(July 9, 2023) Shreyas Royal was just nine when he made the ceremonial opening move for the Viswanathan Anand-Magnus Carlsen game at London in 2017. This speaks volumes about his genius skills in the game of chess. London-based Indian-origin Shreyas is now 14, and it was in 2022 that he broke the UK record for the youngest ever grandmaster performance when he scored seven points from nine games at the Bavarian Open in Germany. He now aims to in the top 10 in the world or become a world champion by the age of 21.
Shreyas Royal
Life in London, and discovering chess
The Bengaluru-born was still a toddler when he relocated to South-East London in 2012 after his father got a job as an IT project manager in the UK. As young as three, Shreyas was introduced to chess, courtesy his dad Jitendra Singh, who noticed his son’s sharp memory and thought that any mind game as a hobby would be great for him for a start. This is how chess happened to Shreyas; however, the chess prodigy wasn’t instantly hooked to the game. “It took me some time, but I was curious. I started playing with other children at school, and I started winning. And that got me hooked. And playing chess has also helped me to develop a few other skills, like being more patient and sitting still,” he said in an interview.
When Shreyas was six years old, his parents signed him up at a local chess club in East Ham, East London, with a private coach, and his determination helped him win a tournament, thus leading him to become the world’s youngest “candidate master”. He even represented England in European Schools Chess Championships in Greece where he bagged a silver. In August 2017, he was ranked joint fourth in his age group at the World Cadets Chess Championships in Brazil. In a short span, he has won multiple awards. So much so that Chris Ward, a chess grandmaster and former British champion, described Shreyas as “the best prospect the country has ever seen”.
How Shreyas’ talent shaped his family’s future
However, things took a difficult turn when in 2018 Shreyas’s family was on the verge of packing up bags and returning to India owing to the expiration of his dad’s work permit. He was told that visa could be extended only if he earned £120,000 a year, which he did not. However, Home Secretary Sajid Javid intervened and made a personal decision to allow the family to stay in the UK, looking at Shreyas’s talent. “The UK is a country that fosters world class talent and Shreyas is one of the most gifted chess players in his generation. We have always been clear we want a world-class immigration system that welcomes highly-talented individuals from across the globe,” said Sajid Javid.
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The sigh of relief helped him focus back on the game, and he even began home schooling to focus more on the game.
Strategy is key
Before each game, he prepares well before going up against his highly skilled opponents by determining their strengths and weaknesses. “I check to see what openings he has struggled against in the past and also look at some of his statistics, how well he has fared against weaker opponents. Aiming for any type of an advantage with white and equality with black out of the opening are also very vital goals,” said the chess prodigy who went on to become the English U7 champion, British U8 champion, U8 European champion.
The teenager, who loves listening to music and watching cricket, has fallen in love in the chess, and it’s this fondness that brings him back to the board each time. “It is a very fascinating game in which I feel I have a lot more to learn,” he told Olympics.
The 14-year-old chess prodigy of Indian origin, has already etched his name in the archives of chess history. Breaking the UK record for the youngest ever grandmaster performance at the Bavarian Open is just the beginning of his remarkable journey. With unwavering determination, tireless hard work, and an unyielding love for the game, Shreyas has propelled himself to the forefront of the chess world. “For me, it’s not so much about the money, it’s about having fun playing chess. I just enjoy it.”
