MARGAO
AIM Ethan Vaz finished as the first runner-up to clinch the silver medal at World Cup Finals 2021.
The Goan chess player (1384 Elo), who turns 10 on Friday (Sept 3), fought well in the final match of the tournament but fell short of overcoming U-10 World No. 1 CM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus of Turkey (2150 Elo).
The podium finish means Ethan will be awarded a diploma by FIDE and also the right to a direct entry into the World Cup 2021 Super Finals scheduled to be held in December later this year. The World Cup Super Finals is a round-robin tournament that will be hotly contested amongst six of the world's best players in their respective categories.
Ethan's performance gained him an impressive rating increase of 457 Elo points over the month-long event. Had this been an over-the-board tournament, Ethan's FIDE Rating would have increased from 1384 to 1841 Elo.
“In the World Cup, Ethan upset of as many as 13 higher-rated opponents, including 3 Candidate Masters (CMs). His best victory was against a 2168 Elo-rated CM in the Under-12 World Cup Selection stage," Ethan's coach, Prakash Singh of Chess Guru Goa Academy, said. "We were aiming for gold right from day one of the final stage, and I was looking forward to Ethan becoming the World Champion," Singh said, expressing confidence in Ethan's skills and talent.
"Representing India at the World Cup and coming within arm's reach of becoming the world champion has been a thrilling and enriching experience for Ethan as well as for all of us," said Ethan's parents, Edwin Vaz and Linda Fernandes, who hail from Raia.
