Panaji: Goa’s International Master Ethan Vaz secured the silver medal at the National Under-17 Chess Championship held at Rajpath Club, Ahmedabad, finishing the tournament unbeaten with a strong performance throughout.
Rated 2522, Vaz adopted a measured approach to safeguard his rating, drawing several games which kept him behind the winner on points. In the final round, he outplayed FM Viresh Sharnarthi (2301) of Maharashtra, dismantling the Najdorf Sicilian and forcing resignation in 39 moves amid a mating threat.
FM Nandish V.S of Tamil Nadu clinched the title with 9.5 points after defeating overnight leader Madhvendra Pratap Singh (2353) of Madhya Pradesh, edging Vaz who secured silver with slightly fewer points.
