Filipino International Master Daniel Quizon is determined to secure his Grandmaster title while gaining momentum for the upcoming Olympiad in Budapest. Competing in the fiercely contested 30th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival, Quizon made a significant impact by defeating Egyptian Grandmaster Bassem Amin in the fourth round, leaving him just half a point behind the tournament leaders.
Ranked 66th among 217 participants, Quizon’s tactical prowess shone as he outmaneuvered the sixth-seeded Amin, clinching victory after 36 moves in their Sicilian match. With this win, Quizon finds himself in a tie for 15th place with three points, trailing the top seed, Iranian GM Amin Tabatabaei, by only half a point.
Quizon aims to maintain his strong performance in the remaining rounds, particularly against 13th seed GM Shamsiddin Vokhidov of Uzbekistan, as he seeks to surpass the 2500-rating mark necessary to earn the Grandmaster title. As of now, Quizon’s live rating stands at 2469.1, a significant increase from his pre-tournament rating of 2457.
In addition to his Grandmaster pursuit, Quizon is gearing up for the Chess Olympiad, scheduled from September 10 to 22 in Budapest, where he will represent the Philippines alongside GMs Inno Sadorra and John Paul Gomez, and IMs Paolo Bersamina and Jem Garcia, with GM Eugene Torre as their coach.