ChessKid Spotlight: Superstar Shreyas Royal
Welcome to ChessKid Spotlight! In this new article series, we introduce you to ChessKids from all over the world who are doing amazing things. This first article is about one of the strongest ChessKids out there: IM Shreyas Royal.Who Is Shreyas Royal?
You might have heard or seen the name Shreyas Royal around ChessKid, and for good reason! Shreyas is a talented young chess player with his very own ChessKid show. He also frequently shares articles about his journey as one of the leading ChessKids making it big in the world of professional chess.
His dream is to become a chess grandmaster, and he’s on his way towards achieving that goal. Just last year, Shreyas achieved his first grandmaster norm out of the three needed to qualify for the most prestigious title in chess. He is currently an International Master, a title that many serious chess players never achieve!
Shreyas outside the Mindsports GM tournament, where he earned his first IM norm.
The (Many) Accomplishments of Shreyas Royal:
This is a shortlist of some of the big ones - we'd be here all day otherwise!
- November 2022: First GM Norm in 25th Open Bavarian Championship
- October 2022: Final IM Norm achieved
- September 2022: 2nd IM Norm in HIT Open Slovenia
- September 2022: 1st IM norm in London at Mindsports
- September 2022: Crossed 2400 Elo rating
- July 2021: Became England's Youngest Fide Master
- 1st International Kaspersky U12 Champion
- Caplin British Online U18 Champion
- English Youth Online Chess Championship joint second U18
- Winner Of U14 English Youth Online Chess Championship
- National U14 West Of England Champion
- European Youth U8 silver medalist 2017
- Nominated ECF Player Of The Year 2016-17
- 51st Hampstead winner in U1900
- South of England U11 champion
- London Junior U10 champion
- British U8 champion
- English Youth U7 champion
Shreyas holding his first GM norm, which he earned in late 2022.
Get To Know Shreyas
What does Shreyas like to do outside of chess?
Aside from being a ChessKid superstar, Shreyas likes sports including cricket and football. He's a big fan of the English national team in both sports. He also likes to play games online occasionally!
What is a tip from Shreyas for ChessKids who want to become as good as he is?
His main tip: Enjoy the game, and play slowly - Shreyas used to play too quickly himself. A secret tip that his coach once taught him is to sit on your hands to prevent yourself from playing too fast; FunmasterMike says his own coach taught him the same method!
What is his happiest or proudest chess memory?
The first time he beat a GM over the board, in a really nice game that he's very proud of!
Shreyas in London with FunMasterMike.
FunMasterMike Says...
"Shreyas is the complete package. He's more composed, more talented, and more hard working than I was at his age. He's even better dressed than me. Luckily, I'm still taller. For now."
How To Follow Shreyas
Are you a fan? Us too! You can follow Shreyas by watching his regular show on ChessKid.com, The Shreyas Royal Fork (bonus points if you get the joke in the title there). In this show, Shreyas shares tactical tips and usually tries some interesting challenges like hand-and-brain chess alongside FunmasterMike.
Want to play against the man himself? Shreyas accepts challenges from ChessKids every week. Find out more about playing a game against Shreyas here!
Make sure to check ChessKid's Events page to see when his next show is. You might also want to keep an eye out on our Articles section. Shreyas is known to share some of his top chess triumphs in articles full of game analysis and advice.
We hope you enjoyed getting to know all about Shreyas.
Stay tuned for the next edition of ChessKid Spotlight - you might see your favorite player featured here... or it might even be you!