Vidit Gujrathi’s Lighthearted Joke on Shared Titles at Anand’s Pongal Celebration

The decision by Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi to share the 2024 World Blitz Championship title on New Year’s Eve in New York continues to be a topic of discussion in the chess world.

During a Pongal celebration hosted by five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand and his wife Aruna Anand at their Chennai home, the topic sparked some lighthearted banter. The event was attended by several of India’s top chess grandmasters, including Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, Vaishali, RB Ramesh, Srinath Narayanan, and Vidit Gujrathi with his fiancée, Nidhi.

A Playful Chess Ceremony and a Well-Timed Joke

As part of the celebrations, a special ritual was held for Vidit and Nidhi, where they had to retrieve a chess piece from a vessel of milk. With the score tied at 1-1, Aruna Anand made a witty remark that had Vishy Anand and the others in splits.

“Anand, he’s saying they are sharing the title,” she joked, referencing Carlsen and Nepomniachtchi’s shared championship decision.

Vidit quickly joined in, adding with a smile, “Sharing titles is now the thing.”

Vishy Anand then chimed in with a humorous take on married life and chess tiebreaks: “When married couples have Armageddon, it doesn’t end well.”

Carlsen-Nepo’s Shared Title Controversy

The Carlsen-Nepomniachtchi title-sharing decision has faced criticism, particularly after a video surfaced of Carlsen jokingly suggesting that if FIDE rejected their request to share the title, they could simply “play short draws until they give up.”

A Fun-Filled Celebration

The Pongal celebration wasn’t just about chess and jokes—it also saw Anand, Gukesh, Praggnanandhaa, and Srinath recreating Gukesh’s now-viral dance moves from before he became a world champion, adding to the lively atmosphere.