CHENNAI: What separates newlycrowned world champion D Gukesh from the rest? His hunger to attain perfection when at the peak of his prowess. During an interaction with TOI from Singapore on Friday, Gukesh’s trainer and second Grzegorz Gajewski revealed that just hours after winning the title, the Indian youngster talked to him about how he could have played better. “Believe it or not, even yesterday (Thursday), he spoke about things that he could improve upon. That is the level of awareness he has,” said Gajewski. The Polish Grandmaster also spoke about Gukesh’s preparation for the World Championship, his ability to stay calm, how he handled his emotions during the match and more.
Excerpts:
What happened behind the scenes in the lead-up to the match?
I found a very nice team and we had training camps in India and Poland. Of course, we did a lot of work in between the camps. We put in a lot of effort in ensuring that our openings were as good as possible. We knew that we could get a serious edge in this part of a game. We also looked at other parts of a game and tried to improve Gukesh’s weaknesses in certain areas like time management and decision-making process. While preparing, we had a holistic approach instead of only thinking about the openings.
What makes Gukesh stand out?
He is open-minded and is willing to work and improve. He has absolutely no problems in admitting what he has done wrong. Instead of arguing, he focuses on how he can improve. Believe it or not, even yesterday (Thursday), he spoke about things that he could improve upon. That is the level of awareness he has and it is something I have not seen much in my life.
What has been Gukesh’s mantra for success?
Apart from being an outstanding chess player, Gukesh has the ability to remain calm and composed in critical moments. We know that the 41st move is one of the most dangerous moments in a game, it comes right after the time trouble (2 hours). The adrenaline could leave you and you could become less alert. It is very easy to lose focus and commit a blunder, Gukesh knows it well. In the World Championship, he was struggling for huge parts of the match and playing below his level. But Gukesh solved his problems and kept pushing. He had good games and bad games, but he kept pushing for two weeks. Finally, the opponent (Ding Liren) crumbled.
How did he handle the highs and lows during the match?
There were all kinds of feelings; there was joy, sadness, excitement and frustration. One of the key moments was when Gukesh found his right mental state; he could not convert a couple of winning positions. He admitted to me that he was feeling the pressure and that he was afraid of not winning the match. He was aware of his state and it is not an easy thing to admit. We made some changes during the rest day (before the 10th game). We had some nice activities and tried to make him forget about the event for a couple of hours. It allowed him to reset mentally. From the 10th game, his mental state was how it was supposed to be. Even though he lost the 12th game, he was not upset. He was calm and ready for another fight.
Can Gukesh dominate world chess for a long period?
It is going to be difficult simply because chess is so competitive these days. There are so many young players who are emerging. In classical chess, even Magnus Carlsen would find it difficult to dominate these days. I am not sure if it is possible, but Gukesh is only 18. He is very ambitious and I will ensure that he keeps working hard to improve in areas that need improvement. If it is possible, we will try our best to make it.
