Panaji: AIM Ethan Vaz fought bravely but could not get the better of World No. 1 CM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus of Turkey in the title clash of the World Cup Finals 2021 in the under-10 category.
Erdogmus, the world’s highest rated player in the category, picked up the gold while Ethan, who turns 10 on Friday, had to settle for the silver.
His performance means he will now be awarded a Diploma by Fide, the world governing body for chess, and earn a direct entry into the World Cup 2021 Super Finals scheduled to be held in December. The World Cup Super Finals is a round-robin tournament contested amongst six of the world’s best players in their respective categories.
Ethan’s performance calculations in the World Cup show a rating increase of 457 Elo points over the month-long event.
According to Ethan’s coach Prakash Singh, the youngster caused upsets of as many as 13 higher rated opponents, including three Candidate Masters (CMs). His best was against a 2168 Elo rated CM in the under-12 World Cup selection stage.
“We were aiming for gold right from day one of the final stage. I was looking forward to Ethan becoming the world champion,” said Singh.
Ethan’s parents, Edwin Vaz and Linda Fernandes, were understandably ecstatic.
“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,” the parents, who hail from Raia, said in a statement on Thursday.
Indian Chess World Cup Update
