The little king of the chessboard
With no taller opponents among the shorter players, little Ruan Melo, just 4 years old, is already competing in chess tournaments against adult prodigies.
247 – Grandmaster Henrique Mecking, "Mequinho," should watch out, because a young player is already dreaming of taking his title as the greatest Brazilian chess player in history. The contender, in fact, competed last month in the Brazilian Open Tournament - City of Salvador, between the 21st and 24th, and achieved 43rd place in the final standings. A rather modest position, it's true, but Ruan Kelvin Gama Melo, the aforementioned promising player, is only 4 years old. That's right: 4 years old. And, it's worth highlighting, the little guy won two of his seven games, leaving five grown men behind in the results table.
Born in Paulo Afonso, Bahia, little Ruan participated in the competition in Salvador, 450 kilometers from his home, due to an absolute lack of worthy opponents in his age group. The little king of the chessboard learned to play chess at age 2, watching his father, Luiz Melo, 28. He quickly memorized the names of the pieces and how to set up the board. Shortly after, he won his first game against a friend of his father. At age 3, he participated for the first time in a championship – promoted by the Associação Atlética Banco do Brasil (AABB) of Paulo Afonso – and finished fourth, delivering checks and checkmates to adults.
This year, Brazil discovered a young prodigy. In March, Ruan won the Bahia State Under-8 Championship and qualified for the Brazilian Championship in that category.
Held in Catanduva, São Paulo, the national tournament brought together 21 chess players from the under-8 to under-10 categories. The young player from Bahia achieved 9th place and had his best moment in the match against the São Paulo under-8 champion, Artur Marques, which lasted more than an hour.
Talent is definitely not lacking in Ruan. To develop it, however, the young boy will have to improve his training. In Paulo Afonso, the boy's opponents are his parents, family friends, and teacher. His biggest adversary is the Chessmaster software. "In Chessmaster he learns strategy, tactics, and endgames. He has already surpassed a rating of 1.500 (out of a total of 2.200)," says his proud father, Luiz Melo.