India’s new chess world champion Grandmaster D Gukesh, 18, arrived home in Chennai on Monday to a rousing welcome from enthusiastic fans and officials.
The teenager, who defeated China’s Ding Liren to become the youngest ever owner of the world title, credited mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton for helping him tame the emotional pressure of competing at the biggest stage.
Paddy Upton
“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 at a press meet organised by Velammal Vidyalaya, his childhood school.
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Upton, a renowned mental conditioning coach, worked with Gukesh in the run-up to and during the 14-game world title battle in Singapore. “The suggestions and the conversations I have had with him, have been very important for me and my development as a player,” added Gukesh, also explaining how his association began with the South African, who previously worked with the 2011 ICC 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.
He immediately put me in touch with Paddy Upton, who has a lot of experience working with high-performance athletes,” said the youngster.
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