Vidit Gujrathi: Decline of Form – A Critical Analysis on Recent Performances of Chess
As of late, Vidit Gujrathi, considered by many as a chess talent with much potential in the Indian chess scene, has seen a significant decline in his recent performances. The underwhelming results not only in Chennai Chess Grandmasters 2024 but also in the Chess Champions League set the ground for numerous discussions on the possible reasons in the game.
Lack of form in Chennai Grandmasters 2024
Vidit suffered a disappointing loss at the hands of Arjun Erigaisi who is today India’s top player, in the opening round of the strongest Chennai Grandmasters.
The game was highly contested but had Vidit in very strong position but one miscalculated move, King to e5, and he lost with some pretty accurate play by Arjun.
Vidit’s loss to Arjun was not just an upset in a single game; it marks the problems he has faced against top-class players recently. On the whole, the tournament ended in absolute last position for Vidit, a far cry from his performances of a couple of years ago when he would regularly contend with the world’s elite.
The opposition being such a mix from international players, still, Vidit could not be consistent and made those blunders which normally he would never do. His downfalls trigger many speculations among spectators about his recent form, mental preparation, and competitive edge over the rest of the international competition.
Possible Reasons Behind Vidit’s Failure
Vidit’s latest games tend to raise questions about a few factors affecting his game:
Severe Competition: New young Indian players – Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi especially- put immense pressure at the national level to stay ahead of Vidit.
More Mistakes: The errors by him in the crucial moments, like the one against Arjun Erigaisi, have proved that he seems to lack the mental toughness while playing under pressure. The mistakes cost extremely dear, particularly while competing against opponents who seize the opportunity.
Play Ahead
Perhaps the boy needs to go back to the drawing board, so far as preparation strategies are concerned, and work more on his mental toughness. Vidit perhaps needs to emulate the kind of strategies of players like Magnus Carlsen, who have stayed long at the top and maintained that form. Besides that, he could improve on correcting those recurring mistakes and looking at much-improved endgames tactics that would give him a competitive edge.
