At 17, Quizon chases gold and GM norm

At 14, International Master Daniel Quizon almost climbed the podium in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Nearly three years removed from that precious exposure, Quizon will now spearhead the Philippine chess team’s drive for redemption in the coming Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

“I was not yet familiar with the openings back then and miscalculated some of the moves,’’ said Quizon on Thursday during a Philippine Sports Commission online show.

The 17-year-old Quizon, a nominee for junior athlete of the year in the recent Inquirer Sports Awards, will fly to Vietnam not only to chase a gold medal in the 31st SEA Games, but his second GM (grandmaster) norm as well.

According to GM Jayson Gonzales, the executive director of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, the men’s standard event in the SEA Games also gives Quizon a chance to secure a GM norm.