Vidit Grilled By Giri On Friendships, Retirement Plans, And Dancing Skills

GM Vidit Gujrathi's friendships, career aspirations, and even his dancing skills were under the spotlight when he was faced with the polygraph and questioned by none other than his good friend, GM Anish Giri.

Vidit, one of India's top grandmasters and ranked 23rd in the world, is the latest grandmaster to step into the hot seat in Chess.com's Lie Detector Chess, released on YouTube this week.

The 29-year-old was grilled by his close friend and fellow top grandmaster Giri, who posed cheeky questions such as "Did you start learning the guitar to appear more attractive to the opposite sex?" and "Do you think you are a good dancer?".

Here's the episode everyone has been waiting for!

Giri and Vidit join a select group of chess stars and personalities to be featured in Lie Detector Chess episodes this year. Most recently, the Botez sisters, Andrea and Alexandra, were subjected to the polygraph in separate episodes.

Previously, we had also seen IM Levy Rozman, who was in the hot seat in January before GMs Magnus Carlsen and David Howell appeared in April. Even GM Hikaru Nakamura appeared with Chess.com's own IM Danny Rensch in one episode.

Fans of the series had long requested an episode with the two buddies, known for their light-hearted banter and sense of humor. Giri took full advantage of the opportunity to grill his friend and even asked some more chess-related questions. 

However, it didn't take long before Vidit was caught in apparent lies. Asked whether he feared being embarrassed by Giri's questions or whether he intended to cheat the polygraph, Vidit's denials were swiftly flagged by polygraph controller Orjan Hesjedal: "Lie!"

The playful grilling continued when Vidit's dancing skills were questioned by Giri, with the Indian grandmaster admitting that he considers himself a bad dancer.

"I actually think I'm a bad dancer. It's one of my pet peeves," Vidit said.

Okay, the cat is finally out of the box.
The lie detector test with @anishgiri is live! pic.twitter.com/AReLfUpFN7

— Vidit Gujrathi (@viditchess) November 20, 2024

Vidit's relationship with IM Sagar Shah was put to the test as he was asked whether he considers the ChessBase India founder a good friend. "Yes," he replied, with the polygraph hesitating, but ultimately confirmed his statement. However, when Giri asked whether he thinks Shah is funny, Vidit diplomatically said, "sometimes." The polygraph agreed, with Giri teasing, "Only sometimes? Brutal!" 

Giri shifted the conversation to Vidit's career aspirations. He admitted to not being where he wanted to be in his chess career. He also revealed that he doesn't think he has a chance to become world champion, with the polygraph confirming his truthfulness.

When India's number five was asked whether he believed he would ever become number one again, Vidit replied with confidence. This time, the polygraph confirmed his optimism. However, when asked if he could still become a world champion, Vidit candidly said "No."

Vidit's career reached a significant milestone in 2023 when he qualified for his first-ever Candidates Tournament by winning the Grand Swiss at Isle of Man. The Indian grandmaster has previously worked closely with Giri but was forced to admit that he seriously considered asking his friend for assistance preparing for the Candidates.

"Not exactly how you put it, but I gave it more serious thought than you think. Yeah," Vidit said.

Another revealing part was when Giri asked whether Vidit intends to retire within the next five years. "It's likely, but it's a thought that comes and goes. I'm not certain," Vidit responded, adding that he wants to do "something less stressful." Fact check: true.

It's likely, but it's a thought that comes and goes. I'm not certain.

—Vidit Gujrathi on retirement within five years.

Now, there's one question that remains to be answered: Will Giri be as truthful in the next episode when it's his turn to face the polygraph? Fans will have to wait and see.

Who else would you like to see take the polygraph test? Share your thoughts in the comments!