. He was the youngest Filipino master ever, at nine years of age. He also became the youngest Filipino GM ever at 20 ( ...

(Board 2).

Other notable tournaments

Some of Antonio's best results include 3rd at the

Manapla Manapla, officially the Municipality of Manapla, is a 2nd class municipality in the province of Negros Occidental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 55,083 people. The town is notable for its signature delicacy ' ...

, Negros Occidental event in 2001, tied for 2nd-4th at the 15th

Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...

Open 2003 and 2nd at the Malaysian Open of 2005. Also in 2005, he took a

bronze medal A bronze medal in sports and other similar areas involving competition is a medal made of bronze awarded to the third-place finisher of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The outright winner receive ...

at the blitz event of the South East Asian (SEA) Games and a board one gold medal at the National Open Team Championship for club side

Tagaytay Tagaytay, officially the City of Tagaytay ( fil, Lungsod ng Tagaytay), is a 2nd class component city in the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 85,330 people. It is one of the country's most pop ...

, with a score of 6/7. At the 15th (2003) Leuven Open held from November 7–11, 2003 in Belgium and attracted 112 participants, Antonio (2522) ended up tied for 2nd-4th places with Super GM

Vladimir Epishin Vladimir Epishin (born 11 July 1965 in Leningrad) is a Russian chess grandmaster. He finished third in the 58th USSR Chess Championship in 1991. He won the 1987 St. Petersburg Championship. Other tournament successes include 3rd-4th with Vladimi ...

of Russia and fellow GM

Buenaventura Villamayor Buenaventura "Bong" Mendieta Villamayor (born May 4, 1967) is a Filipino chess player. He was awarded the title of Grandmaster by FIDE in 2000, becoming the fourth from the Philippines to achieve this feat. Villamayor won the national champi ...

all with 7.0/9, 1 point behind sole winner GM Torre who scored 8.0/9. Antonio eventually ended up in 3rd place after the Buchholz tiebreaks losing out to Epishin, 56–52, but ahead of Villamayor (51.5). He had a TPR of 2529. In 2013, Antonio proved that he is still a force to reckon with in chess as he won the 2013 National Rapid Chess Championship held at the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) National Athletes' Dining Hall, Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Vito Cruz, Manila. He finished the 9-round Open Division with 7.5 points ahead of fellow GM Richard Bitoon of Cebu and NM Jerad Docena of Bohol who both ended up with 7.0 points. On July 25, 2020, Antonio ruled the Baby Uno Chess Challenge dubbed as the Police Colonel Jaime Osit Santos Chess Championship where he scored 10.5/12 scoring 10 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in this 12-round Swiss System tournament organized by the Bayanihan Chess Club headed by AGM/NM Almario Marlon Bernardino and Genghis Katipunan Memorial. He finished 2.5 point clear of joint second placers FM Jesse Noel Salas, NM Julius Sinangote and US Master Jose Aquino Jr. who all ended up with 8.0 points.

2008 US Tournaments

In 2008, Antonio won seven straight US tournaments: (1) 2008 Super Blitz Open Chess Championships, (2) the 2008 Motor City Open, (3) the 17th North American FIDE Invitational, (4) the 2008 Los Angeles Open, (5) the 8th Universal Annual Swiss Chess Open, (6) the G/19 and the (7) 10th Annual Joseph Ileto Memorial Open Chess Championships.

Seniors Chess Championship

On November 18, 2017, Antonio placed second in the 27th

World Senior Chess Championship The World Senior Chess Championship is an annual chess tournament established in 1991 by FIDE, the World Chess Federation. Overview Originally, the minimum age was 60 years for men, and 50 for women. Since 2014, the Senior Championship is split i ...

2017 held in Acqui Terme, Italy, in the Open 50+ category behind winner GM

Julio Granda Zuniga Julio Ernesto Granda Zúñiga (born February 25, 1967) is a Peruvian chess grandmaster and four-time champion of the Americas. Career Born in Camaná, he learned how to play chess at the age of five. In 1980 he won the World Infant Cup in Ma ...

of Peru. He won his final round match against Italian IM Spartaco Sarno in 51 moves of a Caro-Kann defense to finish with 8.5 points in a tie with French GM Eric Prie. Antonio claimed 2nd place by virtue of a better quotient, 73–71.5. He also captured 3rd place in the blitz section with 7.0 points behind winner IM Alexander Reprintsev of Ukraine (8.5) and German Rolf Fritsch (8.0). On July 21, 2020, Antonio won the 2020 Asian Seniors Chess Championship by scoring 7.5/9 ahead of Uzbek GMs Tair Vahidov, 2nd with 6.5/9, and

Alexei Barsov Alexei Barsov (born 3 April 1966) is an Uzbekistani chess Grandmaster. Chess career Barsov, lawyer by education, has been a professional chess player since the early 1990s, and is one of the premier players in Uzbekistan. For some years he wa ...

, 3rd with 6.0/9. Fellow Filipino IM

Ricardo de Guzman Ricardo de Guzman (born September 12, 1961) is a Filipino chess player. He was one of the premiere players of the Philippines in the 1980s and was awarded the title of International Master in 1982. He is nationally ranked 39th in the Philippine ...

led a group of 5.5 pointers. Antonio was undefeated in the tournament registering 6 wins, including a big win against Vahidov in the 3rd round, and 3 draws, one of which was against Barsov in the 7th round.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Antonio, Rogelio Jr. Filipino chess players Chess grandmasters Living people 1962 births Place of birth missing (living people) Asian Games medalists in chess Chess players at the 2010 Asian Games Asian Games silver medalists for the Philippines Medalists at the 2010 Asian Games SEA Games silver medalists for the Philippines SEA Games bronze medalists for the Philippines SEA Games medalists in chess Competitors at the 2005 SEA Games 20th-century Filipino people 21st-century Filipino people