All posts tagged: vidit santosh gujrathi

Fiance Nidhi ushers in Vidit Gujrathi’s wins, as the perennially harried GM aces Freestyle Chess where preparations seldom matter

Fiance Nidhi ushers in Vidit Gujrathi’s wins, as the perennially harried GM aces Freestyle Chess where preparations seldom matter

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There’s a hilarious clip from four years ago which has made a comeback on the internet in recent weeks. The clip has Viswanathan Anand and his wife Aruna good-naturedly ribbing each other as they talk to Vidit Gujrathi about all things chess. It is in this 2021 clip that Aruna, who has also played the role of manager for the five-time world champion for most of their marriage, decides to give Vidit some marriage advice while also roasting her husband sitting next to her. “Our honeymoon was in a chess tournament, you know that right?” Aruna asks Vidit, who promptly bursts into laughter. Aruna is referring to the pair travelling to Dortmund a month after getting married in 1996 to play in a super-elite tournament. Anand had ended up tied for first place with Vladimir Kramnik, with the duo ending a full point ahead of the rest of the field. But taking her to a chess tournament for their honeymoon is something that Aruna still won’t let Anand forget. Clearly, like on the chess board, …

Vidit Gujrathi’s good-natured joke at Magnus Carlsen and Nepo

Vidit Gujrathi’s good-natured joke at Magnus Carlsen and Nepo

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The decision of Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi to share the World Blitz Championship title on New Year’s Eve in New York is still being talked about. At a recent Pongal celebration hosted by five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand and his wife Aruna Anand at their home in Chennai, there were a few jokes about titles being shared. Anand and Aruna hosted many of India’s top grandmasters like Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali, RB Ramesh and Srinath Narayanan besides Vidit Gujrathi and his fiancé Nidhi. There were many ceremonies, some hosted specially for the soon-to-be-wed Vidit Gujrathi. During one of the ritual ceremonies, Vidit Gujrathi and his fiancé had to pull out a chess piece from inside a vessel of milk. With the score at 1-1, Aruna made a joke that left the legendary Vishy Anand and the others in splits. “Anand, he’s saying they are sharing title,” Aruna said. The comment was a clear reference to Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi who shared the 2024 World Blitz Chess Championship. Aruna’s remark was quickly followed by a …

Indian Chess In 2024: D Gukesh Caps Off Watershed Year With World Championship Title After Olympiad Triumph

Indian Chess In 2024: D Gukesh Caps Off Watershed Year With World Championship Title After Olympiad Triumph

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Indian chess has been on the upward trajectory for the past two years or so, but no one can deny that 2024 has been a year where the sport took a quantum leap. The year kicked-off with Candidates tournament in Toronto, Canada where five Indians made the cut in the open field despite the tricky qualification demands of the competition. Only eight qualify for the Candidates. While D Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi made the cut in the eight-man line-up, Koneru Humpy and Vaishali Rameshbabu were part of the eight-women category. In the men’s category, Gukesh earned his shot at challenging Ding Liren for the world title, overcoming several challenges despite the presence of veterans like Ian Nepomniachtchi, Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura. He became the youngest-ever to win a shot at the world title. However, this was just the start of what turned out to be an unprecedented year for Indian chess. With over 180 nations participating in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, the Indian contingent won open team golds in both …

Chess Olympiad Winner Vidit Gujrathi Decides Against Defending Title In Azerbaijan To Meet PM Narendra Modi

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Fresh from his exploits in India’s first-ever title-winning campaign at the Chess Olympiad, Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi has decided against defending his crown at the 10th Vugar Gashimov Memorial Chess Super Tournament in Azerbaijan for an audience with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Thursday. Gujrathi had won the Azerbaijan event last year after outperforming compatriot Arjun Erigaisi. He was a part of the Indian men’s team, which also included D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun, that won a historic Chess Olympiad gold in the Open category. Gujrathi took to ‘X’, formerly twitter, to inform that he reached Baku for the event but decided to return to India to meet Modi on learning about the felicitation function. “I reached Baku and I got to know our Hon’ble PM wants to felicitate the Indian team. I was overjoyed when I heard this and I wanted to be a part of it. It’s amazing at how such short notice he is taking out time for us,” Gujrathi wrote on ‘X’. Gujrathi, 29, has been replaced by Aravindh Chithambaram for the …

India Script History By Winning Rare Double Gold At Chess Olympiad 2024

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India on Sunday scripted history as its men’s and women’s teams clinched their maiden gold medals in the 45th Chess Olympiad after beating their respective opponents in the final round. The men’s team defeated Slovenia after D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi and R Praggnanadhaa won their respective matches in the 11th and final round match. The women’s team beat Azerbaijan 3.5-0.5 to clinch the title. Indian men had earlier won two bronze — in 2014 and 2022 — in the tournament. Indian women had won a bronze in the 2022 edition in Chennai. World Championship challenger Gukesh and Arjun Erigaise yet again delivered in key games to help India secure its first title in the open category. 🇮🇳 India wins the 45th FIDE #ChessOlympiad! Congratulations to Gukesh D, Praggnanandhaa R, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna and Srinath Narayanan (Captain)! Gukesh D beats Vladimir Fedoseev, and Arjun Erigaisi prevails against Jan Subelj; India… pic.twitter.com/jOGrjwsyJc — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) September 22, 2024 Up against Slovenia, Gukesh was at his very best in …

