Indian Chess Sensation D Gukesh and Viswanathan Anand Surprise Fans with Dance Moves at Vidit Gujrathi’s Wedding

Indian chess sensation D Gukesh and five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand surprised fans by showing off their dance moves in recently viral videos from Vidit Gujrathi’s wedding. The rare and lighthearted moments featuring the grandmasters have taken social media by storm.

You have seen Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand and new world champion D Gukesh make multiple killer moves over the board, but they can be equally good at dance moves. The surprising side of the five-time world champion Anand and Gukesh was revealed at fellow chess Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi’s wedding.

Vidit Gujrathi got married to Nidhi Kataria on 2 April (Wednesday) and his wedding ceremony was attended by all the big names of the Indian chess community as well as Dutch Grandmaster Anish Giri and his wife Sopiko Guramishvili (International Master).

A number of videos from the ceremony are going viral on the social media platforms. In one of the videos, Gukesh and Anand could be seen dancing to Bollywood songs.

Another video, reportedly shot at the Oxford Golf Resort in Pune, shows Gukesh dancing to Hindi pop songs while Giri and Sopiko also dance next to him.

Gukesh became the youngest chess world champion of all time in December 2024 after he defeated China’s Ding Liren in the final. Only 18, Gukesh, however, has faced criticism from some of the biggest names including world No.1 Magnus Carlsen since becoming the world champion.

The Chennai teenager is not bothered about the criticism as he sees it as another reason to prove his detractors wrong.

“In my personal view, when you reach the World Championship game, you are bound to face criticism, and people are free to say whatever they want. I will continue to do my job. Also I’m not on social media, so a lot of negative things don’t reach me easily. But I do come across some negative comments, and they only motivate me,” Gukesh recently told The Times of India.

Gukesh continued to be world No.3 in the latest FIDE rankings while India’s Arjun Erigaisi is now fourth.

Both GMs will be in action in the upcoming Paris leg of the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour, which will be played from 7 to 14 April. The chess tournament will also feature Gujrathi and R Praggnanandhaa from India besides top players like Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, and Vincent Keymer.