Too much play as GM Vidit Gujrathi eases his schedule

bombay: At a tourney in russian federation, amerindic Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi recalled, he had missed a match despite being in a winning position. In anger, he slammed the door of his hotel room so hard that a tile broke off the wall.

Gujrathi, India’s 30th grandmaster, is only 31. But that memory seems like a lifetime ago. Once a young talent, the India No.5 is now taking measured steps away from professional chess.

“I don’t consider myself an active player anymore,” Gujrathi said.

The world No.29 is in Mumbai, competing for the Triveni Continental Kings in the Global Chess League. While the rest of the field, as soon as the tournament ends, will fly to Doha for the World Rapid Chess Championship, Gujrathi will skip the grand event.

“It was a conscious decision towards the end of last year, I decided to reduce playing,” he said. “I did not play all the serious events this year. Before some tournaments like the Grand Swiss, where I had confirmed participation, I was even thinking till the last minute if I should play or not. I did not feel like playing.”

This was a tournament that he won in 2023 to earn a spot in the 2024 Candidates in Canada, which D Gukesh won to become the challenger for the world title match. It was towards the end of those three weeks in Toronto that Gujrathi’s keenness to keep up with the grind of professional chess faded.

“After the Candidates, I felt burnt out and then I was lost,” Gujrathi said. “I had achieved (qualifying for the tournament), and I just didn’t feel the motivation.

“For three years (2022 to 2024), I went very intense, working 14-16 hours a day, and it was not sustainable. I was questioning if I really wanted to keep this schedule. I wanted to take a step back. And when I started to do other things that I enjoy, I was in a dilemma. That’s when I decided I’ll consciously reduce playing.”

While taking a step back from chess, Gujrathi got into vibe coding (for AI-focused software development). He has now created two chess websites for professionals.

Through the welcome distractions though, he hopes the motivation to play will come back.

“Somewhere in my heart I feel that I still haven’t reached my potential. But again, I feel like in those three years, I gave everything to chess. I did not leave a stone unturned and it showed that when I give my best I can reach the Candidates,” he said.

“I know I’m not the best person (in dealing with losses). That’s been one of my regrets, that if I could get better control of my nerves or handle emotions better, I would have added at least 30-40 Elo points to my chess (current rating 2708). That’s one thing I couldn’t overcome while actively playing.”

Gujrathi, who became Grandmaster in 2013, was a part of the Indian teams that won gold at the Chess Olympiad in 2024 and the online edition in 2020. Though his performance at the Candidates left him sixth among the eight-man field, he did manage to score an impressive win over world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura.

That win, he said, showed him what he is capable of when at his best. But getting to that high level took a lot out of him.

“It’s very intense. I was so focused on improving that I was breathing, eating and living chess. But I have no regrets about that, I’m very happy that I did that because at least now I’m at peace because I did everything that I could,” he added.

He may be taking a step back from chess – his next tournament is the Tata Steel event in Kolkata in January with nothing else planned at the moment – but Gujrathi is not giving up on a few dreams. One of them is mentoring.

“Now that I’ve been through everything, I know what is required to reach the top,” he said. “If I work with a promising talent, I can really hone that person to the next level.

“That could be another way for me to reach the World Championship.”

Been a sports journalist for over 11 years. Won the best article award at the PII-ICRC Annual Awards in 2024. Read Less ...Read More

---

---