Laylo lands in top 10, gains World Cup slot

MANDAUE CITY – For the second time in three days, Darwin Laylo got what he wanted.

Two days after fulfilling his lifetime dream by earning his GM title, Laylo made history by clinching one of 10 slots to the World Chess Cup after finishing in a six-way tie for third to eighth places at the end of the sixth Asian Individual Chess Championship at the Cebu International Convention Center here Saturday.

Laylo, who earned his GM title as early as the ninth round Thursday, capped his dramatic comeback by settling for a quick draw with eventual champion Zhang Pengxiang of China after only eight moves of the Slav.

The draw with Pengxiang was all Laylo need to ensure his place in history as the first Filipino to qualify for the World Cup through the prestigious, 11-round tournament considered as the biggest in the region.

“I’m really very happy. I fulfilled two dreams here in Cebu: to become a GM and to play in the World Chess Cup,” said Laylo, the 27-year-old campaigner from Lipa and a business management graduate of San Sebastian College.

Laylo will join Pengxiang and GM Wang Hao of China, who topped the tournament with identical scores of eight points, and seven other players as Asia’s representatives to the World Chess Cup scheduled in Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia on Nov. 22-Dec. 15.

Pengxiang and Hao will split the combined $11,000 for first and second places.

 Laylo finished with six wins, three draws and two losses.

 GM Rogelio Antonio Jr. settled for an 18-move draw in a Caro Kann with GM Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia to finish in a tie for ninth to 12th places with GM G. Gopal of India, IM Unamul Hossain of Bangladesh, GMs Mohammad Al-Modiahki of Qatar and G. Rohit of India with seven points.

But Antonio finished only 11th after the tiebreak and missed a slot in the Top 10.