Rs 50 lakh debt, visa nightmare: India’s teenage chess prodigy risks losing US scholarship

IM Md Imran (Special Arrangement) NEW DELHI: Last June, 17-year-old Md Imran was in Bratislava, Slovakia when an incident turned his European chess campaign into a nightmare. As reported by TimesofIndia.com earlier, he lost his passport, phone, money and few personal belongings. More than just his valuables, he lost something much more important, a valid US F-1 visa and a Schengen visa.Stranded in a foreign land with no easy way to get home or continue his journey, a young Indian chess player suddenly found himself in a battle that had little to do with 64 squares. But Imran, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, refused to let the setback end his journey.In the days and weeks that followed, he produced two consecutive Grandmaster (GM) standards, putting him within striking distance of the coveted Grandmaster title.Yet, four months after that incident, Imran is back in India and facing a different situation that includes an unresolved US visa crisis, mounting family debt and the possibility of losing a full university scholarship that could change his life.The teenager, who will become an International Master (IM) in 2025, has already deferred his acceptance to the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in Brownsville, Texas from fall 2026 to spring 2027.His new university orientation is scheduled for January 19, 2027. If he is unable to secure a US F-1 visa by then, he risks losing his scholarship altogether.The next few months could prove crucial for the teenager, who has spent years traveling across continents to pursue his grandmaster dream.

The Bratislava incident that changed everything

The consequences of losing his passport in Bratislava were particularly serious because it contained both his valid US F-1 visa and his Schengen visa, which was valid until October 31.He finally managed to get a replacement passport from the Indian Embassy in Budapest on 29 June and returned to India on 6 July. However, returning home did not mean the end of the troubles.“The very next day, July 7, I applied for a new Schengen visa to Hungary. It was my 13th attempt for a Schengen visa,” Imran told TimesofIndia.com.Despite competing strongly in Hungary for the previous two years and having previously received a one-year multiple-entry visa from the same consulate, Imran was only granted a three-month visa valid from 18 July to 31 October.The decision frustrated him, especially as he knew other players who had received two- to five-year visas in far fewer attempts.“It sounded absolutely ridiculous, especially as I know many friends who got visas valid for 2 to 5 years on only the 2nd to 5th attempt. I really don’t see what’s wrong with my case,” he added.For a young professional chess player, going back to India just to get a visa means more than just another meeting and a few documents.“Flying back to India just for visa processing costs an exorbitant amount of time and hard money on airfares, in addition to the constant hurdles of reapplying,” he added.

University dream postponed

Despite the uncertainty, Imran has already won two standards in closed individual tournaments and is chasing his latest Swiss Open GM standard to meet the requirements for the Grandmaster title.His original plan was to continue competing in Europe, secure the remaining standard and return to India in time to obtain a US visa and attend UTRGV’s Fall 2026 student orientation on August 23. But the US visa appointment never materialized.“I waited in Europe and tried to get an appointment in the US throughout August, September and October. Unfortunately, despite trying every day for four months since the June incident, I still haven’t secured an appointment,” he said.With the August university term looming, he had no choice but to postpone his admission to spring 2027.His scholarship remains at stake. If he doesn’t get into university by the January 19 orientation, he could lose the financial support that would help him with his higher education in addition to his chess career.He competed in more than ten events from July to October. However, only three were strong open tournaments where he had a real chance to secure the final GM norm.The remaining events were regular opening wins and round-robin competitions that helped him stay active.The three majors were also poorly spaced, with two tournaments scheduled back-to-back between August 8 and 23, followed by the final one from October 3 to 11.It was a relentless plan, made even more difficult by the uncertainty surrounding university admissions and the inability to secure an appointment with a US visa.The pressure eventually took its toll on the board.“Under the intense psychological pressure of the missing standard and my crumbling US visa situation, my performance plummeted. Despite my unrelenting fighting spirit, I suffered a crazy rating drop. Completely exhausted and under immense stress, I flew back home on October 12,” revealed Imran, who had a peak rating of 2503 and now has a rating of 2477.

The family has reached its financial limits

Imran’s father is a police officer while his mother is a housewife. The family, which comes from a middle-class background, had to spend its resources to support his international chess career.It costs Rs 1.5 to 3 million every month to play professionally in Europe. Expenses include airfare, visas, accommodation, tournament entry fees, food and travel between countries.The family has reportedly accumulated loans of around Rs 40-50 crore to finance his career. The June incident in Slovakia added another unexpected financial burden, namely the loss of passport, phone and other valuables.“My father supported me in everything he could, he stretched himself to the absolute limit, but with time it fails,” Imran further noted. “I built my chess career entirely through my own hard work without formal top coaching.”Imran approached the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister’s office and other political leaders and asked for financial assistance through the state’s sports incentives. However, his requests have so far remained unanswered.

A race against time

With his three-month Schengen visa about to expire on October 31, Imran returned to the Hungarian consulate in Mumbai on October 16 for another application. It was his 14th application for a Schengen visa.This time he got an emergency appointment and was granted a one-year visa on October 24. While the longer validity offers some relief, it was still shorter than the five-year visa he had hoped to obtain given his extensive tournament and travel history in Europe.At least one part of the travel crisis has eased. But the bigger issue remained untouched, his US F-1 visa. With January 19, 2027 approaching, Imran must now secure an appointment and complete the visa process in time to join UTRGV and protect his scholarship.

One final Grandmaster standard

Against all odds, Imran is preparing to return to Europe for another tough tournament circuit in hopes of securing the ultimate GM standard. He is due to fly back on November 19 with four events in Portugal, Spain and Sweden:

• Funchal Open, Portugal: November 26 to December 2
• El Llobregat Open, Spain: December 3-8
• Sunway Chess Festival Sitges, Spain: 12 to 22 December
• Rilton Cup, Stockholm, Sweden: 27 December to 5 January

The schedule leaves little room for rest. More importantly, he is desperately hoping to get a US visa before he leaves India on November 19.“My life is currently at a critical crossroads. Between the large financial debts of playing professional chess, the constant struggle to secure my final GM standard, and the looming threat of losing my US university scholarship at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley if I do not resolve the visa crisis by spring 2027, the situation is absolutely overwhelming,” he concluded.For a teenager who has done so much to keep his dreams alive, the question is whether the support he needs will arrive before January 19.