Ethan Pang - Young Chess Prodigies

In this edition of ChessKid Spotlight, we focus on the game's current youngest 2300-rated player: FM Ethan Pang!

Learn All About Ethan

Who is Ethan Pang?

The nine-year-old English chess prodigy and FIDE Master got his start playing chess at the age of five at his school's chess club. After a few years of play, he began to make heads turn as his rating continued to climb. In a simul against GM Gawain Jones, the then seven-year-old was able to hold a draw.

As he continued competing, he was able to beat Faustino Oro's previously held record of the youngest 2200 player in history! Recently, he defeated three, yes three, different grandmasters in the September Vezerkepzo IM Tournament (GMs Milan Pacher, Attilla Czebe, and Zoltan Varga). This, along with his stellar performance in a recent event, allowed him to just break the record previously set by Faustino for the youngest ever 2300 player, by just four days!

 

Congratulations to Ethan on this stunning achievement!

 

IM Malcolm Pein, the English Chess Federation’s Director of International Chess, chimes in on Ethan's success: "To become a FIDE master aged just nine is astonishing. Ethan is yet another star rolling off the English Chess Federation’s production line of talented youngsters. We are immensely proud of him. English chess is on the up."

 

Ethan's Father Says…

"Ethan felt an immense sense of relief after the tournament, thrilled to reach this significant milestone.

He realized that to become a stronger chess player, he must confront both physical and emotional challenges.

After crossing the 2300 rating after the fifth round, the pressure intensified, as he knew he had to hold this until the end of the tournament.

He admires the top players who had achieved such heights, knowing it wasn’t an easy feat!" 

 

Ethan and FunMasterMike!

Best Games

Check out one of the games where Ethan defeated his Grandmaster opponent, and another handpicked by Ethan himself, stating that he was very happy that he was able to "squeeze blood from a stone" and turn his small endgame advantage into a win.
 
 
 

FunMasterMike Says…

 "I first met Ethan when he was six years old at the first ChessFest in London. At the time, he was just another ChessKid-obsessed video watcher who wanted a picture. But the joke is on me! Turns out, Ethan is a super-talent and I think I'll be lining up to get his autograph soon!"

  

Good luck to Ethan in his upcoming tournaments. We are excited to see what you achieve next!