Daniel Quizon has achieved a lifelong dream. —PHOTO COURTESY OF DANIEL QUIZON
BUDAPEST—Whatever happens to the Philippine teams competing in the 45th Fide (International Chess Federation) Chess Olympiad here, one thing’s certain: There’s reason for a, well, grand celebration.
The Philippines has a new chess Grandmaster (GM).
International Master (IM) Daniel Quizon, just turning 20, fulfilled a lifelong dream after outlasting Monaco’s GM Igor Efimov, a 64-year-old émigré originally from Georgia, 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 long pursued.
READ: Mendoza shines for PH women; Quizon keeps eye on GM norm
“I am very happy,” Quizon said on Saturday (early Sunday morning in Manila) at BOK Sports Hall here. “I finally fulfilled what I set out to do when I first started playing chess.”
Quizon’s victory highlighted the 4-0 rout hammered out by the men’s team against Monaco, which pushed the Filipinos closer to the top 10 after four rounds of competition.
Spurring the women
And the win seemed to spur the women’s squad too, with the giant-slaying Shania Mae Mendoza continuing her surprise romp at the top board by snatching a win from what looked like a losing position and shining a light on the women squad’s 4-0 annihilation of El Salvador.
While her more illustrious teammates coasted to wins, Mendoza looked like reality had finally settled on board one when Andrea Cortez controlled their Sicilian encounter, putting herself in a win or draw position. But Cortez blundered away that edge and the 26-year-old Mendoza, from Sta. Rosa, Laguna, pulled off a dramatic victory in 60 moves.
READ: Sadorra pulls of a stunner in Philippines’ upset of Slovenia
Mendoza has now collected 3.5 points from four matches, a welcome surprise for a women’s team that put her at board one as a strategy to allow higher-ranked teammates Janelle Mae Frayna, Jan Jodilyn Fronda and Bernadette Galas to score points at the lower boards.
“I didn’t expect to win in some of the games,” Mendoza said. “I’m just doing my best.”
With the men’s team jammed in a 25-country tie for 13th with six match points, it will now try to get into the top 10 when it battles 26th-seed Slovenia in the fifth round on Sunday, with GM Julio Catalino Sadorra and IMs Pau Bersamina and Jan Emmanuel Garcia also anchoring the Philippines’ bid.
First in 14 years
And while the 51st-seeded Filipinos are at it, Quizon will begin his next career chase.
“My next goal is for my standard rating to hit 2600,” Quizon said. “I know it’s going to be very difficult, but I will give it a try.”
Quizon is the country’s first GM in 14 years. The last Filipinos to achieve GM norms were Ino Sadorra, Richard Bitoon and Oliver Barnosa in 2010.
For the women’s squad, it will play No. 24 Italy next as it tries to squirm out of a 30-country logjam at 13th place.
Powerhouse India continues to dominate the 11-round tournament after manhandling France, 3.5-.5, to share the lead with seven other countries at eight points.
Among the leaders is Southeast Asian chess power Vietnam, which shocked defending champion Uzbekistan, 3-0.
Ukraine, meanwhile, stunned top seed United States, via a 2.5-1.5 result sealed by old guard Vasyl Ivanchuk’s upset of Philippine-born Wesley So on board 2.