Gukesh's Secret to Turning Tide: Team Spirit, Calm, and a Dose of Motivation
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The Global Chess League witnessed a thrilling turn of events on Thursday, as D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi secured their first wins, beating Fabiano Caruana and Anish Giri respectively. The Indian duo had faced a slump in earlier rounds, with Gukesh losing to Alireza Firouzja and Viswanathan Anand, while Erigaisi drew with several opponents. In a surprising twist, the Alaskan Knights had other winners, including Leinier Dominguez Perez, who defeated R Praggnanandhaa, and Kateryna Lagno, who outplayed Hou Yifan. After their win, Gukesh revealed the secret behind their success. The team had taken a walk along Marine Drive to calm their nerves, forgetting about chess for a while. 'It was nice to just relax and have some fun,' Gukesh said, reflecting on the experience. 'We reminded ourselves that we win and lose as a team and spoke about different things. It was a very special feeling to get my first win.' Gukesh attributed their victory to a combination of factors, including team spirit, mental calm, and external motivation. 'The cheering from fans was incredibly loud, and seeing so many kids in the crowd really motivated me,' he said. 'Before the game, Arjun and I joked that it was time to start winning since so many people were here.' The duo's performance marked a significant turnaround in their fortunes, and they will look to build on this momentum in the coming matches.
