vidit gujrathi
The Vidit Gujrathi Indian Grandmaster has struck the chess world once again but this time it is not his moves but his humours that have done it. Vidit has recently uploaded a short video that has gone viral on social media as he sarcastically describes how confusing chess World Championships are. The reel brings out the comedic nature of the manner the term world champion is applied in the various formats of classical, rapid, and blitz where even the fans who are so much into football are confused on which one is the actual world champion.
In the short, Vidit is dissecting how chess appears to have many World Champions simultaneously, one of them in classical chess, one in rapid, and one in blitz. The misunderstanding has been there since years and it was his comedic performance that brought the misunderstanding into perspective of the general audience. The film appealed to the audience who can sometimes struggle to follow the schedule of chess tournaments around the globe.
The outstanding feature of the video was that Vidit was able to combine the wit with insight. He even made fun of how analysts and spectators are disoriented when they talk about who exactly is the World Champion. The best part of his line was when he said, So technically, we have three world champions in one, it is like three kings in one kingdom, which made chess fans of all platforms laugh and share the clip infinitely.
The video became viral when it was posted on X (then Twitter) by American Grandmaster and streamer Hikaru Nakamura who lauded the creative interpretation of Vidit. Hey, viditchess, you nailed me, short, hikaru wrote. You described it so well that the FIDE chess must stick your short on their webpage! Thousands of people liked and retweeted his tweet, making the reel one of the most popular discussions in the world of chess this week.
The chess enthusiasts around the world also got into the action and attached FIDE (the international chess federation) and requesting them to prominently feature the video of Vidit in order to introduce championship formats to the novices. The users said that this was the first time they realized the distinction between the different world championship titles, courtesy of the humor on the part of Vidit.
Vidit Gujrathi has turned into one of the most approachable figures in the sphere of modern chess not only because of his outstanding playing results but also through his magnetic Internet persona. He has become a social media phenomenon because of his YouTube channel and Instagram reels that have enabled chess to attract a broader and younger audience. Vidit has again demonstrated through this viral short that chess does not necessarily have to be serious, it could be funny, self-aware and very human.
Since the chess calendar still has rapid, blitz, and classical championships as separate events, maybe FIDE should follow in the footsteps of Vidit and make the way these three styles are brought to the masses that much easier. Fans can keep on depending on such creators as Vidit Gujrathi to sustain the spirit of the game until then a reel clever at a time.
