India’s 96th Chess Grandmaster! From 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan to GM at 14: The story of Ethan Vaz | Chess news
NEW DELHI: The exact date was March 11, 2011, when a magnitude 9.1 earthquake and subsequent tsunami damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Three reactor cores have melted, 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 this crisis happened,” Edwin Vaz, Ethan’s father, told TimesofIndia.com during an exclusive interaction from Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Edwin and Linda were working as software professionals in Japan. However, after the disaster, his life changed forever.“Because she was pregnant, we felt there was a health risk. So I took her to Goa. I returned to Japan to reassess the situation for a few months before finally deciding to return,” Edwin added.Ethan was born later that year, on September 3, 2011.On Saturday, while competing at the “Chess Summer in Sarajevo – GM Mix” tournament, Ethan secured his third and final GM status, becoming India’s 96th Grandmaster (GM) at the age of 14.
A long awaited achievement
Not even 24 hours have passed since Ethan found a place among the Indian chess elite. For Edwin, the reality of his son’s massive success is still swirling in a blur of celebratory messages.“It actually hasn’t sunk in because from the moment I got the norm, we’ve been frantically trying to answer calls, to answer messages,” shared Edwin. “We haven’t even been able to have time for ourselves to really feel the sensation of what really happened.”The family knew that the last step would require immense patience. Once a player crosses the 2500 Elo mark, chasing Grandmaster standards becomes a uniquely difficult task.“We prepared for the long run,” Edwin explained. “People try for a Grandmaster title for decades sometimes and still can’t do it. There is never a set path or a set timeline. Once you cross 2500, it becomes difficult to get many standards. If he goes for open tournaments like this, he is the top seed … and then he has to play at lower ratings, because it is much easier to get a lower standard.”
Ethan, however, processed the stage with the calm and subdued manner that is typical of an experienced chess player. When local reporters in Goa sought Ethan’s reaction to becoming India’s latest GM and the state’s third GM, the 14-year-old, currently ranked 2522, kept it brief.“I asked him what he meant,” Edwin recalled with a laugh. “He said, ‘It’s been my goal since I started playing chess, and I’m happy to have achieved the title of Grandmaster.’ When Edwin urged his son to elaborate, Ethan added just one more sentence: “I will continue to work on my game and try to achieve my dream of becoming the World Champion.”“Those were his two precious sentences. That’s right,” said Edwin, laughing. “I think chess players, they don’t talk much. They play on the board. All the talking is done on the board with the mouth closed.”Ethan, currently in 10th standard, was originally slated to represent India at the FIDE World Youth Chess Championship in Italy.However, a sudden visa delay threatened to derail their plans. Refusing to let down the disappointment, his parents quickly organized an alternative itinerary to Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, a pivot that paid off spectacularly when Ethan went undefeated with 7 points in 9 rounds to claim the tournament victory alongside his final title requirement.
When chess replaced cardboard
Ethan was only six and a half years old. At the time, television screens were a major distraction for children. “Ethan and his older brother Edrick, who was actually born in Japan … both were addicted to cartoons,” Edwin recalled. “We thought maybe it’s better to give them some 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 that time we had absolutely no idea that chess is really a sport that takes you in this direction. We do not know that there are tournaments; we didn’t know you could just play country, state, and stuff like that,” Edwin added.Only three months after his training, the management of the academy suggested to enter Ethan in a tournament under 7 in North Goa. Edwin was very reluctant to sacrifice three days of work and school for a new hobby.
“I was not ready to give three days because it had never been our inclination,” Edwin admitted.But they are gone. Ethan placed fifth, narrowly missing automatic top two selection for the national championship.On the advice of his coach, the family funded a donor entry to give him exposure to the Nationals. Ethan, who has so far trained under Singh, GM Swayams Mishra, GM Srinath Narayanan and benefited from various training programmes, including those conducted by GM RB Ramesh, surprised everyone by finishing in the top 20.“That’s where we first realized it has potential,” Edwin said. “From being reluctant to give three days to a tournament in Goa, we ended up putting everything to the side, including our startup on the back burner, and going full swing with his chess career eventually. It was a journey that was not planned, but however sweet and rewarding.”
The cost of a dream
The pursuit of chess excellence quickly transformed the family’s lifestyle. Edwin and Linda founded a self-funded IT services company after returning to Goa. However, as Ethan’s career accelerated, his professional ambitions had to be balanced with the demands of global travel.The financial burden of a professional chess career also brought lingering anxiety.
“We’ve been worried about finances,” Edwin confessed. “We saved a little corpus because, of course, our retirement fund and our safety plan in case our business fails when we came from Japan. When we realized we were using all that savings for Ethan, his career, there was a bit of concern about what the future would hold.”“Chess is mostly like all expenses and no income,” he added. “Even if you win a tournament, you’ve actually spent more just going to the tournament than the prize money actually is.”Fortunately, recent support from Indian donors and sponsors has made the road seem 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 competitive platform, Edwin distinguishes between grassroots infrastructure and elite professional development.“The chess infrastructure is there because AICF is there, and then the state associations are there,” said Edwin. “The state association organizes these tournaments where we have exposure. Ethan has won thirty international medals for the country, and this is possible because of the state association, AICF and the Goa Sports Authority. This infrastructure was very crucial, especially in the early years.““But the professional track, where the player aspires to become a professional, is more of a personal struggle,” clarified Edwin.The journey to become 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, as he said: “I think we will always follow this career path because this is where his passion lies.”
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