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.
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.
