Vidit Gujrathi claims Grand Swiss 2023; qualifies for Candidates 2024
GM Vidit Gujrathi has been confirmed as the winner of the 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss. The win came after Gujrathi defeated GM Alexandr Predke. Subsequently, the Indian finished on 8.5/11 in what has been described as one of the strongest open tournaments of all time. Vidit received a prized cheque of $80,000 for first place. However, the main prize of the tournament will be the qualification spots at the 2024 Candidates tournament. Consequently, he will be joined by the second-placed GM Hikaru Nakamura. Nakamura won $60,000 for his 8/11 score and came second.
On the other hand, in the Women’s event, IM Vaishali Rameshbabu finished with a draw to cap off an unbeaten 8.5/11. Subsequently, she won $25,000 for first place as well as her own Candidates spot. For the first time, a brother and sister duo will contend in the Open and Women’s Candidates. This has been possible after GM Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa qualified via the 2023 FIDE World Cup. Rameshbabu will be joined by her sister Vaishali who qualified for the Women’s Candidate at the Women’s Grand Swiss tournament in the Isle of Man.
What happened in the match?
Vidit Gujrathi has stolen the limelight once again at the international level. The 29-year-old has played the best chess game of his life. Interestingly, at the start of the tournament, the odds were against Vidit thanks to GM Andrey Esipenko and Nakamura’s superior tiebreaks. However, Vidit bucked the odds by scoring a final-round win over Predke. His result in the Grand Swiss is undoubtedly the greatest achievement of his career. This was clearly reflected in the post match interview of the 29-year-old Grand Master. “Amazing, unbelievable,” said Vidit to Chessbase India. Vidit added, “Chesswise, career-wise, the happiest day of life. To win such a strong Open event.”
Playing with the white pieces, the Indian maestro’s Queen’s Gambit was accepted and perhaps strategically. Predke opted to play the Furman Variation, which carries a 64 per cent draw rate in over 1,000 master-level games. Vidit is known as an exceptional endgame player and didn’t mind an exchange of queens, later stating: “It might look like Black has very good drawing chances, which it is, okay, very solid for Black, but it is pleasant for me.
As the games around him played out, Vidit began to notice that Esipenko was losing to GM Anish Giri. Moreover, Nakamura was likely heading toward a draw with GM Arjun Erigaisi. Therefore, a draw would have been enough to claim a Candidates spot. Subsequently, Vidit found it impossible to resist pressing in the minor-piece-dominated middlegame and won a pawn. From that moment onward, it was clear that the 29-year-old would be the winner of the event. He later stated: “It might look like Black has very good drawing chances, which it is, okay, very solid for Black, but it is pleasant for me.”
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