Indian chess prodigy risks losing US scholarship over visa issues
Seventeen-year-old Md Imran faces mounting family debt and a potential loss of university funding after losing his passport in Slovakia.
Seventeen-year-old chess player Md Imran faces the possibility of losing a full university scholarship due to an unresolved US visa crisis, according to the Times of India. The Andhra Pradesh native, who became an International Master in 2025, has deferred his admission to the University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) from Fall 2026 to Spring 2027.
The crisis began in Bratislava, Slovakia, last June when Imran lost his passport, phone, money, and personal belongings. The lost passport contained his valid US F-1 visa and a Schengen visa. While he obtained a replacement passport from the Indian Embassy in Budapest on June 29 and returned to India on July 6, he has struggled to secure new visas.
Imran stated that his application for a Schengen visa for Hungary was his 13th attempt. He was granted a three-month visa valid from July 18 to October 31. He told the Times of India that the decision seemed ridiculous compared to peers receiving multi-year visas in fewer attempts.
The player has been unable to secure a US visa appointment despite trying every day for four months. If he cannot secure his F-1 visa before his new university orientation on January 19, 2027, he risks losing his scholarship.
The financial strain of his career has led his family to accumulate loans of approximately Rs 40-50 lakh. Professional chess in Europe costs between Rs 1.5 lakh and Rs 3 lakh every month, covering flights, visas, and tournament fees.
