Vidit Gujrathi is one of the standout grandmasters of India’s remarkable modern chess wave. He won the 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss to punch his ticket to the world’s most exclusive tournament, then made a huge splash at the 2024 Candidates by beating superstar Hikaru Nakamura twice — including a win that ended Nakamura’s 47-game classical unbeaten streak. Add team gold at the 2024 Chess Olympiad and a growing second career as a chess streamer and content creator, and you have one of the most complete figures in Indian chess today.
Quick facts
- Full name: Vidit Santosh Gujrathi · Born: 24 October 1994, Nashik, India
- Title: Grandmaster (earned in January 2013 — the 30th GM from India)
- Peak rating: 2747 (February 2024), peaking at world No. 14
- Big results: 2023 Grand Swiss winner · 2024 Candidates player · 2024 Olympiad team gold · 2022 Asian Games team silver
- Style: deeply prepared positional player who can flip on the attack
Who is Vidit Gujrathi?
Born in Nashik, Maharashtra, in 1994, Vidit was a serious talent from childhood. In 2008 he won the World Youth Chess Championship (Open Under-14) — becoming the first Indian to win that section — and he followed it with a runner-up finish in the Under-16 the next year and a World Junior (Under-20) bronze in 2013. That same January he crossed the biggest bar of all, earning the grandmaster title to become the 30th GM in Indian history.
From there Vidit steadily climbed into the world elite. He became the fourth Indian ever to cross the 2700 rating mark, established himself as a fixture in India’s top boards, and — while a slightly older figure than teen prodigies like Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa — became one of the anchors of the country’s golden generation. His breakthrough to true global prominence came in 2023, and he hasn’t looked back.
What is Vidit’s playing style?
Vidit is, at heart, a positional strategist. He loves clear structures, deep and well-organized opening preparation, and the kind of slow-burn squeeze where understanding beats brute-force calculation. But calling him “just solid” undersells him badly — when a position opens up, he’s perfectly capable of a sharp, sacrificial attack. His famous win over Nakamura featured a novelty followed by a flurry of piece sacrifices, exactly the sort of controlled aggression that surprises people who file him under “quiet.”
We break down the full picture in Vidit’s playing style.
What openings does Vidit Gujrathi play?
With the white pieces, Vidit is a 1.d4 player whose signature weapon is the Catalan Opening — a smooth, strategic system where White fianchettoes the bishop and applies long-term pressure. He also leans on Queen’s Gambit Declined structures. As Black he keeps things sound and well-tested, memorably using the rock-solid Berlin wall of the Ruy Lopez to topple Nakamura.
See the full repertoire in Vidit’s openings.
Career highlights
- 2008: wins the World Youth Under-14 title — the first Indian to do so.
- 2013: earns the grandmaster title (30th Indian GM) and takes World Junior bronze.
- 2023: wins the FIDE Grand Swiss with 8½/11, becoming the third Indian to qualify for the Candidates Tournament.
- 2024: plays the Candidates Tournament (finishing sixth), where he beats Hikaru Nakamura twice — the first player to beat the same opponent twice at that event.
- 2024: wins team gold with India in the open section of the 45th Chess Olympiad, going unbeaten on board four.
- 2022 Asian Games: wins team silver with India (event held in 2023).
More on the numbers lives in his rating history.
The best games
Vidit’s best games mix patient positional wins with genuine fireworks — including the two scalps of Nakamura that lit up the 2024 Candidates. We’ve collected the standouts in Vidit Gujrathi’s best games.
Fun facts
- Beyond the board, Vidit is a popular content creator — he runs a busy chess YouTube channel and streams regularly, mixing serious analysis with light-hearted vlogs.
- He’s also a bit of a tech tinkerer: he built “Kibitz,” a tool that predicts human chess moves for broadcasts, and turned it into a project of its own.
- His full name is Vidit Santosh Gujrathi; his father is an Ayurveda practitioner and his mother a cosmetologist, both from Nashik.
- He belongs to the same golden generation of Indian stars as Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Arjun Erigaisi — all inspired by the original trailblazer, Viswanathan Anand.
FAQ
Who is Vidit Gujrathi? An Indian grandmaster, born in 1994 in Nashik, who won the 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss, played the 2024 Candidates Tournament (beating Nakamura twice), and won Olympiad team gold with India in 2024. He’s also a popular chess streamer.
When did Vidit Gujrathi become a grandmaster? In January 2013 — he was the 30th player from India to earn the GM title.
What is Vidit Gujrathi’s highest rating? A classical FIDE peak of 2747, reached in February 2024, when he climbed to world No. 14.
Did Vidit Gujrathi beat Hikaru Nakamura? Yes — twice at the 2024 Candidates Tournament. The first win ended Nakamura’s 47-game classical unbeaten streak, and Vidit became the first player to beat the same opponent twice at that event.
Is Vidit Gujrathi a World Champion? No. His biggest title is the 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss, and he has qualified for and played in the Candidates Tournament — the event that decides the World Championship challenger.
Keep exploring
Go deeper: his best games · his playing style · his opening repertoire · his rating history · fun facts & records · or browse all chess players.
Written and fact-checked by the Chess Lab Academy Editorial Team · Facts verified against Wikipedia, his FIDE profile, and Chess.com, as of July 2026 · Last verified 2026-07-10 · How we verify content.