9-year-old CM Ethan Pang, the youngest-ever 2200 participant, defeated three grandmasters in a current classical match in Hungary and got here near breaking the 2300 score barrier for the primary time.
Pang, who made headlines in July when he broke IM-elect Faustino Oro‘s document to turn out to be the youngest participant in chess historical past to realize a score of 2200, scored a outstanding efficiency on the Vezerkepzo IM match that ended final week in Budapest, Hungary.
| Rk. | Identify | Rtg | FED | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | TB1 | |
| 1 | GM | Valeriy Neverov | 2412 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | 7 | ||
| 2 | Dingzhou Cong | 2074 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | ½ | + | 1 | 1 | 6.5 | |||
| 3 | FM | Zalan Nemeth | 2185 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 5.5 | ||
| 4 | AFM | Karthikeya Varma Gunturi Pavan | 2071 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | + | 1 | ½ | 5 | ||
| 5 | GM | Zoltan Varga | 2321 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 5 | ||
| 6 | GM | Milan Pacher | 2365 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 5 | ||
| 7 | WFM | Alana Meenakshi Kolagatla | 2200 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | – | 1 | 4.5 | ||
| 8 | GM | Attila Czebe | 2302 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | 4.5 | ||
| 9 | CM | Ethan Pang | 2266 | 0 | – | ½ | – | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 4.5 | ||
| 10 | AGM | Pedagandham Saketh | 2051 | ½ | 0 | 0 | 0 | ½ | 0 | + | ½ | 1 | ½ | 4 | ||
| 11 | IM | Attila Jakab | 2252 | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 3.5 |
The 9-year-old prodigy from London completed on a formidable 4.5/8 rating and a 2300 score efficiency after he had defeated three grandmasters and held one IM to a draw. The GMs had been rated as little as 2365, 2302, and 2321, however as identified by the Guardian’s Leonard Barden, that they had “many years of expertise in high-level tournaments” and may usually don’t have any downside defeating a baby who realized the foundations a number of years in the past.
“Three victories towards GMs in a single classical match by an under-10 is a singular achievement,” the legendary chess columnist wrote.
Within the final 12 months, Chess.com has coated quite a few instances of under-10s defeating grandmasters in classical video games. Ashwath Kaushik from Singapore stays the youngest, after he beat 2351-rated GM Jacek Stopa in February on the age of eight years, six months, and 11 days, breaking Serbian Leonid Ivanovic‘s document set a month earlier.
“Ethan was very glad to have made such a feat, however we had no thought it was breaking some type of unofficial document,” Ethan’s father Raymond Pang informed Chess.com.
Ethan was very glad to have made such a feat, however we had no thought it was breaking some type of unofficial document.
—Raymond Pang
Pang now has three entries within the listing of the youngest gamers to beat a grandmaster.
| # | Yr | Participant | Ranking | Age | Opponent | Opponent’s score |
| 1 | 2024 | Ashwath Kaushik | 1892 | 8 years, 6 months, 11 days | Jacek Stopa | 2351 |
| 2 | 2024 | Leonid Ivanovic | 1865 | 8 years, 11 months, 7 days | Milko Popchev | 2193 |
| 3 | 2012 | Awonder Liang | 1832 | 9 years, 3 months, 20 days | Larry Kaufman | 2406 |
| 4 | 2024 | Ethan Pang | 2266 | 9 years, 5 months, 9 days | Milan Pacher | 2365 |
| 5 | 2024 | Ethan Pang | 2266 | 9 years, 5 months, 10 days | Attila Czebe | 2302 |
| 6 | 2024 | Ethan Pang | 2266 | 9 years, 5 months, 11 days | Zoltan Varga | 2321 |
| 7 | 2011 | Hetul Shah | 1817 | 9 years, 6 months, 0 days | Nurlan Ibrayev | 2407 |
| 8 | 2014 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | 2057 | 9 years, 7 months, 27 days | Andrey Zhigalko | 2600 |
| 9 | 2014 | Nodirbek Abdusattorov | 2057 | 9 years, 7 months, 29 days | Rustam Khusnutdinov | 2495 |
| 10 | 2022 | Aaron Mendes | 1970 | 9 years, 10 months, 0 days | Razvan Preotu | 2445 |
Pang’s first sufferer was 34-year-old GM Milan Pacher from Slovakia, who went right into a poor endgame, by which the nine-year-old transformed successfully.
Two rounds later, Pang adopted up by outplaying 48-year-old GM Attilla Czebe from Hungary, then discovering a pleasant tactic that ultimately concluded the sport.
As if that wasn’t sufficient, the prodigy then beat GM Zoltan Varga in simply 23 strikes when the Hungarian 54-year-old apparently made a miscalculation after the opening, and resigned two pawns down.
After a attract spherical six, Pang went on to lose two video games in a row, lacking a possibility to interrupt the 2300-barrier nearly. He then needed to fly again residence to the U.Ok. together with his father in time for the brand new time period at college in London.
Nonetheless, his efficiency was above 2300 and a score achieve of 20 factors is a formidable feat by a nine-year-old. Pang heads the listing of the highest-rated gamers born in 2015 or later, forward of his compatriot WFM Bodhana Sivanandan. CM Roman Shogdzhiev, who beat 5 grandmasters ultimately 12 months’s World Speedy & Blitz Chess Championship, is third.
Pang’s father beforehand informed Chess.com that Ethan realized the sport on the faculty’s chess membership on the age of 5. Requested how his son grew to become such a robust participant at an early age, he mentioned:
Evidently it in the end got here right down to follow. When he’s offered with the chance to play towards sturdy gamers, he tends to take it extra significantly and apply himself absolutely. Constant follow and the prospect to compete towards various kinds of opponents had been key components to his chess growth.
Ethan is now going again to highschool, but it surely’s unlikely we have heard the final of him.
