Neither of Ethan’s parents are chess players.
However, his mum Eimear Savage said her son was fascinated with the chess board and pieces the moment he first saw them.
“It was a chance circumstance that Ethan saw someone play chess and thought it looked interesting and he decided he wanted to play and it went from there.”
She said Ethan’s success is all down to himself but his family support him every step of the way.
“I think Ethan just takes it in his stride and that’s him. He enjoys playing chess and he enjoys taking part and when he wins it’s a bonus.
“Ethan has been playing for a while now so people are used to playing against him but maybe when he was younger, I remember he wasn’t quite tall enough to see over the table and he had to kneel up on the chair to get a good view of the pieces.
“That was always a bit of a spectacle but people know him now.”
Ethan has played as part of the Irish team and has travelled to Paris where he played at the Eiffel Tower, as well as travelling to the Netherlands, Germany and Estonia for tournaments.
