Daniel Quizon outlasted fellow International Master Joel Pimentel in 83 moves of a Gruenfeld Defense on Friday to seize the solo lead after the second round of the 2021 Philippine National Chess Championships at the Solea Hotel and Resort in Mactan, Cebu.
Quizon, 17, outplayed Pimentel in the opening in gaining a pawn edge for a lasting positional advantage that he nursed and transformed into a full point by displaying superb endgame technique.
When it was over, the foxy Quizon had two unstoppable connected kingside passed pawns, and a rook against Pimentel’s helpless rook and bishop.
The win gave Quizon, a Southeast Asian Games and World Cup veteran, the solo hold on first place with two points after he turned back IM John Marvin Miciano in the opening round Thursday night.
Erstwhile co-leaders IMs Ricky de Guzman and Paulo Bersamina failed to cash in on their advantages and settled for draws to slip to a share of second spot with 1.5 points apiece.
Bersamina, who downed Grandmaster Joey Antonio the round before, blew his pawn edge and split the point with IM Michael Concio, Jr in 88 moves of a Trompovsky Attack.
De Guzman, who bested Concio the day before, had just gained full control of the second rank but he left his own back rank unprotected that allowed unheralded Allan Pason to salvage a draw via perpetual check in 46 moves of a Giuoco Piano.
Quizon was playing GM Darwin Laylo, one of his coaches, in the third round at press time in this six-day tournament backed by PSC chair Butch Ramirez, NCFP president Butch Pichay, POC president Bambol Tolentino, Chess Movement, Inc. chair Dr. Ariel Potot, PCSO general manager Royina Gaerma and Atty Roel Canobas.
Other results saw Woman GM Janelle Mae Frayna halving the point with IM Ronald Dableo in 23 moves of a French duel, Laylo splitting point with Miciano in 59 moves of a Dutch Defense, and GM Joey Antonio smashing IM Jan Emmanuel Reyes in 43 moves of a Ruy Lopez.
The winner in this 11-round event will earn a spot to the national team seeing action in next year’s Hanoi Southeast Games and the 2023 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Bangkok and Chonburi, Thailand apart from the top purse worth P80,000.