‘Indian players used to playing in high-stakes situations’

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The Indian chess team has breezed into the fourth round of the ongoing Chess Olympiad without breaking into a sweat after defeating the Hungarian B team by a 3.5-0.5 scoreline. In previous rounds, the Indian team has defeated Morocco and Iceland with flawless 4-0 margins. Despite their position as the second seeds in the tournament behind USA, many have put the Indian chess team at par with USA, if not ahead, going into the Olympiad, which is one of the most prestigious team events in the sport. India captain Srinath Narayanan had even gone on to say that the crack team of Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Vidit Gujrathi and Pentala Harikrishna was the “strongest team India has ever sent to an Olympiad”. Chess Olympiad: D Gukesh (right) talks to Indian team captain Srinath Narayanan after a game at the Olympiad in Budapest. (PHOTO: FIDE via Maria Emelianova) Ahead of the Chess Olympiad, Vidit Gujrathi answered a few questions from The Indian Express. Excerpts from an interview: Can you talk about the Olympiad and Indian team’s …

Gukesh draws against Nepomniachtchi, Vaishali registers win

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Indian GM D Gukesh continued his lead at the top of the Candidates 2024 standings after playing a draw with joint leader Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia on Monday in the 10th round. The much-anticipated clash between the table toppers fizzled out in a draw after 40 moves. Gukesh started with a Spanish opening against Ian but both players agreed to a draw after more than two hours of Chess. Both players will stay on top of the standings with four games remaining in the prestigious tournament. The other game of Round 10 involving Indians — the clash between Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi — ended in a draw by three-fold repetition. Pragg thus stayed on the heels of Gukesh and Nepomniachtchi, just half a point behind. Hikaru Nakamura and Fabiano Caruana claimed wins against Nijat Abasov and Alireza Firouzja to join Pragg in the third spot. Standings | After Round 10 | #FIDECandidates Ian Nepomniachtchi and 🇮🇳 Gukesh D are co-leaders after 10 rounds. They are closely followed by a pack of 3 tailing by …

D Gukesh Beats Vidit Gujrathi To Regain Joint Lead In Candidates Chess Tournament

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India’s D Gukesh bounced back with a finely crafted game to outwit compatriot Vidit Gujrathi and regain his joint lead with Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia after the eighth round of the Candidates chess tournament in Toronto. On a day when R Praggnanandhaa played out a draw with Firouza Alireza of France, Hikaru Nakamura sealed his supremacy in the all-American duel against Fabiano Caruana to come back in to reckoning for top honours. Overnight sole leader Nepomniachtchi faltered in the early stages to allow tail ender Nijat Abasov to get away with an easy draw in the other game of the eight-player double round-robin event. With six rounds still to come, Gukesh and Nepomniachtchi have 5 points apiece and they are followed by Nakamura and Pragnanandhaa on 4.5 points each. Caruana is now sole fifth on four points. Gujrathi on 3.5 comes in next ahead of Alireza on three points, while Abasov is still at the rear of the tables on 2.5 points. Gukesh had his task cut out and went for a rare variation wherein …

Candidates Chess: R Praggnanandhaa Up Against Firouza Alireza; D Gukesh To Face Vidit Gujrathi

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Indian Grandmasters R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh would look to bridge the gap with leader Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia when they restart their campaigns in the eighth round of the Candidates chess tournament in Toronto. Teen sensation Praggnanandhaa will be up against Frenchman Firouza Alireza, while Gukesh will take on compatriot Vidit Gujarathi when the tournament resumes on Saturday. While all three Indians have had a decent outing in the open section so far, it is defending champion Nepomniachtchi who is in prime position to complete a hat-trick of titles at the halfway stage. With 4.5 points to his credit, Nepomniachtchi would be happy with his performance and stands as the favourite with half point more than nearest rivals Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh and top seed Fabiano Caruana of United States. Gujrathi on 3.5 points is known to rise towards the end of tournaments and one can expect him to come firing in the second half along with Hikaru Nakamura, who shares the fifth spot with him. Alireza comes next in standings on the seventh spot with …

Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Score Crucial Victories; Gukesh Continues In Joint Lead

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Grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa and Vidit Gujrathi scored crushing victories, while D Gukesh held on to the joint top spot with a draw in a brilliant sixth-round outing for the Indian men’s team at the Candidates Chess Tournament in Toronto. Pragnanandhaa prevailed over Nijat Abasov of Azerbaijan, while Gujrathi got the better of Frenchman Alireza. Gukesh’s draw came against American Hikaru Nakamura. With eight rounds still remaining, the 17-year-old Gukesh and Ian Nepomniachtchi continue to share the lead in the men’s section with four points each in their kitty. Russian Nepomniachtchi, who is playing under the FIDE flag, played out a draw with top seeded American Fabiano Caruana. There was disappointment for India in the women’s competition as R Vaishali suffered a reversal, losing to Kateryna Lagno of Russia. Vaishali, who is the elder sister of Praggnanandhaa, now has a lot of ground to cover if she has to come back in the tournament. Koneru Humpy also lost, to Tingjie Lei of China, while Nurgyul Salimova of Bulgaria found her nemesis in Aleksandra Goryachkina of Russia. …