Vidit, Santosh Gujrathi Age 30

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Vidit's fate is rather unusual. He was expected to take the baton from Harikrishna and become the heir to Anand's chess legacy . However, after reaching the pinnacle of his career by winning the largest Swiss tournament in the world and qualifying for the Candidates, he found that within just a year, a trio of young prodigies had surged ahead. He was no longer India's top player.

Vidit Santosh Gujrathi, born on October 24, 1994, attended a prestigious school and developed a passion for chess at a young age. At 12, he became the runner-up in the Asian U12 Championship and earned the title of FIDE Master. By 14, he was the U14 World Champion and received a new title. In 2011, Vidit won gold in the U20 World Championship (8/11), yet at 17, he was still not a grandmaster! Unlike the prodigies of the next wave, Vidit preferred books and working with coaches over relying on computers. This slowed his progress but made his chess style uniquely distinctive.

Vidit's portfolio boasts many top finishes in strong Swiss tournaments, typically scoring between "+3" and "+5", with victories at Lake Sevan in 2014 and 2016 (both 6/9) and the Dubai Open in 2017 (7/9). He first drew significant attention in 2018 when he won the Wijk aan Zee "B" tournament (9/13) and made a strong debut in the main event the following year. Since then, Vidit has been a consistent member of the "2700 club" and has remained part of this elite group for seven years. Over the years, he cemented his status with victories in Malmö (2018, 3.5/5), Biel (2019, 5.5/7), and Prague (2020, 5/9).

In 2020, as Anand's career wound down and Harikrishna's results declined, India turned to Vidit. He became the captain of the Indian team that shared victory with Russia in the hybrid Olympiad. Two years later, he played on board 1 for the first Indian team at the Chennai Olympiad. Unfortunately, the team fell short and did not reach the podium. Instead, all the glory and attention went to the "youth team" led by 16-year-old Gukesh.

The 28-year-old Gujrathi gave his all at the 2023 World Cup, where he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Abasov. Then came the FIDE Grand Swiss, his crowning moment. He began with a loss in the first round but then won three games in a row, drew, won two more, drew twice, and finished with two wins. His final score of 8.5/11 secured him first place. At the 2024 Candidates Tournament, he played creative and dynamic chess, but struggled under the pressure finishing 6th with a score of +3–5=6. The tournament was won by fellow Indian Gukesh whose finishing surge began with a victory over his compatriot.

Vidit's status remains high; he is a welcome guest at major tournaments and now sits in 4th place behind compatriots Gukesh, Erigaisi, and Praggnanandhaa. Recently, playing on board 4, the former leader helped his team win gold at the 2024 Olympiad. His story continues to unfold.

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