18-year-old Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh who has made history on the chess board says the world title was not just a result of good strategy. Instead, he has credited mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton for helping him tame the “emotional pressure” of competing on the biggest stage.
Gukesh, who defeated China’s Ding Liren to become the youngest-ever owner of the world title, arrived here to a rousing welcome from enthusiastic fans and officials.
“In a world championship, it’s not only about chess. There is a lot of mental and emotional pressure to deal with. Paddy’s teachings helped me in that regard,” Gukesh said in a press meeting organized by Velammal Vidyalaya, his childhood school.
Upton is a renowned mental conditioning coach. He worked with Gukesh in the run-up to and during the t4-game marathon event in Singapore.
“The suggestions and the conversations I have had with him, have been very important for me and my development as a player,” Gukesh said.
Gukesh also detailed how his association started with the South African, who has the experience of working with the 2011 cricket World Cup-winning Indian cricket team and the national men’s hockey team that bagged a bronze at the Paris Olympics.
“Paddy has been a very important part of my team. After I won the Candidates (April), I asked Sandeep sir (Sandeep Singhal of Westbridge Capital) for a mental trainer,” Gukesh recalled. “He instantly put me in touch with Paddy Upton, who has a lot of experience working with good athletes,” said the Champion.
In an interview with PTI a day after Gukesh’s win, Upton had lauded the teenager’s “self-awareness”. “I think that’s the thing that’s stood out, his ability to recognize his thoughts and manage his mind and his understanding of how to do so,” Upton said.
“…he is a world champion because he was able to manage himself and remain focused and stay in the game even though he’s 0-1 down right from the beginning. So that is a mark of a champion,” said Upton.
