D Gukesh Reveals Why He Went Bungee Jumping After Becoming Youngest World Chess Champion | Exclusive – News18

Last Updated:December 18, 2024, 20:39 IST

D Gukesh revealed the story behind why his bungee jumping celebrationg after becoming the youngest world chess champion.

D Gukesh celebrated becoming the youngest world chess champion by bungee jumping at Skypark Sentosa in Singapore. The 18-year-old defeated China’s Ding Liren 7.5-6.5 in a 14-game clash.

Speaking exclusively to CNN-News18, D Gukesh revealed the reason behind his celebration.

“During one of the rest days after Game nine, me and my trainer Gaevsky, we went on a stroll for at the beach and the guy you looked at, you know, bungee jumping thing that was there and he said, you know, if you keep you win this match, I’m going to jump off that bridge. And I also said I’m also scared of heights. So let me also do that, if we win. And after we won the match, I thought, you know, we should honour this deal,” D Gukesh told CNN-News18 in an exclusive.

When asked about his process and his preparations for the World Chess Championship, Gukesh recalled: “This whole whole year was right from this time I qualified for the candidates. It was, I mean, this journey has been beautiful. And, and yeah, the preparations for the match started right after we won the I won the candidates. And like, you know, for six months I’ve been preparing intensely for this, for this match. And the match in itself was a huge, huge emotional and physical struggle. So I’m glad to have won the match and I’d like to thank my team for being for this whole journey. My trainer Gayevski, my second Radhuslaw, Vitashek, Pentala, Harikrishna, and Vincent Kaima ya just to do the Limkoski for the candidates and wish yourself for all his help and mentorships. Like to thank and Paddy Upton, of course, for helping me prepare for this match emotionally, mentally.”

When asked about his mental preparations and why he opted to work with Paddy Upton, Gukesh said: “The reigning world champion Ding Liren. Now, first of all, the main thing was the chess preparation which me and my team, I think we did a great job. Obviously in a match of this status, a lot of emphasis is on the mental and physical side. And Paddy helped us on the physical side. I was like regularly working out, I was doing yoga, and maintaining my shape. I was playing a lot of sports.”

“For the mental side, I had a lot of conversations with Paddy to deal with the kind of pressure that the World Championship would force me to deal with. And I think a lot of lot of appropriations was one point,” he added.