Quizon eyes breaching 2500 rating to claim GM title
DANIEL QUIZON eyes to finally seal the Grandmaster (GM) title and help the Philippine team in the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad unfurling on Wednesday up to Sept. 22 in Budapest, Hungary.
Just 10 rating points shy of breaching the 2500-rating cut and claiming his dream GM status, the 20-year-old Mr. Quizon will have a chance to accomplish the feat as he will play the top board in the absence of Board One player GM Inno Sadorra, who will only arrive late Thursday due to previous commitments.
Mr. Quizon and the rest of the team will leave the country Monday alongside other team members GM John Paul Gomez and IMs Jem Garcia and Paolo Bersamina and coach GM Eugene Torre and head of delegation Atty Roel Canobas.
The women’s team — Janelle Mae Frayna, Jan Jodilyn Fronda, Ruelle Canino, Shania Mae Mendoza and Bernadette Galas — flies the same day alongside mentor GM Jayson Gonzales.
The team had a sendoff in Marikina City on Sunday that was attended by National Chess Federation of the Philippines officials including chairman/president Butch Pichay.
Both the squads are optimistic in eclipsing its 32nd place finish in the men’s and 39th place effort in the women’s in the last Olympiad in Chennai, India. — Joey Villar