International Master Daniel Quizon overcame a faulty start to lead three other Filipinos to the finals of the Azerbaijan International online juniors blitz chess tournament Saturday.
Quizon, 16, recovered from three early losses and clawed his way back by scoring eight points in his last nine games to finish in a four-player tie for first place with 11 points apiece in this 15-round qualifying stage.
The Cavite bet, however, wound up third behind Turkey’s Ediz Gurel and IM Ekin Baris Ozenir after the tiebreak.
Kyrgyzstan’s Eldiar Orozbaev came in fourth.
Quizon booked one of the 25 slots staked in the finals scheduled late Sunday, where he and 24 other qualifiers will join an elite group headed by Grandmasters Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan, Vincent Keymer of Germany, Arjun Erigaisi of India and Arseniy Nesterov of Russia.
Michael Concio Jr., Mark Jay Bacojo and Chester Neil Reyes finished at sixth, 15th and 19th spots with 10.5, 10 and 9.5 points to also make the cut.
Several Filipinos including FIDE Master Alekhine Nouri gave it their best but fell short in the end and were eliminated.