“From Chessboard to Code: Vidit Gujrathi’s Journey into AI and Tech Innovation”

Bengaluru’s Chess Prodigy Turns Tech Innovator: Vidit Gujrathi’s Journey into AI

Bengaluru – In a world where chess and technology increasingly intertwine, Indian grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi is making waves beyond the 64 squares. At 31, the chess prodigy is not just a player but an innovator, recently garnering attention from tech giant NVIDIA for his groundbreaking app, Kibitz.

Gujrathi, who has already developed two notable applications—a web app for blindfold chess and a puzzle-solving tool based on real tournament positions—has now set his sights on revolutionizing how chess is perceived and understood through technology. “Chess engines don’t convey the human side of the game,” he explains. “I wanted to create something that predicts how a grandmaster thinks, not just what moves they might make.”

His journey into tech began during his tenure as a second to fellow grandmaster Anish Giri. “I was limited by my technical knowledge back then,” he admits. However, the advent of advanced language models in 2023-24 sparked his curiosity. “It felt magical,” he recalls, as he dove into coding and AI, teaching himself through blogs, videos, and papers.

Gujrathi’s latest creation, Kibitz, aims to bridge the gap between human intuition and machine calculation. The app has already shown promising results, boasting a first-move accuracy of 56% and an impressive 86% accuracy for the first three moves. “I tested it on past games and want to see how it holds up on a larger dataset,” he says, confident that improvements are on the horizon.

His passion for technology has not come at the expense of his chess career. After a successful run leading up to the 2024 Candidates tournament, where he peaked at a rating of 2747, Gujrathi decided to take a step back from competitive chess. “I realized I didn’t have the motivation to fight for the biggest titles anymore,” he reflects. “But I still want to contribute to the chess community and explore the intersection of chess and technology.”

As he prepares for the upcoming Global Chess League, Gujrathi is also contemplating his future in both chess and tech. “I feel I’m better than my current ranking of No. 33 in the world,” he admits. “I want to solve the problems I face in chess through technology.”

With aspirations to mentor younger players and a keen interest in the collaborative potential of AI, Gujrathi is optimistic about the future. “In chess, someone has to lose for me to win. In tech and AI, everyone can win,” he says, a smile breaking across his face as he reflects on NVIDIA’s recognition of Kibitz. “At least somewhere I should win.”

As Bengaluru continues to emerge as a hub for innovation, Vidit Gujrathi stands at the forefront, blending his love for chess with a passion for technology, paving the way for a new era in both fields.