India’s 96th Chess Grandmaster! From the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan to GM at 14: The story of Ethan Vaz |: Chess News:
NEW DELHI: The exact date is March 11, 2011, when a magnitude 9.1 earthquake and subsequent tsunami damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Three reactor cores melted down, resulting in the largest release of radioactive material since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. At that time, Linda Fernandes was pregnant with Ethan Vaz.“She was pregnant with Ethan at that time in Tokyo itself when that crisis happened,” Edwin Vaz, Ethan’s father, told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction from Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Edwin and Linda work as software professionals in Japan. However, after the disaster, their lives changed forever.“Since she was pregnant, we felt there was a health risk, so I took them to Goa. I went back to Japan to reassess the situation for a few months before finally deciding to go back,” Edwin added.Ethan was born later that year, on September 3, 2011.Last Saturday, while competing in the “Chess Summer in Sarajevo – GM Mix” tournament, Ethan earned his third and final GM rule, becoming India’s 96th Grandmaster (GM) at the age of 14.
A long-awaited fulfillment
Less than 24 hours since Ethan found a place among the Indian chess elite. For Edwin, the reality of his son’s great success still revolves around a blur of celebratory messages.“It didn’t really sink in because ever since he reached the norm, we have been answering calls, answering messages,” shared Edwin. “We still haven’t had time for ourselves to really feel what’s really going on.”The family knows that the final step will require a lot of patience. Once a player crosses the 2500 Elo mark, finding the Grandmaster rules becomes an incredibly difficult task.“We have been preparing for a long time,” explained Edwin. “People try for the title of Grandmaster for decades sometimes and still don’t get there. There’s no set path or set timeline. Once you cross 2500, it becomes difficult to get a lot of rules.
Instead, Ethan processed the milestone with a quiet, low-key demeanor, typical of a master chess player. When local reporters in Goa sought Ethan’s reaction to becoming India’s newest and the state’s third GM, the 14-year-old, currently rated 2522, kept it brief.“I asked him what he wanted to say,” said Edwin laughing. “He said, ‘This has been my goal since I started playing chess, and I am happy to have achieved the title of Grandmaster.'” When Edwin urged his son to elaborate, Ethan only added one sentence, “I will continue to work on my game and try to achieve my dream of becoming a World Champion.”“These are his two precious passages. That’s it,” said Edwin with a laugh. “I think chess players, they don’t talk much. They play on the board. All the talk is on the board with mouth shut.”Ethan, currently in 10th standard, was originally scheduled to represent India at the FIDE World Youth Chess Championship in Italy.However, a sudden visa delay threatens to derail his plans. Refusing to settle for disappointment, his parents quickly organized an alternative itinerary to Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, a pivot that paid off handsomely when Ethan went undefeated with 7 points from 9 rounds to claim the tournament victory along with his last needed title.
When chess replaced cartoons
Ethan is only six and a half years old. At that time, television screens provided a great distraction for children. “Ethan and his older brother Edrick, who was actually born in Japan … they were both addicted to cartoons,” Edwin recalls. “We thought it might be better to give them an intellectual activity to do instead of being in front of the TV.”They enrolled the brothers in a chess academy near their home in South Goa, where coach Prakash Vikram Singh taught.“At the time we didn’t know that chess is actually a game that takes you in this direction. We didn’t know there were tournaments; We didn’t know you could only play by country, state, etc. like that,” Edwin added.Only three months into his training, the management of the academy suggested that Ethan enter an under-7 tournament in North Goa. Edwin was very reluctant to sacrifice three days of work and school for a new hobby.
“I’m not ready to give three days because that’s not our passion yet,” admitted Edwin.But they went. Ethan placed fifth, narrowly missing the automatic top-two selection for the national championship.On the advice of his coach, the family funded a donor entry to give him exposure at Nationals. Ethan, who is currently training under Singh, GM Swayams Mishra, GM Srinath Narayanan and benefited from various training programs, including those conducted by GM RB Ramesh, surprised everyone by finishing in the top 20.“That’s when we first realized that he has potential,” said Edwin. “From the hesitation of giving three days to a tournament in Goa, we ended up putting everything on the sidelines, including our start on the back burner, and continued his chess career in the end.
The value of a dream:
The pursuit of chess excellence quickly changed the family’s lifestyle. Edwin and Linda set up a self-funded IT services company on their return to Goa. However, as Ethan’s career accelerates, their professional ambitions must be balanced against the demands of world travel.The financial burden of a professional chess career also brings constant concern.
“We are worried about finances,” Edwin confessed. “We have accumulated a small corpus because, of course, it is our retirement fund and our backup plan in case our business fails when we come from Japan. When we know we’ve used all the savings for Ethan, his career, there’s less worry about what the future holds.“Chess is usually like all costs and no profits,” he added. “Even if you win a tournament, you’ve spent more going to the tournament than what the prize money actually is.”Fortunately, recent support from donors and sponsors in India has made the path manageable, helping the family move towards financial stability.
Beyond the system
Crediting the Goa Chess Association and the All India Chess Federation (AICF) for providing the initial platform for the competition, Edwin distinguished grassroots infrastructure and elite professional development.“The chess infrastructure is there because the AICF is there, then there are the state associations,” said Edwin. “The state association organizes these tournaments where we get exposure. Ethan won thirty international medals for the country, and that was possible because of the state association, AICF, and the Sports Authority of Goa. Such infrastructure is very important, especially in the early years.““But the professional track, where the player aspires to become a professional, that is more of a personal struggle,” clarified Edwin.The journey to becoming one of the world’s elite grandmasters remains a long one. But there is little doubt in the father’s mind about the path ahead, he said, “I think we’ll still follow this career path because that’s where his passion lies.”
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