Gukesh brings mind guru Paddy Upton on board in battle against Ding Liren

Before this, Upton had worked with the 2011 Cricket World Cup-winning Indian team and the Indian hockey team which won a bronze medal at the recent Paris Olympics.

Gukesh D has enlisted the services of mind guru Paddy Upton as he looks to defeat China’s Ding Liren and become the youngest ever world chess champion later this year.

Before this, Upton had worked with the 2011 Cricket World Cup-winning Indian team and the Indian hockey team which won a bronze medal at the recent Paris Olympics.

It is learnt that Upton has been in Gukesh ’s corner since the past four months as the 18-year-old from Chennai has looked to surround himself with a team of specialists to take down the reigning world champion Liren in a match comprising of 14 games between November 25 and December 13.

Gukesh was reportedly introduced to Upton by Sandeep Singhal, who is a co-founder of the WestBridge Anand Chess Academy with five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand.

The South African Upton has been brought on board to help Gukesh “sharpen the arrow for key moments of performance”.

“Everything can be right in the lead-up to the big moments of performance, but if the arrow is not sharp, it won’t penetrate the bullseye. Similarly, you might have a golfer whose game is perfect, but things go wrong if they’ve got a limp wrist at the moment of impact. I think there is now more recognition in the world of sport of how mental gains can reduce these moments,” says Upton.

Upton’s role is to help Gukesh achieve an ideal mental state where he is neither too relaxed nor over-anxious at the World Championship. While Ding is the reigning world champion, his chances of retaining the crown have been talked down by many grandmasters with his predecessor Magnus Carlsen recently saying that the Indian was a “significant favourite”.

Upton has also been focusing on helping Gukesh with getting quality sleep.

“Deep sleep is where the body regenerates, which is important for athletes involved in physical sports. However, REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is essential for regenerating the mind and learning. As fitness gains happen during recovery, gains from learning new information become more deeply embedded during REM sleep. Chess differs from most sports because the brain’s ability to memorise, plan and think is the primary performance tool,” says Upton.