Filipino International Master Daniel Quizon downed Grandmaster Abdimalik Abdisalimov in the eighth round to barge into the top five of the premier Masters category of the 30th Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival at the United Arab Emirates Friday night.
The 20-year-old national champion from Dasmariñas, Cavite, prevailed over the 11th-seeded Abdisalimov after 48 moves of the Sicilian Defense to join six others with six points.
Uzbek GMs Nodirbek Yakubboev, Shamsiddin Vokhidov, FIDE GM David Paravyan and Indian GM Leon Luke Mendonca share the lead with 6.5 points.
Quizon will face Indian GM Sunilduth Lyna Narayanan, the No. 10 seed, in the last round this weekend, eyeing another win for a possible podium finish.
He defeated No. 6 seed GM Bassem Amin of Egypt in the fourth round and FIDE GM Klementy Sychev in the seventh round.
The Filipino chess master also hopes to get more points to complete the 2500 rating required to become a GM. He improved to 2482.8 from 2457.
Quizon is part of the Philippine team to the FIDE World Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary on Sept. 10 to 22.
Other members of the team are GMs Julio Catalino Sadorra and John Paul Gomez and IMs Paolo Bersamina and Jan Emmanuel Garcia. GM Eugene Torre will serve as coach. (PNA)
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