Five talented young chess players from India, including Vrashank Chauhan, Arun Kataria, Bhagyashree Patil, GM Prraneeth Vuppala, and Femil Chelladurai, got some disappointing news. They were denied visas to compete in the World Junior Chess Championships happening in Mexico City from September 20th to October 2nd, 2023.
This is a big letdown for the Indian chess team because these players are some of the best in the country. While we’re not exactly sure why their visa requests were turned down, it might have something to do with the COVID-19 pandemic. The players are really upset because they’ve been working hard to prepare for this event, and they don’t want to miss out. The Indian chess federation is working closely with the Mexican embassy to try and fix the issue. Everyone in the chess community is hoping for a positive outcome so that these players can still make it to the tournament, even if it’s at the last minute.