Fenil Shah was a rising star in the world of chess but he put all that on hold to pursue his studies. Now, after a seven-year gap, he has returned to the game, becoming an International Master in Chess.
He achieved the feat in 10 months after crossing the 2400 live rating mark at a recent tournament at Novi Sad in Serbia in April 2018.
Speaking to SBS Gujarati, Fenil said, "It has been a fantastic journey for me, on and off the game. I have not given up the passion for the game even after so many years of gap and performing well."
Fenil Shah was honored by Gujarat State Chess Association for his achievement in the game. Source: Gujarat State Chess Association.
'Study over chess'
The 23-year-old added, "I got my first International Master norm at the age of 15 at Chennai, but I had to choose one between study and chess. It was a crucial time for me."
"I chose study over a chessboard in 2010 and took admission in engineering in one of the famous engineering colleges in the city as I have finished my study, I came back to the game in 2017, within ten months I have got International Master title."
International Master requirements
According to the rules of the World Chess Federation, also known as FIDE, any player who achieves a minimum of 2400 rating points can become an International Master. Fenil had 2250 points in his account when he left the game in 2010. Now he holds 2411 rating points.
Fenil is fourth player from Gujarat after Tejas Bakre, Ankit Rajpara, and Valay Parikh to achieve the glory of becoming an International Master.
Fenil began playing chess at the age of six and won the state championship in the Under-7 competition. He has never been defeated since then in the state championships. He clinched his first national medal in 2002 at Lucknow.
Fenil Shah with his trophies. Source: Fenil Shah
He has secured his three International Master norms, earlier starting with Chennai Open (2010), Rilton Cup at Sweden and Aeroflot Open at Moscow in 2018. Fenil showed his excellence in the Rilton Cup and Aeroflot Open against the world's top Grand Masters and International Masters in the prestigious tournaments.
