New Delhi: Indian Grandmast D Gukesh on Thursday became the youngest World Chess Championship title holder following his win over China’s Ding Liren in the 14th and final game of the 2024 FIDE World Championship. The two contenders entered the last round with the scores tied at 6.5-6.5 and many assumed that a draw would be the most likely outcome and that would push the title to be decided in a tiebreaker via faster time control format.
But Gukesh kept pushing for an outcome, despite all the odds standing before him. His perseverance was that such that Liren ended up playing a blunder when the game was left with an hour and six minutes to tick off. Gukesh capitalised on the erred move by his Chinese opponent, forcing him to resign three moves later and the customary hand shakes ensued.
South Africa-based mental coach expert Paddy Upton, who played a crucial role in the victory of Indian men’s cricket team in 2011 World Cup and the bronze medal of Indian men’s hockey team in Paris Olympics 2024, was appointed to work with Gukesh in April this year.
Upton lavished praise on the Chennai-based chess player for being thoroughly prepared for the World Chess Championship just like a student would go for his examination.
“If you want to do well in an exam or test, you need to study the whole book exceptionally well. Then you can go into that exam with confidence. You don’t go in with hope,” Upton told The Indian Express.
“And in terms of studying the whole book for a World Chess Championship title, Gukesh has studied the whole book. In every minor bit of detail, down to how he manages his sleep, how he manages his downtime, to how he manages himself moment to moment within a game. We’re seeing an exceptionally well-prepared professional,” he added.
How did Gukesh handle pressure?
Gukesh didn’t had won the title comprehensively as he endured tough phases during the last three weeks. He suffered defeat in the first game itself. Even after being in the commanding position after clinching the 11th round victory, the 18-year-old squandered the advantage by conceding defeat in the following game. Only for the final round to be won in a fashionable manner to become the youngest world champion at the age of 18 years, eight months and 14 days.
“Other aspects of his strategy we’ve discussed is how to manage himself when he’s ahead in the game; how to manage himself when he might be behind in the game or under pressure within a game,” Upton revealed on how Gukesh manages pressure situations.
“We’ve discussed how he would manage himself if he’s ahead in the tournament, like one game up; if he’s behind, if he’s got a 6-6 position. So not only just within a game, but within the championship as a whole, it’s very clear strategies of how to manage himself when behind, when level and when ahead,” the South African coach added.
D. Gukesh became the youngest World Chess Champion at 18, defeating Ding Liren in the final round of the 2024 FIDE World Championship. Despite setbacks, Gukesh’s strategic preparation, honed with the help of mental coach Paddy Upton, and his ability to manage pressure proved crucial. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
