CHENNAI: Right after the chess Olympiad last year at Mahabalipuram, Vidit Gujrathi had become ever so slightly annoyed at his game. Had it stagnated? It didn't help that negative thoughts had begun to cloud his judgment. "Was my time running out?" Sixteen months later, Gujrathi is in a much better space. Earlier this month, he rubber-stamped his entry into the Candidates by winning the Grand Swiss.
Even otherwise, he's feeling more positively about his game. Since the Olympiad, he has been working with a familiar face (40-year-old GM, Surya Shekhar Ganguly). The 29-year-old spoke about those negative thoughts, the changes he has made and why winning the Grand Swiss was like somebody giving him a full oxygen cylinder. When you began 2023 post the Olympiad, what was your stated aim for the year? I was very upset after the Olympiad. Although I didn't lose any game (featuring for India A, his team finished in fourth), I realised I was missing too many chances. I was playing a bit too passively. I had this annoying feeling that maybe my game is becoming stagnant. After that, I started to build a team. So, I got on board Surya Shekhar Ganguly as coach. We then worked on my weaknesses and made a plan. The initial few months weren't easy... when you are making a change... I was struggling. Slowly slowly, I got some signs that a few of the things are working out well. The goal was always there about Candidates but first, I had to work on my game. I realised that with the current quality (I showed) in the Olympiad, I cannot qualify. So I focused more on my game but the goal was always there. Your thoughts on winning the Grand Swiss and qualifying for the Candidates? Totally ecstatic about winning the Grand Swiss. It's one of the world's strongest tournaments and I feel so much more confident after doing that. Playing the Candidates now, I have a clear goal in sight. It's like I was climbing a mountain but I was running out of oxygen. But it came at the right time. It was like somebody just handed me an oxygen cylinder. The victory has breathed new life into me. At 29, you are still young. But when you look at the younger generation, do you ever think, 'hang on, is my time running out?' I did feel that there's a lot of competition in the younger generation. I had negative thoughts that 'has my time run out'. But also, it pushed me to work harder on my game. This title has given me the confidence you know... 'I'm still there, on my best days, I can win one of the best tournaments in the world'. Did you do anything specific coming into the event? Been preparing quite a lot for a very long time. I didn't change anything specific. Think it just clicked. At the top level, it's all about minute changes. It just accumulated over a year and when I needed it the most, it all came together. I was always putting in the hours. Know Gujrathi Full name: Vidit Santosh Gujrathi Age: 29 Classical rating: 2737.4 (15th in the world and 3rd after Viswanathan Anand and R Praggnanandhaa) Won Grand Swiss to qualify for the Candidates Became a GM in 2013 Is involved in a new social media app, wildr
