Gukesh was remarkably fresh, while Ding looked tired: Paddy Upton | Chess News
Paddy Upton, who was part of Gukesh’s team has revealed 18-year-old strategy against Ding Liren during the World Chess Championship final in Singapore.
“Gukesh was remarkably fresh and poised, while Ding seemed to be showing signs of tiring,” Paddu Upton wrote in his blog.
“Instead of conceding the draw, and like he’d done in previous games where he’d kept his opponent at the chess board for sometimes 90 minutes longer then expected, Gukesh was again pushing despite an inevitable draw,” he said.
Upton, the renowned mind whisperer to elite athletes who has helped the Indian cricket team on its way to the 2011 Cricket World Cup title and the Indian hockey team to a bronze at the Paris Olympics cannot help but beam with pride as he talks about the latest athlete he has worked with: 18-year-old Gukesh, who became the world’s youngest ever world champion in hory after dethroning the reigning world champion Ding Liren.
India’s D Gukesh during the Closing Ceremony of the FIDE World Chess Championship 2024, in Singapore. (FIDE/Eng Chin An via PTI Photo)
Upton explained Gukesh’s strategy during the best-of-14 games against Liren.
“His strategy wasn’t about winning the game outright; but about mentally and physically tiring his opponent before the following days sudden death tiebreaker,” said Upton.
“Then, in an almost cruel tw, Ding made a basic error that would heart-breakingly cost him his title and seal Gukesh’s place in hory as the youngest-ever World Champion,” he added.
Gukesh, 18, secured 7.5 points against 6.5 of his Chinese rival in the contest, surpassing the achievement of Russia’s Garry Kasparov who won the title at the age of 22.
Gukesh clinched the title with a 7.5-6.5 score in the 14th and final game, cementing his position as a global chess sensation. (FIDE/Eng Chin An via PTI Photo)
The Indian teen prodigy has long been considered a rising star in the chess world after he became a chess grandmaster at 12. He had entered the match as the youngest-ever challenger to the world crown after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year.
Upton also revealed how he prepared Gukesh for the championship.
“For six months leading up to this match, I spent over 40 hours on weekly 90-minute video calls with Gukesh, preparing him for this moment,” he said.
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