Family of a nine year old Indian origin boy Shreyas Royal is fighting to stay in Britain, so that he can pursue his dreams to become the country's first ever world champion. Shreyas has only played chess for four years but is already defeating teenagers a decade older than him and has been considered the best prospect of his generation.
His Parents Jitendra and Anju Singh moved to Woolwich, southeast London, in 2012 from Bangalore with three-year-old Shreyas. Mr Singh, an IT project manager at Tata Group was offered a fixed-term contract in the company’s UK office but on September 10th 2018, his work permit will lapse permanently.
The Times reported that with the backing of Julian Simpole, a trainer who has coached two of the English grandmasters, and Dominic Lawson, president of the English Chess Federation, Mr Singh, 38, is appealing to the Home Office. He plans apply for indefinite leave to remain on the ground that his son is a national asset.
Shreyas studies at the Pointer School in Blackheath on a full scholarship and learned to play Chess at an after-school class after his mother enrolled him in, to exercise his mind.
Shreyas now spends his weekends and summer holidays travelling across Britain and around the world competing against champions almost ten years older than him. “I don’t think the older kids like being beaten by me. The Russians are the hardest to play against,” he said with a smile, The Times reported.
Surrounded by medals and trophies in the family’s modest flat, Shreyas reportedly said his love of the game was immediate because “it just felt natural”. He added: “What I like about chess is that it’s not about being physically aggressive, you have time to use your mind.”
Mr Singh feared his son's promising career could be cut short if he was sent back to India, and Britain would lose his talents. “Shreyas's life is here – he has roots. We are used to India, we spent a lot of our lives living there but it will be a massive shock for Shreyas. He will not be able to continue his chess, it really is a terrible situation,” he added.
Mr Simpole, the former trainer to Luke McShane, the UK knockout champion, reportedly said: “This kid is like something I’ve never seen before. His talent is very highly pronounced. He’s going to be a future world champion and we’d like it to be for Britain.”
