Vidit Gujrathi is a renowned Indian chess player. He achieved the title of Grand Master in January 2013 becoming the thirtieth player from India to attain that title.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Vidit Gujrathi was born on Monday, 24 October 1994 (Age 26 Years; as in 2020) in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. His full name is Vidit Santosh Gujrathi. His zodiac sign is Scorpio. He completed his schooling from Fravashi Academy, Nashik. He started coaching for chess at a very early age and his hard work paid off when he finished second in Asian Youth Championship in the U-12 category in 2006.
Vidit Gujrathi after winning bronze medal in Asian Championship 2017
Physical Appearance
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Black
Family & Caste
Parents & Siblings
Vidit’s father’s name is Santosh Gujrathi and his mother’s name is Nikita Santosh Gujrathi. Both of his parents are doctors. He also has a younger sister, Vedika Gujrathi.
Vidit Gujrathi with his family during an award ceremony
Career
After completing his schooling, Vidit began his coaching in chess at a very early age, and in 2006, he got the second place in Asian Youth Championships in the U-12 category and received the title of FIDE Master. In 2008, Vidit earned the title of International Master after securing 7 points out of 13 in the Velammal 45th National A Chess Championship, Chennai. In the same year, he became the first Indian to win the World Youth Championship in the Open U14 section. In 2011, during the World Junior Chess Championship, Vidit earned his first norm for the title of Grand Master by finishing with 8 points out of 11. After gaining his second GM norm in Nagpur International Open, Vidit earned the final GM norm in the eighth round of Rose Valley Kolkata Open Grandmaster’s tournament in 2012. This helped him attain the title of Grand Master in January 2013. Over the years, Vidit was coached by several chess masters like IM Anup Deshmukh, IM Roktim Bandopadhyay, and GM Alon Greenfeld. Vidit reached the peak Elo rating of 2726 in September 2020 and holds the world ranking of 24.
Vidit Gujrathi during an online streaming session of chess
Controversy
In 2018, Vidit Gujrathi was in Makati, the Philippines for Asian Championship when he had to go out of the venue to buy water along with his compatriots Abhijit Kunte and Lalit Babu when the group was attacked by unidentified assailants. Vidit posted about the incident saying that they were cornered and then attacked. They managed to escape from the situation and saved themselves from the goons. He also informed the world chess federation FIDE about the issues with the facilities provided to the players. The players had to pay $150 for a room with poor facilities, improper food, and cleanliness. Emil Sutovsky, the director-general of FIDE noticed this and he had contacted the authorities regarding the complaints. [1]Scroll
Facts/Trivia
- Magnus Carlsen is the 2020 world champion in chess. In November 2019, Vidit played a match that ended in five moves making it the shortest game of Magnus Carlsen’s career.
- During the COVID pandemic situation, Vidit began streaming on his YouTube channel to spread awareness about the game of chess and to increase the number of people engaging in the game. His live streams include several comedians like Samay Raina, Tanmay Bhat, Biswa Kalyan Rath, etc.
- Vidit worked with ChessBase, a German company operating in the field of chess, as he recorded two instructional DVDs for beginners. These were titled as “The Fashionable Caro-Kann Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 by Vidit Gujrathi.”
- The founder of Black Lotus, Om Swami decided to offer Vidit a sponsorship when they got to know that Vidit is a regular user of their application. Black Lotus is an application that helps people to meditate and relax. The deal was completed as a combination of cash and stocks of the company. [2]ANI
Vidit Gujrathi with the founder of Black Lotus, Om Swami
- In 2019, Vidit defeated the five-time world champion, Vishwanath Anand during the Tata Steel Chess 2019 Blitz.
- In his leisure time, Vidit loves to travel to new places or go for treks. He is also fond of photography and often spends his free time clicking pictures.
Vidit Gujrathi on a family trip to Kerala
