ChessKid Prodigy Shreyas Royal Becomes Youngest British Grandmaster

He's done it! ChessKid ambassador and prodigy Shreyas Royal scored his final GM norm at the recent British Chess Championship 2024 in Kingston upon Hull, England, making him the youngest British grandmaster ever, beating out the previous record by over 6 months! He achieved the record at 15 years, 6 months, and 26 days.

Shreyas, who was born in India but moved to the UK at a young age, had a passion for chess ever since he was six years old. His father, Jitendra Singh, introduced him to the game, and after beginning tournament play he was quickly recognized as one of the country's newest up-and-coming young stars. In his journey to grandmaster, Royal finished in first place at multiple events, such as the under 8 section of the British Chess Championship and the under 8 section at the European Youth Chess Championship.

Shreyas Royal and his dad hugging and smiling in front of a Christmas tree.

 Shreyas pictured with his dad Jitendra! Photo: Leon Watson/Chess.com.

 
Shreyas reached FM at the age of 12 and IM at the age of 13. In his "My Road to …" article series on ChessKid, Shreyas documents his journey in the world of chess, including his path to becoming an IM.
 
Shreyas was the youngest British player to score his first GM norm at just 13 years 9 months at the 2022 Bavarian Open. In December 2023, he was able to score 4/9 at the London Chess Classic, achieving a second GM norm, setting the stage to earn his last norm.
 
Reaching this final norm was no easy feat, as Shreyas needed 6/9 points in one of the toughest events in Britain, but Shreyas is no stranger to a challenge and would not go down without a fight!
 

After a stunning 4/4 performance to begin the event, Shreyas drew three times in the next four rounds, meaning he needed to draw or win the final round in order to earn the norm. For the final round, he was paired against GM Michael Adams, a very strong and experienced grandmaster.

 

IM Shreyas Royal and GM Michael Adams at the 2023 London Chess Classic.

Shreyas actually played Adams in round 9 at his last norm event, too! Photo: Agnieszka Milewska/London Chess Classic 2023.

 

Adams emerged with a lead after a rocky middlegame, but a slip-up allowed Royal to convert his disadvantage to an equal endgame, where he was able to pull off the draw.

 

 

This marks history as Shreyas beat the previous record for youngest British GM set by David Howell at 16 years, 1 month, and 22 days.

FunMasterMike Says…

"Shreyas has been a fantastic ambassador with ChessKid for many years and I am delighted that he achieved the highest title in chess. He did it in the most pressure-packed way: battling as Black in a worse position against the strongest English player of all time! But I'm not surprised. He may only be 15, but he is three times his age in maturity and focus. The future is bright with Shreyas and English chess!"

Shreyas proudly poses with his medal. Photo: Royal Family.

Want to learn more about this superstar chess player's best moves? Check out the video, "Shreyas Royal's Best Tactics" to hear from FunMasterMike as he outlines some of Shreyas' most notable moves. You can also find Shreyas and FunMasterMike hosting fun ChessKid live streams on the show, "The Shreyas Royal Fork."

The ChessKid team can't contain their excitement and extends a HUGE congratulations to Shreyas. We have enjoyed watching your successes to date and are so proud of your latest historic accomplishment. The future of English chess is looking bright!