From guiding the Indian cricket team to their first World Cup in 27 years to inspiring the men’s hockey team to an Olympic bronze, Paddy Upton has woven magic with everyone he has worked with. His latest achievement? Helping Gukesh D become the youngest-ever World Chess Champion.
Who is Paddy Upton?
Paddy Upton is a renowned sports psychologist and mental conditioning expert, best known for his work with athletes across various disciplines. A former first-class cricketer from South Africa, Upton transitioned into sports psychology and has since made a significant impact on teams and individual athletes.
Upton is no stranger to the Indian sports landscape, having been introduced by former Indian cricket team coach Gary Kirsten. He was an integral part of the support staff during India’s 2011 World Cup win under MS Dhoni.
With extensive experience in the Indian Premier League with, Upton has also worked with the Indian men’s hockey team, which clinched the Olympic bronze medal at 2024 Paris Olympics.
A man of few words, Upton prefers to remain out of the limelight, even during moments of celebration. His work revolves around strengthening the mindset of athletes and teams, helping them mentally prepare for the challenges ahead. In essence, he specialises in psychological conditioning.
Gukesh and Upton teamed up in mid-2024, thanks to the efforts of Sandeep Singhal, co-founder of the WestBridge-Anand Chess Academy (WACA). While Gukesh’s chess team comprised seasoned players and strategists, WACA identified a crucial gap in mental conditioning- a gap Upton was perfectly suited to fill.
Soon after clinching his historic title, Gukesh revealed his team of seconds (professional players who supported him throughout the tournament) and gave special credit to Paddy Upton for his invaluable contribution.
Despite limited knowledge of chess, Upton concentrated on building Gukesh’s mental toughness, a factor that proved pivotal in the high-stakes World Championship matches.
The road to victory in Singapore was no easy feat, as Chinese Grandmaster Ding Liren proved to be a tough adversary despite his recent lackluster form. Gukesh’s mental composure, guided by Upton’s psychological coaching, allowed him to capitalize on Ding’s crucial error in Game 14 and claim the title.
After his victory, Gukesh highlighted the influence of Upton on his performance.
“Paddy has been a huge, huge support for me in the last six months. Although he’s not part of my chess team, he has played a very important role in my journey. One of the key aspects we worked on was managing the uncertainty surrounding my opponent’s form and strategy. Paddy doesn’t understand chess deeply, but he truly understands sports psychology”.
Reflecting on Upton’s impact, Gukesh said, “It’s really cool that Paddy helped India win the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Thirteen years later, he has helped India win the Chess Championship.”
