Visa issues affect India's FIDE World Junior Chess Championship squad
India's prospects at the FIDE World Junior Chess Championship 2023 have unexpectedly become somewhat bleak due to visa-related complications.
The Championship, scheduled to take place in Mexico City from September 22 to October 2, is supposed to feature five promising Indian players and two coaches. Unfortunately, due to the issues regarding their visas, they are stuck in limbo presently, unsure of their participation.
These players, supported by the Indian government, include Vrashank Chouhan, Arun Kataria, Bhagyashree Patil, Prraneeth Vuppala, and Femil Chelladurai. In addition, coaches Pravind Thipsay M. and Kiran Agrawal are also facing the same visa-related challenges.
In an interview with PTI, Bharat Singh Chauhan, the chairman of the FIDE Advisory Board, said:
"Despite the best efforts from the Indian government, we could not get the visa arranged.
"Never in my 45-year chess career have I witnessed something like this. Despite having done all the paperwork required, we still missed out on getting the visas cleared, and I am still clueless as to why," he added.
Their absence from the FIDE World Junior Chess Championship is a significant setback for India and a missed opportunity for the players, who were potential medal contenders. Previously, on Sunday, Chauhan had mentioned that the root cause of the visa problem primarily emanated from the Mexican embassy.
In response to the crisis, India has acted swiftly by replacing the two coaches with CRG Krishna (men) and Tarini Goyal (women), both of whom possess valid US visas.
Visa issues also affected Nepalese players in India for the same tournament, adding to the chess community's frustration.
As the Indian contingent embarked on their journey to Mexico City on Tuesday morning, the fate of the players left behind remains uncertain. Vrashank Chouhan indicated that there is a national championship scheduled, and those interested may be allowed to participate in it.
Indian travelling squad for FIDE World Junior Chess Championship 2023
In the upcoming international chess competition held in Mexico City, India will be represented by a pared-down squad.
Boys: Harshavardhan GB, Pranav Anand, Dushyant Sharma, Vignesh B
Girls: Rakshitta Ravi, Bommini Mounika Akshaya, Amulya Guruprasad
This departure comes after a year when 13 Indian chess prodigies ventured to the picturesque Italian island of Sardinia for the same annual event. That squad comprised 10 boys and three girls. Notably, Harshavardhan has retained his spot on the team.
India has consistently showcased its chess prowess in this tournament, securing a top position. Historically, until 2019, India occupied the third position in the all-time medal table, trailing behind Russia and China, ranked first and second, respectively.
Over the years, Indian chess has witnessed remarkable talent triumph at the FIDE World Junior Chess Championship.
Among the notable past champions, we have:
Boys: Abhijeet Gupta (2008), Pentala Harikrishna (2004), Viswanathan Anand (1987)
Girls: Soumya Swaminathan (2009), Harika Dronavalli (2008), Humpy Koneru (2001)