A phone call with an 18-year-old prompted my impulsive decision to fly to Singapore.

This ‘kid’ had just suffered a crushing loss in the 12th (of 14) games of the World Chess Championship. With scores now tied and two games to play, his attitude towards the loss—and the upcoming games, arguably the most significant in chess history—convinced me to take that flight.

On the plane, I played a movie over and over in my head. I saw myself meeting this 18-year-old in-person for the first time, wrapping my arms around him – both of us probably in tears – and then looking him in the eye to say; “You’re the World Champion. And you deserve it.”

Two days later, Gukesh D was crowned the Youngest Chess World Champion in History, surpassing Garry Kasparov, who held the record at 22. The victory was as unexpected as it was dramatic. The final game 14, seemed destined for a tame draw – even the all-knowing chess computer gave a 98% probability of this outcome.

Most people were heading home and would return the next day for a sudden death rapid-chess decider (a much faster version). That scenario would’ve favored Ding Liren, the reigning champion and a superior rapid-chess player.

Gukesh was remarkably fresh and poised, while Ding seemed to be showing signs of tiring. Instead of conceding the draw, and like he’d done in previous games where he’d kept his opponent at the chessboard for sometimes 90 minutes longer than expected, Gukesh was again pushing despite an inevitable draw.

His strategy wasn’t about winning the game outright; but about mentally and physically tiring his opponent before the following days sudden death tiebreaker.

Then, in an almost cruel twist, Ding made a basic error that would heart-breakingly cost him his title and seal Gukesh’s place in history as the youngest-ever World Champion.

For six months leading up to this match, I spent over 40 hours on weekly 90-minute video calls with Gukesh, preparing him for this moment. One world title later, here are six practical lessons from an 18-year-old that we can all apply to sport, business, and life.

1. Prepare like you mean it: Study the whole book for the exam!

Gukesh’s plan was to arrive more prepared than his opponent – to literally study the whole book for this exam. Not just prepared for his strategy and tactics on the chessboard, but also with a mental strategy for any eventuality that he might encounter, as well as attending to the tiniest detail of his diet, exercise, rest/recovery time and sleep routines. This represented what I call a ‘Gold Standard’ preparation. Many athletes want gold but are not prepared to engage in a Gold Standard preparation. If you want to succeed in any field – sport, business, or life, then prepare excellently – and do this better than the other guys.

2. Accept failure before you fail

Gukesh lost the first game badly. While others worried, Gukesh didn’t. He’d already accepted failure as part of the journey – he knew that he would make mistakes and lose games. Accepting this is about 50% of the solution. The other 50% was having a clear strategy to let go of the mistake, extract the lesson, and then bring 100% of his attention back into the present moment. And to do this quickly, before the mistake compounded. You, too, will fail. Accept it upfront. When failure arrives, smile, extract the lesson, and shift your focus back to the task at hand.

3. Don’t rush success

Ever heard about the nervous 90s in cricket – where players nearing a century either rush with the excitement of getting there or become hesitant for fear of falling short. Gukesh knew he would find himself in a favorable position and would feel the temptation to rush success. He had a plan to recognize that moment and remain composed. Even after Ding‘s blunder in game 14, when the path to victory was obvious to even casual players, Gukesh took his time before committing to the winning moves. When success or victory is within reach, don’t let excitement or fear hijack you. Focus on the task at hand and and patiently march towards victory one step at a time.

• Be brave in the pursuit of success.

If you fear failure, you will fail. If you don’t fear failure, you will still fail. So why bother to fear failure? On numerous occasions when the game was in favour of the experienced champion Ding, he played defensively to avoid mistakes. Meanwhile, on the other side of the board, and 18-year-old continued to err on the side of making attacking decisions. His bravery, in stark contrast to Ding’s caution, was a decisive factor. Be brave, make decisions and take actions that are geared more towards success than avoiding failure.

5. Be humble in victory and defeat

At the post-match press conference, overwhelmed by emotion, Gukesh didn’t answer the first question about how he felt. Instead, he spent two minutes sincerely praising Ding, calling him a “true World Champion.” When asked about his success, he deflected praise to God, his parents, and his team. And when asked what’s next, he replied, “Magnus Carlsen is the best. To truly be number one, I need to beat him.”

This unscripted interview by an 18 -year-old was a master class in humility and maturity – I’d go so far as to say it could be used as media training for all athletes. Be humble in victory – which means to respect your opponent, confidently receive praise, and in equal proportion, to give it to those who contributed to your success.

6. Never give up, even when others have

Game 14 wasn’t the first time Gukesh refused to concede an obvious draw. Throughout the tournament, he prolonged games—sometimes for 90 minutes—pushing his opponent to the brink. This was partly to chase the win, as well as to intentionally tire his opponent. Gukesh knew he was mentally and physically stronger and better prepared, so these protracted games took more of a toll on his opponent than himself. Nearly 50 hours of chess later, pushing his opponent when the game was all but drawn, ended up delivering a spectacular victory when almost everyone had given up. Earn your victories – stay in the game. Even when the odds seem against you, don’t throw in the towel until it’s truly over.

Moments after winning the title, I met Gukesh in person for the first time. He fell into my arms, tears flowed from both of us during that embrace, and as I let go, I looked him in the eye and got to say the exact words from my mental movie;

“You’re the world champion. And you deserve it.”