Quizon solidifies lead in Philippine National Chess Championship

MANILA, Philippines – After some bumps on the road, 19-year-old International Master Daniel Quizon’s return to the top as Philippine chess’ finest is imminent.

It came following a 26-move destruction of John Jerish Velarde of his pet Benoni in the ninth round Thursday night, which kept Quizon imperturbable at No. 1 in the Philippine National Chess Championship at the Marikina Community Convention Center.

With four rounds to go, Quizon has 7.5 points and a full point lead over a cast headed by Woman Grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna, IM Jem Garcia and GM John Paul Gomez in this 14-player field presented by Marikina City Mayor Marcy Teodoro and Rep. Maan Teodoro.

If the young World Cup veteran remains unshakeable at the helm until the end, he will bag the top purse worth a cool P120,000, one of the three seats to the national team going into World Chess Olympiad war this September in Budapest, Hungary, and his second national crown since accomplishing the same feat in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu three years back.

From Lapu-Lapu, Quizon went on a downward spiral most of last year before recovering his old groove in time to close in on completing his glorious reclamation of the title he once had.

Also in search for more milestones was Frayna, who split the point with IM Paulo Bersamina in 39 moves of a Reti Opening to share No. 2 with Garcia and Gomez, who downed GM Joey Antonio and IM Barlo Nadera, respectively, with 6.5 points apiece.

Frayna actually leapfrogged to solo second with a win over Vince Angelo Medina in the eighth round early in the day.

But the enlisted Army personnel from Legazpi City couldn’t extract a win in her timid duel with Bersamina for the draw that sent her crashing down to a share of No. 2.

Frayna, nonetheless, has four rounds to achieve what nobody else before her had done — become the first woman’s champion in the men’s national tilt and also the first female to make the men’s team bound for the Olympiad.