New Delhi: The exact date was March 11, 2011, when a magnitude 9.1 earthquake and subsequent tsunami destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Three reactor cores melted down, causing the largest radioactive release 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 when the accident happened,” Edwin Vaz, Ethan’s father, told TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview from Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Both Edwin and Linda worked as software engineers in Japan. However, after the tragedy, their lives changed forever.“Because she was pregnant, we thought she had a health problem. So I brought her to Goa. I went back to Japan to see the situation again for a few months before I decided to go back,” added Edwin.Ethan was born later that year, on September 3, 2011.On Saturday, competing in the “Chess Summer in Sarajevo – GM Mix” tournament, Ethan achieved his third and final GM status, becoming the 96th Indian Grandmaster at the age of 14.
Long-term awareness
Less than 24 hours have passed since Ethan found a place among the chess masters of India. For Edwin, the facts of his son’s great success continue in the happy messages.“It’s never interfered because since they achieved that, we’ve been trying to answer calls, answer messages,” Edwin said. “We still haven’t had time to really hear what happened.”The family knew that the last thing would require a lot of patience. Once a player passes the 2500 Elo mark, hunting down the Grandmaster’s traits becomes a much more difficult task.“We’ve been trying for a long time,” Edwin said. “People try for the title of Grandmaster for years sometimes and they still can’t. There is no set method or timeline. When you go past 2500, it’s hard to get more traditions. If they go to an open game like this, it’s the top seed… and then they have to play lower ratings, because it’s easier to get traditions when you’re reduced.”
Ethan, however, handled the situation with a quiet, unassuming demeanor that resembled that of a regular chess player. Local media in Goa wanted to know how Ethan changed to become India’s latest and third GM of the state, the 14-year-old, who scored 2522 votes, kept it short.“I asked him what he wanted to say,” Edwin recalled with a laugh. “He said, ‘It’s been my goal since I started playing chess, and I’m glad I got the Grandmaster title.'” When Edwin encouraged his son to explain more, Ethan added only one sentence, “I will continue to fight my game and try to achieve my dream of becoming a World Champion.”“Those were his two most valuable sentences. That’s it,” said Edwin, laughing. “I think that chess players, they don’t talk much. They play on the board. All the conversations are done on the board with their mouths shut.”Ethan, currently in 10th standard, was originally supposed to represent India at the FIDE World Youth Chess Championship in Italy.However, a sudden visa delay threatened to disrupt his plans. Refusing to let the disappointment settle, his parents quickly planned another route to Serbia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, a pivot that paid off spectacularly when Ethan went undefeated with 7 points from 9 rounds to take the victory of the tournament along with his final requirements.
When chess instead of paintings
Ethan was only six and a half years old. At that time, television was a big distraction for children. Edwin said: “Ethan and his brother Edrick, who was actually born in Japan… “We thought maybe it would be better to give them some intellectual work to do instead of being in front of the TV.”They enrolled the brothers in a chess school near their home in South Goa, where coach Prakash Vikram Singh was teaching.“At that time we didn’t know that chess is the game that gets you here. We didn’t know there was a game; we didn’t know you could just play country, country, etc.,” added Edwin.After only three months of training, the school management decided to enter Ethan in an under-7 tournament in North Goa. Edwin didn’t want to give up three days of work and school to do something new.
“I was not ready to give three days because that was not our desire,” admitted Edwin.But they went. Ethan placed fifth, narrowly missing out on second place in the national championship.On the advice of his coach, the family paid for his entry to show him at Nationals. Ethan, who has so far trained 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.“This is when we first realized that he has potential,” said Edwin. “From the hesitation to give three days to the tournament in Goa, we ended up putting everything aside, including our start on the back burner, and moving forward with his chess career in the end. It has been an unexpected journey, but still it is sweet and rewarding.”
The price of dreams
The pursuit of chess success quickly changed the family’s life. Edwin and Linda set up a freelance IT services company after returning to Goa. However, as Ethan’s career grew, their professional interests had to be aligned with international interests.The economic weight of the chess career also caused constant concern.
“We have been worried about finances,” revealed Edwin. “We saved a lot of money because, of course, our retirement fund and our backup plan in case our work fails after we leave Japan. When we realized we were spending all of Ethan’s savings, his work, we were worried about what the future would hold. ““Chess is often like all money and no money,” he said. “Even if you win the race, you’ve spent more to get to the race than the prize is worth.”Fortunately, recent support from Indian donors and donors has made the process possible, helping the family move towards financial stability.
On top of the process
Crediting the Goa Chess Association and the All India Chess Federation (AICF) for providing a competitive platform, Edwin makes a distinction between infrastructure and the development of elite players.“The chess structure exists because the AICF exists, so the civil society exists,” Edwin said. “The government controls the game where we show ourselves. Ethan has won thirty international medals, and it is possible because of the government body, AICF, and the Sports Authority of Goa. These structures have been very important, especially in the early years.““But the professional movement, where the player wants to be a professional, is very difficult,” said Edwin.The journey to becoming one of the world’s greatest grandparents is still a long one. But there is little doubt in the father’s mind about the path ahead, as he said, “I think we will continue to pursue this project because that is where his passion lies.”
