SHASHWAT GUPTA RAY
For most eight-year-olds, chess is just a game. For Evan Antonio Telles, it is already a passport to the world. The young Goan added another chapter to his remarkable journey on Monday when he emerged as one of India’s standout performers at the Commonwealth Chess Championship 2026 in Sri Lanka, winning gold in the Rapid Under-8 category, silver in Blitz Under-8, and finishing fifth in the Standard format. The achievement comes barely a year after Evan made history by be coming the first player from Goa to win gold at the National Under-7 Chess Championship in 2025. Now, at just eight years old, he has announced himself on the international stage. Yet behind the medals and trophies lies a story of family, sacrifice and in spiration.
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Evan’s introduction to chess began not with a coach or a classroom, but at home. Watching his elder brother, Joshua Mark Telles, return from tour naments carrying trophies and medals sparked a curiosity that would soon grow into an obsession. “Seeing Joshua coming home with his awards, Evan too showed in terest in chess. I encouraged him to learn from Joshua,” recalled his mother, Dr Jean Valadares, a dental surgeon. The family soon enrolled Evan un der the same coach who had trained Joshua, a FIDE-rated player. The re sults came quickly. “He turned out to be a quick learner. He began playing at the age of four. At seven he was already a national cham pion. He is also the youngest FIDE-rat ed chess player in Goa across all formats,” she beamed. The Commonwealth Championship marked a significant milestone for the youngster. It was his first international competition, bringing together players from 14 countries and exposing him to a level of competition far beyond what he had experienced before. While delighted with his Rapid gold and Blitz silver, Evan was disappointed after narrowly missing a podium finish in the Standard event. “This was Evan’s first international experience with kids from 14 different countries. It was a different expe rience for him, but he enjoyed the competition.
He was a bit upset about missing out on third place in the Stand ard format and finishing fifth. But then he identified his errors and promised to rectify them in the next tourna ment,” Dr Valadares said. For Dr Valadares, supporting the dreams of two prom ising chess players has required putting her own career on hold. “While it feels quite overwhelming, the life of a chess player is very demanding,” she said. “I am actually a dental surgeon by profession, but my career has taken a backseat because I must travel with them to tourna ments and be with them.” The sacrifices, she says, are necessary. “I have taken a break from my profession to support both boys since they are doing well.” Evan’s next assignment is the World Championship in Georgia next month, and international competitions are increasingly becoming part of his routine. “Every month he now has to represent India some where. So I have to be with him. I have to sacrifice my profession.
One has to leave something behind,” she said. Dr Valadares is mindful of the balancing act between chess and academics, knowing that the demands of both will intensify in the years ahead. “Now he is in the third standard, so the pressure of academics isn’t much. But as he grows older, things will become more challenging for him,” she said. Evan Telles is steadily making all the right moves and if his journey so far is any indication, Goa’s young chess prodigy may only be getting started.
