Interview with ChessBase India
Reflecting on his remarkable European tour, Vedant walked us through the realities of playing back-to-back tournaments. He discusses the invaluable support of his mentors, the mental resilience required to overcome setbacks, and what it truly takes to gain 500 rating points in just two months.
Devansh Singh: When did your chess journey begin, and what initially drew you to the game?
Vedant Varasada: When I was 8 years old, someone gifted me a chessboard for my birthday. My father, who was a college chess player, taught me the basic rules of the game. That was how chess was introduced to my life. I found the game fascinating, and with my father's constant support, my chess journey took off from there.
Devansh: Who or what has been the biggest influence on your chess career?
Vedant: My spiritual guru, His Holiness Mahant Swami Maharaj, has had the greatest influence on my chess career. He gave me the formula for success: Prarthana (Prayer) + Purusharth (Hard work) = Success. Whenever failures occur, prayer plays a huge role in giving me inspiration, insight, and renewed energy to work hard and improve.
My parents have also played an immense role. My father taught me how to work hard, found the right coaches for me, and my mother supported me at every single step of my journey.
Devansh: Who have been your coaches so far, if you can tell, and how long did you train with each?
Vedant: In the beginning, Abhijit Sur was my first coach. He nurtured my natural style of play. He never taught me strict opening theory until 2022; instead, he always told me to play naturally, understand the core opening principles, and never blindly memorize lines.
After 2022, Siddhant Gaikwad became my coach. He taught me tactics and strategy, and guided me on tournament selection. Under his guidance, I finished in second place at the National Amateur Chess Championship, secured 3rd place at the U-15 National School Games 2024, and also finished runner-up in the Lake City Below-1600 tournament. It was under Siddhant Sir's mentorship that I reached a 2222 rating.
Additionally, Agam Aditya (IA) and Rahulkumar Rohit are two of my senior friends and mentors who have continually supported and guided me further along in my chess journey.
Devansh: What have been some of the biggest challenges you faced in your chess journey?
Vedant: My biggest challenge was my location. Coming from Ankleshwar, a small town in Gujarat, my exposure to tournaments was quite limited. We had to travel extensively just to compete. After the COVID-19 pandemic, my first coach, Abhijit Sur, faced some age-related health challenges, which put my coaching in question. However, during the pandemic, online coaching took off, and that is how I connected with Siddhant Gaikwad Sir as my new coach.
Overcoming setbacks and slumps was another major hurdle, but by my Guru’s grace and through regular prayer, I was able to bounce back from those failures.
Devansh: What was your target going into the Catalan Circuit?
Vedant: Initially, I didn't know anything about the Catalan Circuit. When I went to Bhopal for the first time to play in Khelo India, Niklesh Jain Sir told me about the circuit and advised me that I should play there if I wanted to grow as a player. That inspired my father to send me to the Catalan Circuit for the first time in 2024. I am especially grateful to Niklesh Jain Sir for introducing me to it. In that first trip, I played four tournaments and pushed my rating to 2222. It offered incredible exposure against higher-rated players, which is rare to find back home.
In 2026, after I completed my 10th standard exams, Agam Aditya (IA) strongly insisted that I return to the Catalan Circuit. Based on his recommendation, my father decided to send me once again to pursue my chess career.
Devansh: You increased more than 500 points in 2 months. Can you tell us if it was expected of you?
Vedant: My father always told me to focus purely on the game rather than on rating points. I tried my best to stick to that advice. In the past, whenever I became conscious of my rating, I could never play my natural game. So this time, my sole aim was to play quality chess, and the rating gain was simply a byproduct of that approach.
Predicting rating gains is nearly impossible; I never expected a jump like this. It is always easy to connect the dots looking backward, but you can never predict them going forward.
Check out a beautiful game from the Sitges tournament
Devansh: Can you tell us about all the tournaments you played on your Europe trip and how they went?
Vedant: I played a total of six tournaments, starting with Barberà. I had a nervous start and lost the opening round, but gradually found my rhythm and managed to gain 107 rating points. My second tournament was Sant Martí, which went decently well, adding another 150 points. The third was Sitges, which was fantastic for me—I gained 163 points there.
The fourth tournament was in Porto; things felt a bit sluggish there, but I still gained 68 points. My fifth was Sants. While I gained 38 points, it was an exceptional experience: I played five consecutive games against 2400+ rated opponents, drawing four and losing just one. My sixth and final tournament was L'Escala, where I added 8 points, likely due to fatigue from continuous play.
Overall, it was an incredible experience, and the rating gains exceeded all my expectations. I had rarely faced 2400+ players in India, but the Catalan Circuit gave me invaluable exposure against such strong opposition.
Devansh: In September 2024, you were 2222, and then you lost almost 300 points. How did you come back from that point?
Vedant: After crossing 2222 during my first circuit trip, I became overly rating-conscious. That fear of losing rating points held me back from playing good, natural chess. Seeing this, my father advised me to play as many games as possible until the fear of losing rating points completely disappeared. I followed his advice, played continuously, and after a period of consolidation, my form returned.
Faith and prayer also played a vital role. I perform my daily pooja and prayers every morning. That daily routine gives me immense peace of mind, confidence, and emotional balance through both victories and defeats.
Devansh: Now you only need norms as the rating is already achieved, so what's next on your tournament calendar?
Vedant: First, I plan to take 8 to 10 days completely off from any chess activity to rest and recharge. After that, I am planning to play the Aktobe Open in Kazakhstan, Sunway Sitges, and norm-oriented closed round-robin events in Budapest.
Devansh: Please share your major achievements so far!
Vedant: Out of the six tournaments I played on this trip, I won category prizes in four of them. Previously, I was the runner-up in the U-1700 category at the National Amateur Championship 2024, placed 3rd in the U-15 category at the National School Games 2024, and finished second in the Below-1600 Lake City Open in 2023. While they may not be huge titles, they represent steady progress.
Academically, I scored 95.2% in my CBSE 10th board exams, and I credit chess for helping build the focus and discipline needed to achieve that.
Vedant Shared some of his best games from this trip. Check them out
Vedant’s incredible 500-point leap on the Catalan Circuit is a powerful reminder that with the right mindset, a slump can be transformed into a launchpad. With his rating now comfortably past 2400, the norms are surely just around the corner. We at ChessBase India wish Vedant the very best for his upcoming tournaments in Kazakhstan and Budapest!
