It may have been a grueling, uphill battle at the office for the Davao Chess Eagles, but the Filipino underdogs proved they belong on the global stage. Competing at the prestigious FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Chess Championships, the Eagles fought tooth and nail in every single round, making a massive statement against the absolute best players on the planet.
Led by International Master (IM) Kim Steven Yap on Board 1, the Davao squad faced a mercilessly stacked international field. While the team secured four match victories overall, their true defining moments came in the form of breathtaking individual upsets and a fearless stand against the tournament’s eventual undisputed champions.
Rattling the Champions
The ultimate highlight of the Eagles’ campaign came when they stood toe-to-toe with “Dragon Chilling,” the star-studded Chinese powerhouse spearheaded by reigning Classical World Champion GM Ding Liren and Women’s World Champion GM Ju Wenjun.
While the elite Chinese squad ultimately swept the tournament to claim double gold, the Davao Chess Eagles refused to bow quietly. In a spectacular display of grit, the Eagles took two boards off the heavy favorites. Though they narrowly dropped the match 4–2, they pushed the world’s finest to the absolute brink—a result that sent shockwaves through the venue given the massive gulf in ratings and experience.
The Giant-Killers
Davao’s roster proved they were no pushovers, delivering stunning “giant-killing” performances that will go down in Philippine chess lore:
- IM Kim Steven Yap anchored the team brilliantly on the top board, finishing with a stellar 6.0 points out of 10 rounds. His crowning moment was a magnificent upset victory over world No. 89 and Turkish Grandmaster Alexander Ipatov.
- NM Aglipay Oberio pulled off a shocker of his own, playing the game of his life to defeat China’s elite Grandmaster, Yu Yangyi—a world-class super-GM consistently ranked among the globe’s top players.
They may not have left Hong Kong with the tournament trophy, but the Eagles return home with something much more valuable: the undeniable respect of the chess world, and proof that Davao can stand fearless against kings.