Nine-year-old chess prodigy wins fight to stay in UK

Indian-born boy described as one of 'outstanding chess talents of his generation' had faced deportation when father's visa expires

Shreyas Royal is ranked fourth for his age category in the world

The family of a nine-year-old chess prodigy described as the greatest talent in a generation have their won their fight to stay in Britain.

Indian-born Shreyas Royal came to the UK at the age of three but faced having to leave the country when his father’s work visa expires next month.

The boy’s parents, MPs, and the English Chess Federation (ECF) had appealed to home secretary Sajid Javid to let the family stay.

On Friday, his father, IT manager Jitendra Singh, said the Home Office had told him he could apply to extend his visa.

"We have been waiting for a very long time, it's such a relief for us," he added. "We are very much happy that my son can continue."

He said Shreyas "became very happy and jumped on the sofa and started dancing" when he heard the news.

"Yesterday we were packing to leave, we thought we had to go," added Mr Singh, whose family live in Woolwich, south-east London.

Battersea Chess Club, where Shreyas plays, welcomed the decision and the young player had “a big future ahead of him on the world stage, hopefully representing England.”

“In 10 years’ time we hope he’ll be a household name as England’s first world champion,” the club added in a statement.

Dominic Lawson, the ECF president, said: “We’re delighted that our efforts to persuade the government to recognise Shreyas Royal’s exceptional talents have borne fruit.”

Shreyas, nicknamed Shrez, began playing chess with his father at the age of five and within two years had won a host of tournaments.

Last year he became the youngest “candidate master” in the world and is currently ranked fourth in the world for his age group.

Chris Ward, a chess grandmaster and former British champion, has described Shreyas as “the best prospect the country has ever seen”.

Shreyas’s parents initially fought the threat of deportation on the grounds that their son was a national asset but their appeal was rejected.

Their case was picked up MPs including Labour’s Rachel Reeves, a former junior chess champion, who wrote to Home Office last week asking for a review.

On Friday Mr Singh received an email from the government confirming he could extend his Tier 2 visa.

The email read: “We have spoken to your employer... and have agreed with them that you will be able to submit an application to extend your stay in the UK under the tier 2 (General) route.”

The home secretary said: “After carefully reviewing the evidence, I have taken the personal decision to allow Shreyas and his family to stay in the UK.

“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.”

Ms Reeves said: “This is fantastic news. I’m delighted for Shreyas and his family that the Home Office has listened to our appeal that they should be allowed to stay in the UK.

“This is also great news for the country, which would’ve lost one of its best and brightest had Shreyas been deported. I hope Shreyas will go on to become one of the outstanding chess talents of his generation.”

The news was also welcomed by World Chess, which has invited Shreyas to make the symbolic first move in November’s championship final in London.

Ilya Merenzon, chief executive of World Chess, said he was “relieved and delighted but not surprised the UK government has finally seen sense”.

“Shreyas is a phenomenal talent who can represent the UK on a global stage for years to come,” he added.

Mr Singh said his son would "carry on and keep representing the country".

"When we came here he was only three years old, England is his first country," he added.