Chess prodigy AIM Ethan Vaz of Raia, Goa, who had earned the rare distinction of being selected for World Cup 2021 (Cadets & Youth) in two categories, viz. Under-10 And Under-12, has now achieved the unique distinction of having qualified for the World Cup Finals stage in both the categories.
9-year old Ethan finished joint 3rd runner-up and 5th on tie-break in the Selection Stage of the Under-12 Open World Cup organized from 6th to 10th of August. The 10-round Swiss tournament was closely contested by 201 of the best players from 78 countries. Ethan who was seeded at a distant starting rank of 92, played exemplary chess to finish in the top 5, thereby qualifying for the World Cup Finals a second time, the first being at the Under-10 Open World Cup Tournament conducted earlier from 1st to 5th of August.
In what was a mind–blowing performance at the Under-12 Open World Cup, Ethan (Elo 1384) caused stunning upsets of three Candidate Masters from Poland, Vietnam and Kazakhstan, rated Elo 2090, 1992 and 2168 respectively. Pitted against higher rated opponents in 9 out of 10 rounds with an average opponent rating of Elo 1952, Ethan scored an impressive 7.5 points of possible 10 with an astounding performance rating of 2050. Ethan’s two hard-fought losses came against the eventual toppers, winner Azadaliyev Jahandar of Azerbaijan and 1st runner-up Poh Yu Tian of Malaysia.