MARGAO
Goa's teenage chess prodigy and India's youngest International Master, Ethan Vaz, continued his impressive rise on the international stage by finishing as 3rd Runner-up at the 4th Gujarat International Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament (Category A), held in Ahmedabad from June 1 to 8.
The 14-year-old produced a remarkable performance in a highly competitive field of 306 players from 19 countries, including 125 titled players comprising 19 Grandmasters and 30 International Masters. Ethan finished ahead of 18 of the 19 Grandmasters in the tournament and was the youngest among the major prize winners.
Remaining unbeaten throughout the event, Ethan scored 7.5 points from 10 rounds, registering five victories and five draws. His effort earned him the 3rd Runner-up Trophy and a cash prize of ₹2 lakh.
Competing consistently on the top three boards, Ethan faced the tournament leaders round after round and remained in title contention until the final stages. Nine of his ten opponents were titled players, including one Grandmaster and five International Masters from India, Egypt, Canada, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Israel.
He eventually finished just half a point behind the leaders, with an extra draw proving costly in his pursuit of an even higher finish. Tournament champion IM Benny Aizenberg of Israel was among Ethan's opponents, while Vietnam's IM Quoc Hy Nguyen, whom Ethan faced in the seventh round, finished second. India's Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta secured third place.
The latest achievement follows Ethan's outstanding showing at the Commonwealth Chess Championships 2026 in Sri Lanka, where he claimed three medals while competing in the higher Under-20 category despite being only 14 years old.
Beyond his medal-winning exploits at the Commonwealth event, Ethan also impressed in the Open section by challenging several Grandmasters and finishing among the leading contenders. His performance in Ahmedabad further underlined his growing ability to compete successfully against elite international opposition.
Already India's youngest International Master, Ethan now stands just one Grandmaster norm away from earning the coveted Grandmaster title — the highest distinction in international chess.
