By Kristel Satumbaga
International Master Daniel Quizon lived up to his billing, downing FIDE Master Deniel Causo in the final round to capture the third leg of the Rising Phoenix Online Tournament Tuesday night.
With the win, the 15-year-old Quizon accumulated 48 points to rule the tournament that used the chess application “lichess” and add the event to his list of blitz achievements. He topped last year’s Southeast Asian Games qualifier and the Asian Juniors Chess Championships last year.
The Cavite-based Quizon, who is coming off two runner-up finishes in the first two legs of the Philippine National Bullet Championship, thus joined International Master Richelieu Salcedo and Letran’s Christian Mark Daluz as Rising Phoenix leg winners.
Asian Para Games gold medalist FM Sander Severino drew with Grandmaster Darwin Laylo to finish second along with Mark Jay Bacojo with similar 44 points.
Severino, however, gained the higher placing due to superior tiebreak.
Bacojo settled for third while FM Arden Reyes came in fourth with 41 points.
Meanwhile, Daluz claimed the Chesstropolis Grand Prix title also on Tuesday by finishing with 171 points.
Chess players have flocked the online chess tournaments amid the COVID-19 threat and tournaments coming aplenty with at least two tournaments daily.
Among the groups hosting online chess events apart from the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, Rising Phoenix and Chesstropolis are the United Queens Chess Club, which launched the 1st Women’s Online Bullet Championship also at lichess on Wednesday.
Among the participants were Janelle Mae Frayna, the country’s first Woman GM, and Olympiad veterans WIMs Bernadette Galas and Marie Antoinette San Diego, WFMs Allaney Jia Doroy and Cherry Ann Mejia.
