India, Aug. 10 -- Eight years ago, Shreyas Royal was on the verge of being deported from the UK with his family after his father's work visa was due to expire and he did not meet the annual income requirement for renewal. The family was later informed by the Home Office that they would be allowed to remain in the UK keeping in mind Shreyas' exceptional talent.

In 2024, Shreyas became the UK's youngest-ever grandmaster. On Sunday, the 17-year-old won the British Chess Championship at the University of Warwick in Coventry, finishing ahead of seasoned names such as Luke McShane and nine-time champion Michael Adams.

When coronavirus was sweeping the world six years ago, Bodhana Sivanandan found a chess set among belongings a family friend g...