Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi’s single-minded focus and intense determination come to the fore when he effectively states that he wants to go the entire distance and be the lone Candidate who will ultimately vie with present champion Ding Liren of China for the World Championship. Spoken with typical Gujrathi candour, “I want it to be me who makes it from India,” Vidit during his felicitation function organized by Lakshya Sports, emphatically states on his bid to make it to the World Chess Championship final.
Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi during the felicitation function organized by Lakshya Sports at the Press Club, Mumbai on Tuesday.
But to reach that ultimate spot against Liren, Gujrathi, world ranked 14, has to contend with eight other huge names in the Candidates which is to be held in April. And of these eight contenders for the first time, three Candidates are from India. Besides Gujrathi, the two others are R Praggnanandhaa and D Gukesh from Tamil Nadu, notably both are teenagers, who in tandem with Gujarathi have ensured a hatful of laurels for India in the chess world.
Gujarathi has broken new ground, being the first individual from Nasik, a small town in Maharashtra to make it this far. However, ahead of his much-vaunted ambition, what the 29-year-old Gujarathi presently desperately needs is a massive upsurge of cash in the form of sponsorship for the Candidates. And for that, he is hoping and praying for financial assistance from both the Central and the State Governments.
No doubt the All India Chess Federation (AICF) has already set aside Rs 2 crores for the India trio along with R Vaishali who has qualified for the Women’s Candidates, With each player getting around Rs 30 lakhs for training and a coach, however, this amount is not substantive enough, if one aims to make it big.
In Gujarathi’s words, “It requires a lot of resources, not just one but a slew of coaches, you need to leverage technology. If I get that aid, I don’t want to compromise on my training. I’m hoping that the government supports me,” he added.
“This also includes massive remuneration for various full-time coaches. It’s not just one coach — it’s a team. Plus other things like physical training and other support stuff,” he said. “The budget is crossing Rs 1 to 1.3 crore, something like this. It’s very resource-intensive. But considering the stakes, I’m still thinking it’s on the lower end. It could be slightly higher,” added Gujarthi, who is supported by Lakshya Sports in association with Bharat Forge and Kalyani.
Gujarthi was at this peak in The Grand Swiss event where against tremendous odds he triumphed in a classy field to qualify for the Candidates. No doubt there have been ups and downs in his memorable career, where he came close to winning the Asian Championship and the recently held World Rapid event, but even as he has reinvented himself to stay on top, Vidit is hoping that it all comes together for him in the Candidates event set for April 2-25.
High time indeed for the Indian industry to rally and support this Nasik youth’s big move dream.