Meet nine-year-old Ethan Pang from London, U.Ok. The chess prodigy has simply fulfilled a dream after a collection of unbelievable outcomes that earned him the title of candidate grasp and the document because the youngest participant ever to cross the 2200-barrier.
A seemingly infinite era of rising youngsters has seized the highlight in recent times, they usually maintain breaking data. The brand new child on the town is Pang, a pupil at Westminster Below Faculty within the coronary heart of London. He is had an distinctive few months and since turning 9 in March has in simply three tournaments gained a whopping 334 ranking factors, skyrocketing from 1878 to 2212.
Pang’s newest success was scoring 3/4 within the EACU County Crew Championship in June, the place he jumped 48 ranking factors. His finest consequence was a draw towards 2493-rated IM Alan Merry from a reportedly profitable place. He hasn’t misplaced in his final 16 classical video games.
Final week Pang additionally competed within the U13 part of the ChessKid Youth Championship, the place he defeated none apart from GM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, the world’s youngest grandmaster.
Pang realized the sport on the college’s chess membership on the age of 5. When he was nonetheless solely seven, he held a attract a simul towards two-time British Champion GM Gawain Jones. How did he develop into so good, so early?
“Plainly it finally got here right down to follow. When he’s introduced with the chance to play towards robust gamers, he tends to take it extra critically and apply himself totally. Constant follow and the prospect to compete towards several types of opponents have been key components to his chess growth,” Ethan’s father Raymond Pang advised Chess.com.
He famous that the flexibility to entry on-line chess sources and compete with others world wide had been instrumental to Ethan’s chess progress through the pandemic.
“We really feel the pandemic has performed an enormous function in his chess growth, in that the handful of chess membership classes that he attended ignited his curiosity, then lockdown all of the sudden compelled everybody to remain at house. This era supplied Ethan with a chance to delve even deeper into his newfound ardour, and we will genuinely say that it was due to Chess.com and ChessKid movies,” he mentioned.
Pang’s rise is extraordinary as he has now damaged the 2200-barrier for the primary time and earned the CM title. At 9 years and three months, he has now develop into the youngest participant ever to have a printed ranking of at the very least 2200, based on Chess.com’s analysis. The earlier document holder was none apart from FM Faustino Oro, who not too long ago turned the youngest-ever worldwide grasp.
“Ethan enjoys each second taking part in chess, discovering it mentally difficult and rewarding—most likely extra so when he wins. He has a powerful sense of path and dedication, understanding precisely what he desires and going after it with all his may,” his father mentioned.
Ethan enjoys each second taking part in chess, discovering it mentally difficult and rewarding—most likely extra so when he wins.
—Ethan’s father, Raymond Pang
He added: “Considered one of his best motivators to enhance is to take part in Titled Tuesday, in order that he has an opportunity of going through Hikaru and taking part in the notorious “Bongcloud” towards him! Clearly no profitable possibilities for Ethan, however at the very least he can inform everybody he had a go!”
Chess.com has lined the unbelievable era of gifted gamers born in 2015, kids who realized chess through the pandemic. A lot of them have already overwhelmed grandmasters in classical video games, resembling Leonid Ivanovic from Serbia who turned the youngest to take action at eight years, 11 months, and 7 days.
Not lengthy after, that document was smashed by eight years, six months, and 11-days-old CM Ashwath Kaushik from Singapore, who beat 2351-rated GM Jacek Stopa. One other noteworthy participant born the identical 12 months, is CM Roman Shogdzhiev, who beat 5 grandmasters within the World Fast & Blitz Championships final December.
Pang now tops that record, 27 factors forward of WFM Bodhana Sivanandan, triple world champion and the youngest participant ever to attain a WIM norm. Third on the record is Attila Orman, the son of WGM Turkan Mamedjarova and nephew of GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov.
It is not the primary time Ethan Pang has been within the highlight. In April, WFM Anna Cramling printed an entertaining video of her casual blitz sport towards Ethan in Menorca, Spain. Up to now, it has reached greater than 375,000 views.
Maybe unsurprisingly, it didn’t go properly for the Swedish content-creator and streamer.
Requested about objectives for the long run, his father says Ethan jokes about turning into the youngest-ever FM within the subsequent few months, including:
“We don’t have any expectations for Ethan’s chess progress. Our principal precedence is supporting his steady dedication to the sport. So long as he stays enthusiastic to play chess, we can be there to help him.”
We don’t have any expectations for Ethan’s chess progress… So long as he stays enthusiastic to play chess, we can be there to help him.
—Raymond Pang
For Pang, the chess journey is simply starting. His subsequent event is the British Chess Championship later in July, the place he has obtained a wild card.
Congratulations to Ethan Pang of England (born March 2015!) who will cross 2200 on the July FIDE complement to make him the youngest ever to take action.
Right here’s Ethan after profitable final 12 months’s @ChessKidcom puzzle competitors at London’s ChessFest pic.twitter.com/NtII7AYE9O
— Mike Klein (@ChessMike) June 5, 2024
