I played Chess Grandmaster Shreyas Royal, one of the youngest GMs in the World!

This blog features an awesome chess club called the Greenwich Peninsula Chess Club which is located in South-East London. If you would like to find out more information about this club and some of the events that they do, please check them out here:  Gpchess.com

My game and analysis with GM Shreyas Royal

One of the most daunting experiences for any adult player is sitting down to play a game of competitive chess and there, staring you in the face with snot streaming down his face, is a junior player. He barely knows how the pieces move, has only been playing since last week yet craftily orchestrates an irresistible attack without spending more than five seconds on each of his moves.  The ensuing stages of humiliation is fivefold, much like the stages of grief: 

• Stage 1: Denial - "How could someone so young beat a seasoned expert like myself?"
• Stage 2: Anger - "I can't believe it! He doesn't deserve to win!"
• Stage 3: Bargaining - "Maybe his dad is a Grandmaster who is giving him free lessons? Maybe he will be a world champion in the future? What a cool story to tell my future generations!"
• Stage 4: Depression - "How could I let this happen" **tears well up**, "I have been playing competitively before he was born!"
• Stage 5: Acceptance - "Okay, it's just a game... Let's finally analyse this game..."

It is fair to say that all adult players who have played a least of few young players have experienced what I have just described one way or another and whilst the next defeat to a junior is never easy, this encounter with this junior was certainly unique. 

Shreyas Royal - A 15-Year-Old Grandmaster

Credit: https://www.englishchess.org.uk/shreyas-royal-grandmaster/

Enter Shreyas Royal, hailed as the youngest British Chess Grandmaster, who has recently rose to stardom within the UK. Born in India but raised in London, Shreyas began playing chess at the age of six and quickly displayed extraordinary skill. He became a national sensation after dominating youth tournaments and defeating seasoned players in high-stakes competitions. By the time he earned his Grandmaster title, meeting FIDE’s rigorous norms and crossing the 2500 Elo rating threshold, he had already solidified his reputation as a chess prodigy:

• U8 British Champion
• Silver at the European Youth Chess Championship
• Surpassing the 2500 ELO rating mark at the Tenerife Chess Championships.
• The youngest grandmaster in British chess history, a record that has stood for 17 years. Royal is 15 years, six months, and 24 days old, six months younger than Howell was in early 2007.

Shreyas Royal's feature on BBC Breakfast

It was apparent that Shreyas wasn't your "average junior player..." Instead this was a man (or teenager I should say) who was carefully crafting a career in becoming the best chess player in the world.

Showdown at the Chess Club

I rocked up to the Greenwich Peninsula Chess Club ready to do battle. With my chequered chess hat and brimming with optimism (or fear I am not sure which), I waited patiently to play against my superior foe. The atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as the young prodigy, Britain’s youngest Grandmaster, faced 20 of us simultaneously:

With his calm demeanor and lightning-fast calculations, Shreyas navigated each board with surgical precision, dismantling our best efforts with apparent ease. Despite our varied strategies and determined play, he emerged victorious on every board, completing his clean sweep well before teatime. It was humbling yet exhilarating to witness his genius up close, leaving us with both admiration for his skill and renewed inspiration to improve our own game.