Quizon cops 17-U crown in national youth chess tiff

MANILA, Philippines – Daniel Quizon foiled Neil Chester Reyes’ upset try and salvaged a draw then edged Eric Labog Jr. in the tiebreak to capture the premier boys’ 17-under division crown of the 2019 National Youth and Schools Chess Championship at the Batangas State University in Batangas City Monday night.

Quizon, 15, and Labog ended up tied for first with 7.5 points each but the former emerged with a superior tiebreak score, 51-50.5, to clinc the crown and earn a spot in Philippine team vying in the 14th Eastern Asia Youth Championship 2019 set Aug. 1-10 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Labog, a Perpetual Help standout, actually had a chance to snatch the title but was held to a draw by Michael Concio, Jr. to settle for second.

Quizon thus will get the chance to defend the crown he won in Gangneung, South Korea where he also obtained his IM title.

Quizon was also the best-placed Filipino at 16th in the blitz event of the Asian Continental Chess Championship in Xingtai, China last week, spiking his campaign with victories over three grandmasters and drawing against two more GMs.

He has also beaten GMs Eugene Torre and Joey Antonio and fell half-a-point short from obtaining his second GM result in the HD Bank event in Vietnam.

In the National Juniors Championships, open only to participants 20 years old and below, Quizon toppled older IM John Marvin Miciano and eventual winner Jeth Romy Morado. He actually led heading to the final round but lost his match and ended up third.

Other division winners were Al-Basher Buto (U9), sisters Francis Marie (U17) and Franiel Angela Magpily (U7), Ma. Elayza Villa (U15), Jerome Aragones (U15), Srihaan Poddar (U11), Glisea Ann Hilario (U7), Kaye Regidor (U11), Mark Jay Bacojo (U13), and Queen Rose Pamplona (U13).