Goa, June 8 -- ATHUL KP

athul@herald-goa.com

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...