India’s celebrated chess grandmaster, Vidit Gujrathi, has earned his place in the Paris leg of the Freestyle Grand Slam Chess Tour happening from 8th to 15th April. He clinched his spot by defeating Richard Rapport 1.5-0.5 in the “play-in” event finals. Before that, Vidit dazed everyone in the semifinals with a 2-0 win over Iran’s Amin Tabatabaei and also defeated former World Champion Ding Liren.
A tour to remember for Vidit
Interestingly, Vidit will be jetting off to Paris just days after his wedding on 3rd April. With a touch of humour, he remarked in an interview with Chess.com that his honeymoon might unfold right in Paris, cleverly aligning with the chess event. Despite taking a 3-4 month break from chess for personal reasons, Vidit was pleasantly taken aback by his performance. He confessed to feeling a bit out of practice and unprepared as the tournament began but managed to shine against top contenders.
A stellar performance
Vidit’s run in the tournament was nothing short of spectacular. He didn’t just secure a victory against former world champion Ding Liren in the round of 16 but also triumphed over fellow Indian player Pranesh M in the quarterfinals. In the final round, Vidit earned a place in the Paris event. His fiancée, Nidhi, shared her delight on Instagram, celebrating Vidit’s incredible comeback and success after months of not playing.
“I’m feeling great. For me, it was very unexpected that I would do so well in this tournament. Because I haven’t been practising chess for the last three-four months. I have just been busy with other stuff.” said Vidit.
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Entering the Freestyle chess arena
The Paris event will be Vidit’s first foray into over-the-board freestyle chess competitions. He’ll be competing in a lineup of 10 players, including other Indian chess talents like D Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, and R Praggnanandhaa. They’ll be joined by global chess giants such as Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Vincent Keymer, and Hikaru Nakamura, all vying for a slice of the $200,000 prize.
The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour
This tour, organized by Freestyle Chess Operations, consists of a series of Chess960 tournaments lined up for 2025. Players will earn points based on their performance in each event, with the season’s top-scorer becoming the Freestyle Chess Champion. Vidit’s participation is highly anticipated, as he steps onto the stage alongside some of the world’s chess elite in this groundbreaking tournament series.
