Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi, currently ranked 25th in the world chess rankings, married Dr. Nidhi Kataria, a 28-year-old homeopathic doctor, in a lavish ceremony at Oxford Golf Resort in Pune, India on April 2. The wedding, which had been eagerly anticipated since the couple’s engagement announcement last November, drew numerous elite chess players and world champions.
Chess Royalty Celebrates with Dancing and Festivities
The celebration turned into a remarkable gathering of chess talent, with former World Champion Viswanathan Anand and newly crowned 18th World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju among the distinguished guests who joined the dance floor during the festivities. Videos of the celebration showing these chess luminaries dancing quickly gained attention in the chess community.
The traditional Indian wedding procession, known as the Baraat, featured an unprecedented collection of chess talent, with combined Elo ratings that would be difficult to match at any other private gathering.
International Attendance and Traditional Celebrations
Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri and his wife, International Master Sopiko Guramishvili, traveled from the Netherlands specifically for the occasion, arriving early to purchase traditional Indian attire for the event. Their preparation for the wedding was documented by International Master Sagar Shah.
The guest list included a who’s who of Indian chess, featuring top grandmasters Arjun Erigaisi, Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu, Abhimanyu Puranik, Sasikiran Krishnan, Adhiban Baskaran, and Sethuraman S.P. Notable attendees also extended beyond active players to include chess administrators and sponsors, such as Anand Deshpande, founder and CEO of Persistent Systems and Vidit’s sponsor, along with Jeet Banerjee, Tournament Director of Tata Steel Chess India.
Back to Competition
Gujrathi will have little time to rest after the celebrations, as he is scheduled to compete in the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Paris, beginning on April 7. The grandmaster qualified for this prestigious event after winning a challenging three-day qualifier last month.
In a brief interview, Gujrathi mentioned that the couple plans to combine their honeymoon with his tournament trip to Paris. Speaking about how the wedding festivities might affect his chess preparation, he noted: “It’s an Indian wedding, it’s not just one day, it goes on for a week, but I’ll have a lot of happy emotions, so I think that’s my preparation, just being happy and in a good mood—maybe that’ll help!”
A Union Celebrated by the Chess World
The wedding marks a significant personal milestone for one of India’s top chess players. At 30 years old, Gujrathi has established himself as a world-class competitor, while Dr. Kataria brings her medical expertise to their partnership.
The chess community has shown overwhelming support for the couple, with congratulatory messages pouring in from around the world as videos and photos from the celebration circulated on social media.