Cavite’s Daniel Maravilla Quizon has earned the chess Grandmaster (GM) title, marking the Philippines’ first GM in 13 years. Quizon achieved this milestone during the 45th International Chess Federation (FIDE) Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.
The 20-year-old surpassed the FIDE 2500 rating requirement after defeating 64-year-old GM Igor Efimov of Monaco in the fourth round on September 14, 2024.
Quizon, from Dasmariñas City, is now the country’s 17th male Grandmaster. The last to achieve this feat were Oliver Barbosa and Richard Bitoon in 2011. Janelle Mae Frayna became the Philippines’ first woman Grandmaster in 2017.
Daniel Quizon, who started the FIDE Chess Olympiad as an International Master (IM) with a 2490 rating, is part of the Philippine men’s team captained by Asia’s first GM, Eugene Torre. He earned his IM title at age 14 during the 2018 Eastern Asian Juniors Open Championships in South Korea.
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Before this Olympiad, Quizon had already secured the three required GM norms through high-level performances. He achieved his first norm in February 2023 at the AQ Prime ASEAN Chess Championship, his second in December 2023 by winning the Open division at the Eastern Asia Juniors and Girls Chess Championship, and his third at the Hanoi Grandmaster Chess Tournament in March 2024.
In recognition of his achievement, the City of Dasmariñas has reportedly pledged a reward of 1 million pesos for Quizon.
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The Philippine men’s Open team at the FIDE Olympiad, which runs from September 10-23, 2024, includes:
- GM Julio Catalino Sadorra
- GM Daniel Quizon
- GM John Paul Gomez
- IM Paulo Bersamina
- IM Jan Emmanuel Garcia
Quizon’s victory coincided with the Philippines’ 4-0 sweep against Monaco, pushing the 51st-seeded team closer to the top 10 after four rounds. Meanwhile, former Filipino GM Wesley So is also competing at the Olympiad as a member of Team USA.
SEE: Filipinos in world chess meet: Hall of Famer Eugene Torre, US Chess Champion Wesley So
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