'Paddy Upton has helped me a lot mentally, physically': D Gukesh

18-year-old D Gukesh remains firmly in contention for the World Chess Championship crown, holding reigning champion Ding Liren to yet another draw in the sixth game on Saturday

This was the third consecutive draw, leaving both players level on 3 points apiece, still short of the requisite 4.5 points to win the championship.

The sixth game ended in a draw after 46 moves. It was the fourth draw in the match.

32-year-old Ding Liren won the opening game, while Gukesh won the third game. The second, fourth, and fifth games ended in draws.

Gukesh’s performance at such a high-stakes tournament, especially at just 18 and playing in his first World Championship against an experienced player like Liren, underlines his mental toughness and ability to handle pressure.

In October end, Gukesh, who delivered a stellar performance in India's historic Chess Olympiad winning performance in Hungary in September, roped in renowned mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton to prepare for the Championship.

'Very enjoyable'

As the match halts for a day break, Gukesh reflected on how Upton has been helping him in this tournament.

"I have been working with Paddy for the last few months in preparations for this match," Gukesh told FIDE.

"First of all it is very enjoyable the work we do. We have had a lot of conversations. He has helped me a lot to mentally and physically prepare for the match in different ways," he added.

Gukesh, however, refused to reveal the details of his conversations with Upton.

"Probably after the match maybe it would be nice to go to all the details. But yes, I can say that our work together has been very enjoyable and very important for me in preparation," he stated.

The World Championship will resume with the seventh round on Monday in Singapore.

Gukesh is in contention to become only the second Indian chess player to win the World Championship since Viswanathan Anand.