Shreyas Royal Becomes Youngest British Grandmaster In History

15-year-old IM Shreyas Royal, who faced eviction from the United Kingdom eight years ago due to his father's expiring work visa, has now achieved his dream of becoming the youngest British chess grandmaster in history. 

Royal is set to become England's 41st grandmaster after achieving his final norm in the British Chess Championship, which concluded in Hull, U.K. on Sunday. He clinched the title by saving a lost position with Black against one of the nation's greatest players, GM Michael Adams.

The teenager finished sixth in the national championship scoring six points, a point behind the winner GM Gawain Jones, who defeated GM David Howell in a playoff match to win his third British Championship title.

It was a particularly noteworthy performance by the youngster, who ended up with a positive score against four members of England's team set to take part in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary next month. The 15-year-old defeated Howell, drew Jones, GM Luke McShane, and Adams in the last round.

His success was built in the first five rounds, when he scored 4.5 points. The highlight came in round four with Black in a thrilling encounter against England's number three. Royal sacrificed a piece for an attack before Howell crumbled in the complications that followed.

The sixth-round loss against IM Matthew Wadsworth in round six could have been costly, but Royal drew his next two games before he was paired against Adams in the final round. There, he faced an uphill battle and was lost for most of the game, until the following moment.

That fulfills a lifelong dream of becoming 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.

“I am so extremely proud of Shreyas. It is a huge achievement for him and one he has been working towards for many years. To be the youngest ever British grandmaster is fantastic," his father Jitendra Singh told The Times.

Royal was born in India, but the family moved to Britain when Royal was three. He learned the game at the age of six, and quickly showed exceptional performances on the chessboard. He became British U8 champion in 2017 and also won silver at the European Youth Chess Championship at the age of eight.

Later the family were told they had to leave the country upon expiration of the father's work visa. Just a month before they were due to leave the U.K., and thanks to major support from the U.K chess community and high-ranking officials, the family was allowed to stay on account of Shreyas' chess talent. In his statement, Home Secretary Sajid Javid called Royal "one of the most gifted chess players in his generation," and gave them a visa for skilled workers. They are now British citzens.

The teenager remembers the day, as he described it in a recent interview for the launch of the Olympic Channel original series "Outside The Game":

"When the call ended, my father had an immense smile stretched across his face. He informed us of the sparkling news that the Home Office had just given to him. We had lost all hope by then, so this came as quite a pleasant shock. We were all elated that all the efforts of the people who had helped us had finally paid off. This meant that I could continue my chess career in the country that had discovered and expanded my chess talent. I had also been educated in this country and was so used to the surroundings and the people, I am grateful that this did not have to change either."

Royal's journey toward the grandmaster title began in the Open Bavarian Championship back in late 2022. One year later, in the 2023 London Chess Classic, he scored his second norm by finishing seventh despite being the lowest rated player by almost 200 points. In Tenerife, Spain in June he surpassed the required 2500 rating mark, and is expected to have the title approved by the International Chess Federation (FIDE) later this year.

Royal is now an ambassador for ChessKid.com, where he has frequently shared articles about his journey toward the title. Head of ChessKid Content & Scholastic Growth, FM Mike Klein, said:

"As someone who has met Shreyas many times and also co-hosted a ChessKid show with him, it's great to see such a well-rounded young man break the record. He is incredibly mature and humble and I've really enjoyed watching his progression from a boy to a young man. Mickey hasn't passed the torch yet but it was quite fitting that he made the youngster battle for the title."

Along with CM Ethan Pang, the nine-year-old who broke the record to become the youngest-ever 2200 player, and WFM Bodhana Sivanandan, the youngest to ever score a WIM norm, Royal will benefit from "The Great British Chess Revival" with the $1.25 million investment by the U.K government to fund the English Chess Federation.

It won't take long until Royal will compete again, as he is in the line-up for the traditional Open de Sants in Barcelona, Spain, starting August 23.