Chess: Ethan youngest among major prize winners

Panaji: Goa’s Ethan Vaz remained unbeaten after 10 rounds and finished ahead of 18 of the 19 Grandmasters at 4th Gujarat International Open Grandmasters chess tournament (Category A), in Ahmedabad, recently.
The teenage chess sensation and India's youngest International Master eventually finished third runner-up and emerged as the youngest player among all major prize winners, cementing his reputation as one of India's brightest young talents.
The tournament attracted a formidable field of 306 players from 19 countries, comprising 125 titled players, which included 19 Grandmasters and 30 International Masters.
Competing against some of the strongest players in the field, Ethan remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, scoring 7.5 points from 10 rounds with five wins and five draws. He played all ten rounds on the top three boards, battling the tournament leaders round after round and remaining firmly in contention for the title until the very end.
Of his ten opponents, nine were titled players, including one Grandmaster and five International Masters, from India, Egypt, Canada, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, and Israel.
Ethan finished just half a point behind the leaders, with one draw too many preventing an even higher finish. Notably, his ninth-round opponent IM Benny Aizenberg (Israel) went on to win the tournament, while his seventh-round opponent IM Quoc Hy Nguyen of Vietnam secured second place. Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta of India finished third.