"It`s not just about chess, there`s lot of emotional pressure too": D Gukesh

World Chess champion D Gukesh said that the title win was not just because of good strategy on the board, but he also credited mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton for helping him deal with the emotional pressure.

D Gukesh defeated China`s Ding Liren to become the youngest-ever World Chess champion. He arrived on Monday in India on Monday and received a warm welcome from the 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,” D Gukesh said in a press meet organised by Velammal Vidyalaya, his childhood school.

Upton, a renowned mental conditioning coach, worked with Gukesh in the run-up to and during the the 14-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,” he said.

D Gukesh also provided inputs of how his association started working with the South African who had previously worked with the 2011 cricket World Cup-winning Team India and the national men`s hockey team that won the bronze medal in the Paris Olympics.

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“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 immediately put me in touch with Paddy Upton, who has a lot of experience working with high-performance athletes,” said the youngster.

In an interview to PTI a day after Gukesh`s win, Upton had lauded the teenager`s “self-awareness.”

“I think that`s the thing that`s really stood out, his ability to recognise 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 really is a mark of a champion,” he had stated.

Gukesh also thanked Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and Deputy CM Udhayanidhi Stalin for supporting him in his chess journey.

“Definitely, there was a lot of support from the Tamil Nadu government. Honorable Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister invite me home and encourage me whenever I achieve something.

“The Tamil Nadu government sponsored me during the Chennai Grandmasters last year. They made all the arrangements. That`s how I won the tournament and qualified for the Candidates.”

“If we get more support like this, I believe more chess players will come. I am very thankful to the Tamil Nadu government,” he said.

Gukesh is only the second Indian after the great Viswanathan Anand to claim the world title. Anand played a pivotal role in shaping the teenager at his academy here.

(With PTI Inputs)