Quizon wants another chance to win gold in SEA Games

REIGNING national chess champion Daniel Quizon has an unfinished business in the Southeast Asian Games.

If given a choice, the 17-year-old Mr. Quizon bested all comers to rule the National Championship set in Mactan, Cebu two weeks ago to earn a spot to the national team waging war in the Hanoi SEA Games in May next year.

There will be 10 golds in at least two events — rapid and blitz — initially listed in the Hanoi calendar and Quizon wants a share of it.

“I want to play in the blitz event,” said the Dasmariñas City native.

Mr. Quizon’s insistence was rooted to his heartbreaking experience in the 2019 SEA Games in Subic where he came a win away from snatching the blitz gold.

Mr. Quizon was at joint first with Indonesian Grandmaster Susanto Megaranto going into the seventh and final round and even caught a big fish in former world blitz champion Le Quang Liem of Vietnam along the way.

But as fate would have it, Mr. Quizon, then just an inexperienced 15-year-old, had a breakdown and blundered right in the opening, allowing Mr. Megaranto to cop the gold while sending the former back home without a single medal.

Now Mr. Quizon wants redemption.

“I hope to be given another chance at winning the gold in the SEA Games,” said Quizon, who is seeking to become a GM next year. — Joey Villar