Vidit Gujrathi wins FIDE Grand Swiss 2023, becomes third Indian to qualify for Candidates 2024

Published at :November 6, 2023 at 4:38 PM

Modified at :January 14, 2024 at 12:58 AM

(Courtesy : ChessBase India)

He becomes second Indian male to qualify for Candidates next year.

In a historic clean sweep, India emerged victorious at the FIDE Grand Swiss 2023 chess event held in the Isle of Man. Vidit Gujrathi and R.Vaishali clinched titles, securing their positions in the Candidates tournament, where the challenger to the reigning world champion is determined.

Vidit’s journey to victory was particularly remarkable. Despite an initial defeat, he finished at the top of the standings with a commanding 8.5 points out of a possible 11. Vaishali’s exceptional performance also secured her place in the Candidates tournament, marking a momentous achievement for the Indian chess community.

Vaishali became only the second Indian female chess player to qualify for the women’s Candidates tournament, following in the footsteps of Koneru Humpy. Humpy reached as far as the Women’s World Championship final in 2011, where she lost to China’s Hou Yifan.

Vidit secured his spot in the 2024 Candidates’ tournament, becoming the second Indian male player to do so in the same edition, following R Praggnanandhaa’s qualification earlier this year through his impressive runner-up performance at the FIDE Chess World Cup.

Speaking to the FIDE YouTube channel about his win, Vidit expressed, “This is the most significant victory of my career, without a doubt. I’ve been patiently waiting to win any tournament in any format. One of my goals was to compete in the FIDE Candidates, and it’s a very challenging qualification cycle, so I am delighted.”

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He added, “After losing the first game, I wouldn’t have bet on myself at the start, but I scored 8.5 out of 10 games.”

For the first time in Indian chess history, two players have earned spots in the Candidates tournament. Vishwanathan Anand was the first and only Indian chess master to qualify for the Candidates and win it in 2014. The India No. 1, D Gukesh, still has a chance to qualify through the 2023 FIDE circuit rankings.