Dropped by Pasig, GM Laylo moves to Davao Chess Eagles

MANILA, Philippines – In a stunning move two days before the start of the Wesley So Cup — the middle tournament of the Professional Chess Association of the Philippines’ trio of annual conferences — the Pasig King Pirates dropped Grandmaster Darwin Laylo from the lineup.

According to King Pirates head coach Franco Camillo, Laylo’s dropping from the roster was a “Pasig City Sports top management decision.”

No further explanation was made.

Laylo had been with the team since the first season and had been a top performer for Pasig. However, in the recently concluded All Filipino Cup, he struggled and didn’t make the list of the Top 25 Players of the All-Filipino Cup.

Pasig, of course, fell spectacularly in the playoffs after lording it over in the elimination rounds. They were bounced in the northern division finals by eventual champion San Juan.

It didn’t take long, however, for GM Laylo to find a new team.

In one move, the Davao Chess Eagles added GM Laylo and could possibly be the addition to help the squad get past the southern division’s perennial leader and top dog, Iloilo Kisela Knights.

Pasig still has two GMs in Mark Paragua and Singaporean import Kevin Goh. Their power-packed line-up has IM Sherily Cua, NM Rudy Ibañez, IM Cris Ramayrat Jr., IM Eric Labog, Kevin Arquero, Jerome Villanueva, Marc Kevin Labog, Gerry Paul Nudalo, Carl Espallardo, IM Ildefonso Datu, Shercila Cua and Jeth Romy Morado. 

Laylo will join a Chess Eagles team that counts among its members FM Sander Severino, FM Roel Abelgas, AGM Rowelyn Joy Acedo, NM Alexander Lupian, IM Oliver Dimakiling, NM Jonathan Tan, NM James Infiesto, NM Henry Lopez, NM Aglipay Oberio, Arnel Aton, Anthony Mosqueda,] and Aladino Diez.

Coincidentally, on the same day Pasig removed Laylo from the roster, the GM won a silver medal in the rapid chess event of the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam.

The Wesley So Cup kicks off Saturday, May 21 while the Pasig-Davao inter-division match takes place on June 11.