BUDAPEST — The 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad is yet to reach its halfway mark but rising star Daniel Quizon already accomplished his mission on Saturday, Sept. 14, at the BOK Sports Hall here.
Showing why he’s now the face of PH chess, Quizon, 20, outsmarted GM Igor Efimov in 37 moves of a King’s Indian duel to earn the two rating points needed to breach the 2500 plateau and claim the GM title that he has pursued relentlessly through the help of the late Cavite Rep. Pidi Barzaga.
For becoming the latest Filipino GM, Quizon stands to receive P1 million Dasmarinas Mayor Jenny Barzaga. The PH now has 19 GMs with Eugene Torre leading the list when he secured the title in 1974.
The win of Quizon over the 64-year-old Georgian émigré highlighted Team PH’s masterful 4-0 win over Monaco, pushing the team closer to the top 10 after four rounds.
“Sobrang saya po,” said Quizon.
It was a huge day for Team PH as GM Julio Catalino Sadorra and IMs Pau Bersamina and Jan Emmanuel Garcia emerged victorious on boards one, three and four, respectively.
It catapulted the Filipinos, seeded 51st out of a record 197 teams, into a 25-country logjam at 13thplace with six match points apiece and will play the 26th seeded Slovenians in the fifth round of this 11-round tournament.
The women’s team, led by the giant-slaying Shania Mae Mendoza on top board, was equally ruthless as it demolished El Salvador, 4-0, to forge a 30-nation tie at No. 13.
Also coming through for the country were Janelle Mae Frayna, Jan Jodilyn Fronda and Bernadette Galas.
While her teammates had trouble-free wins, the 26-year-old Mendoza had to survive Andrea Cortez, who blundered away her winning and drawing chances that allowed the former to escape with a 60-move win of a razor-sharp Sicilian duel.
In the overall race in the Open section, powerhouse India continued to hold sway as it clobbered France, 3.5-.5 to share the lead with seven others, including Southeast Asian powerhouse Vietnam, with perfect 8 points each.
The Vietnamese produced the day’s worthiest win by stunning defending champion Uzbekistan, 3-0.
Also in that group were the Ukrainians, who surprised top seed United States in a 2.5-1.5 result that was sealed by old guard Vasyl Ivanchuk’s remarkable win over Philippine-born Wesley So on second board.
