ATHUL KP
In a quiet neighbourhood in Margao, a seven-year-old boy is making some serious noise on the national chess stage. His name is Evan Antonio Telles, and earlier this week, he etched his name in the record books as the first boy from Goa to win gold at the 38th National Under-7 Open Chess Championship held in Odisha.
“I just wanted a trophy like my brother,” he says with the kind of honesty only a child can offer. But his modest beginning has transformed into something much bigger — Evan is now a national chess champion, and his next stop is the international arena.
Evan’s chess journey began at the age of five, learning a few basic moves from his elder brother, Joshua Mark Telles, a seasoned player in his own right.
Age:7
Hometown: Margao, Goa
Parents:Dr Jean Valadares Telles & Enid Telles
Current Titles:
National U-7 Champion (2025)
Goa State U-7 Champion (2024, 2025)
FIDE Ratings:
Standard:1481
Rapid:1476
Blitz: 1466
Upcoming International Events:
World Cadet Chess Championship
Asian Chess Championship
Western Asia Chess Championship
Commonwealth Chess Championship
Tagging along to Joshua’s tournaments, Evan admired the trophies and asked to be taught the game. That spark turned into a roaring passion.
“My mother saw I was serious,” Evan recalls. “She enrolled me with Joshua’s coach—and he’s still my coach today.”
That coach has guided Evan through two back-to-back Goa State U-7 Championship wins (2024 and 2025), and most recently, to an undefeated run at the national championship, where he scored an astounding 8.5 points out of 9 against India’s top U-7 talent. Among his toughest challengers were three FIDE-rated players, all State champions from West Bengal, Rajasthan, and Telangana.
When asked what he loves most about chess, Evan answers without hesitation: “You can play it anytime, anywhere—and the trophies!” His voice lights up again when talking about his favourite chess legend: “Mikhail Tal! I also like watching Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura on YouTube.”
But chess isn’t everything for Evan. Like many kids his age, he finds joy on the football field. “When I’m not playing chess, I’m playing football,” he says. He’s even part of his school’s football team, balancing his time between pawns and penalties.
Despite his young age, Evan already understands the discipline the game demands. “The hardest part is the pressure. Everyone expects you to win, so you have to keep practicing and sometimes miss fun things. But I love it—it’s worth it.”
His ultimate goal? “To become a Grandmaster,” he says firmly. “I want to make India proud.”