The MS Dhoni connection: How India's 2011 World Cup-winning coach helped Gukesh D win World Chess Championship
Paddy Upton, who previously worked with the Indian cricket and hockey team, served as Gukesh's mental conditioning coach for the last six months
Indian grandmaster Gukesh Dommaraju was quick to mention that growing up, former India cricket captain MS Dhoni was his "idol," after he won the World Chess Championship on Thursday, beating title-holder Ding Liren of China in the final game. But there is another cricket, or Dhoni connection, in the 18-year-old's historic win in Singapore.
Playing one of the biggest tournaments in a sport at the age of 18 can often be a tricky test of the mind more than of the skill. In fact, in 2013, when 23-year-old Magnus Carlsen, now regarded as one of the best in the sport, was playing his first World Championship against Indian legend Vishwanathan Anand, he felt his hands trembling. The latter, too, had admitted in an interview that the mind, more often than not, plays tricks on the player itself during such ties, leaving the person in self-doubt and panic.
Hence, after winning the Candidates tournament earlier this year, Gukesh was searching for a mental conditioning coach, and that is when he contacted Paddy Upton. The South Africa international served as the mental conditioning and strategic leadership coach of the Indian cricket team between 2008 and 2011, during which the side lifted the ODI World Cup title under Dhoni. More recently, he was the mental conditioning coach for the bronze-medal-winning Indian men's hockey team in the Paris Olympics 2024.
'Gukesh has studied the whole book'
The Indian incurred two setbacks en route to becoming the youngest-ever world champion. He lost the opening round and later was handed a reality check by the Chinese in the 12th game, shortly after sneaking a lead with a win in the 11th game. But Gukesh bounced back splendidly on both occasions, especially in the final moments of the 14th game, where he admitted that he was late in realising Liren's blunder with the rook move to claim the title.
Upton, speaking to The Indian Express after Gukesh's win, used the simplest analogy to dwell on the Indian's preparation for the tie.
“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,” he said. “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.”
Upton did not reveal the details of how the mental preparations underwent over the last six months but admitted they spent quality time discussing the minute details of each of his strategies. Even in the three weeks of the world championship, Upton played a crucial role in helping Gukesh manage his time, between sleep, eating, and exercise. That part of the preparation was probably reflected during the tie, with Gukesh spending considerable time on the clock meditating with his eyes shut, often leaving Liren guessing each time he sneaked for a reaction to his move from his opponent.
“We’ve discussed in minute detail about both cases: when he’s making his decisions about the moves to make and at the same time, how he’s managing himself and his mind while his opponent is busy planning his move,” added Upton.
“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. 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.”
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