Laylo RP’s brand-new grandmaster
MANDAUE City – Darwin Laylo fulfilled a lifetime dream by becoming the country’s seventh grandmaster as he drew with 11th seed GM Zhao Jun of China to notch his sixth point after nine rounds of the sixth Asian Individual Chess Championship at the Cebu International Convention Center here last night.
The 27-year-old business management graduate of San Sebastian College actually needed just eight moves of the Slav to clinch his third and last GM result as he joined Eugene Torre, the late Rosendo Balinas Jr., Joey Antonio, Bong Villamayor, Nelson Mariano II, Mark Paragua in the country’s elite circle of grandmasters.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Laylo, who made a triumphant return to the local chess scene after serving a six-month suspension for his alleged role in a game-fixing controversy last year.
“It was also a vindication for me. I am so happy to have clinched my GM title. My suspension served as inspiration for me to play my best,” added Laylo, who earned his first two GM results in the Malaysian Open and the Bad Wiesse Open in
No less than National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP) president Prospero “Butch” Pichay called up to congratulate Laylo.
He earned the GM title ahead of the equally talented IMs Wesley So, Jayson Gonzales, Oliver Dimakiling and Ronald Dableo.
Except for Dableo, all three IMs are also competing in the 11-round tournament organized by the NCFP and supported by the
FIDE honorary lifetime president Florencio Campomanes and
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