NEW DELHI: 18-year-old Indian Grandmaster D Gukesh recently achieved a historic feat by becoming the youngest-ever world chess champion.
His triumph was not solely attributed to his strategic acumen on the chessboard but also to his mental conditioning, which played a crucial role in managing the emotional pressure of competing at the highest level.
Gukesh credited his mental conditioning coach, Paddy Upton, for helping him tame the “emotional pressure” associated with the world championship event.
“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 told media on Monday. “The suggestions and the conversations I have had with him, have been very important for me and my development as a player.”
Upton, a renowned mental conditioning coach, has worked with high-performance athletes, including the 2011 cricket World Cup-winning Indian cricket team and the national men’s hockey team that won a bronze medal 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,” the world chess champion added. “He immediately put me in touch with Paddy Upton, who has a lot of experience working with high-performance athletes.”
Gukesh’s association with Upton began after his victory in the Candidates tournament in April. Recognizing the importance of mental training, Gukesh sought the assistance of Upton through Sandeep Singhal of Westbridge Capital.
“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.”
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