Family, friends & no music for new kid on chess board
At nine, he was playing competitive chess. At 13, he won gold in the World Youth Championship. India Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte predicted he would break into the 2700 ELO points club soon. Now, at age 22, this Grandmaster has become the fourth Indian in history to breach the 2700 mark and has also qualified for the Chess World Cup in Tbilisi, Georgia. This is the rise of Vidit Gujrathi, a 22-year old from Maharashtra.
Ahead of the tournament that begins on September 2, the pressure awaiting Gujrathi is immense. However, he has developed a different way of tackling pressure just before the start of the tournament.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Gujrathi said, “I undergo a range of moods. I try several ways to calm myself down. I am not the kind of person who relies on music to calm my nerves. For me, family and friends are my ultimate stress busters. Before the start of the tournament, if I talk to my family and friends, I get a sense of relief.”
Relief has put Gujrathi in the right frame of mind for the World Cup. His consistency has seen him join Viswanathan Anand, Krishnan Sasikaran and Pentala Harikrishna in the 2700-point club. When mentioned about this feat, the joy is evident in his voice. In the recently concluded St Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament, Garry Kasparov returned after 12 years. The 54-year-old, considered to be one of the greatest world champions of all time, finished in eighth position in the rapid and blitz section.
The high point was the renewal of his rivalry with Anand and Gujrathi said the excitement was palpable. “Kasparov returning was great. I would finish my game and rush back to the hotel to catch his matches on live streaming,” Gujrathi said.
Following the end of the St Louis Rapid and blitz tournament, in an interview, Kasparov ruled out a full-time return. “The only positive for me was that with the results in St Louis, he could have gotten angry and announced that he will stay in this sport for a long time,” said the 22-year old Grandmaster.
The 2017 Chess World Cup is one of the strongest tournaments.
However, Gujrathi is not intimidated and cites the inspiration of the 2008 World Youth Championship gold in Vietnam.
“That win gave me the confidence that I could compete on the big stage. I rely on my strength which is positional chess. Basically, I know which piece should be in the right position,” Gujrathi said.
2700 (ELO points) is a nice milestone. This number is proof that I can compete in competitive chess