May 10 ------ A 16-year-old Grade 10 student from Dasmariñas, Cavite became the first Filipino in 12 years to win the Asian Zonal 3.3 Chess Championships on Sunday, May 9. Daniel Quizon summoned the defensive skills that allowed him to save inferior positions and draw top seeded Indonesian Grandmaster Susanto Megaranto in a 30-move Queen's Gambit Accepted. The draw gave the unbeaten Quizon 7 points out of nine rounds.
With Michael Concio Jr upsetting the second seeded Indonesian Grandmaster Novendra Priasmoro in 106 moves of a Sicilian Defense, he finished second with 6.5 points, joining his Dasmariñas teammate to the World Cup set in Baku in August.
This was also the first time since 2009 when a Filipino pair reigned in the tournament since Darwin Laylo and Wesley So also finished 1-2. They qualified for the World Cup, where So stunned veterans Vasyl Ivanchuk and Gata Kamsky.
“I am very happy with the result. They told me that no matter what happens [after my final-round draw], I would qualify,” said Quizon in an interview with Rappler. Coach Roel Abelgas of the Dasmariñas chess team said he was glad their training bore fruit. “We began training four months ago because we knew that standard chess competitions would be held,” said Abelgas, who has been coaching the Dasmariñas team for six years.
Megaranto only needed to play 30.Bxg6 to put pressure on Quizon's position where the Filipino's Queen was being attacked by a rook but when he played 30.Bd3, Quizon offered the draw, which was accepted. “I think even if he played it (Bxg6) maybe I can still defend,” Quizon added, pointing out that the Indonesian was one piece down. Concio squeezed victory out of a rook and bishop versus rook endgame against Priasmoro. The Filipino gained a piece when Priasmoro gave it up to stop a queening pawn.
Tying for third to eighth places with 6 points were Indonesians Mohamad Ervan, Yoseph Theolifus Taher, and Sean Winshand Cuhendi, Singaporean Tin Jingyao, and Lye Lik Zang of Malaysia.
Source: rappler.com