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[Exclusive] "Fans flew to Budapest just to support us"- Vidit Gujrathi dedicates Olympiad win to the nation, talks about practicing all night and more

One of the most integral names in Indian chess is that of grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi. However, over the years, never has he been left in such awe as he was with the love his team received in Budapest. The Indian fans showed up from around the world just to extend support to their team at the Chess Olympiad 2024.

India did not disappoint as they accomplished a historic feat at the Olympiad. The country clinched its first double-gold in both the open and women's categories. Vidit was left overwhelmed by the support. He was recently in a conversation with Sportskeeda on the sidelines of a felicitation ceremony for the Indian Olympiad team in Delhi.

"At the Olympiad, many people flew in to Budapest just to support us. They waited for hours to get a glimpse of the Indian team. When have we seen such love before? This win is for India. People used to question ‘Is India the future of chess!?’ Now we can safely say that the ‘future is now!'," said Vidit.

The 30-year-old shared what went behind the scenes for India to have achieved such unparalleled success. Vidit Gujrathi opened up on how the Indian team spent their nights practicing together for the big games.

"We spent long hours till 3 am in the morning, sitting in a room, just honing our skills as a team. At such a competitive competition, you have to identify where you can improve individually, how can your team get stronger and also identify chinks in the opponent's armour. That work helped us create history," he shared.

Chess is an aggressive sport, says Vidit Gujrathi

One might think that chess is not as competitive in nature as a physical sport. However, Vidit Gujrathi counters and explains how chess is an an intensively aggressive game. He shared that it takes ample intimidation tricks for a player to gain advantage over their opponent.

"Chess is extremely competitive and has all the sporting elements. We sometimes have to play 5 hours long games. There is a lot of aggression involved. You can often see players staring into their opponent, trying to intimidate. Mental toughness is at peak and communication is done through body language," explained Vidit.

The Nashik-born star player has achieved plenty of success in his career so far and now has bigger ambitions. He went on to share what those goals are and also credited his family for being his constant support system.

"I've had great last few years and as I am improving, my ambition gets even bigger. I see myself fighting for the world's top positions in the next two years. None of this would be possible without the constant rock in my life, my family," he concluded.

Vidit Gujrathi can be proud of what he and his team have achieved for India at the Olympiad. Given his maturity and mindset, he is a player who promises excellence.

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