Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Drug Testing For Olympic Chess Players?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the letting-any-sport-it-in-now dept.

Lawrence Person writes: "According to this AP wire story, they're thinking of adding chess as an Olympic sport. The downside? Mandatory drug testing. 'He's using steroids to move that pawn!'"

8 of 344 comments (clear)

  1. Why not? by Masem · · Score: 3, Informative
    I see nothing wrong with having a consistent set of drug-testing rules applies to all contestants in the Olympics, regardless of the competition. This only promotes both fairness and sportsmanship in the Games.

    And as others have pointed out, there's more than just steroids that can be used to improve performance. Imagine a drug that can be used to simply keep the mind more alert for a longer period of time (the side effect being the need to sleep for several days afterwards to make up for it). I would surmise that a chess player that has taken such a drug would fair better than one that hasn't considering the length of some chess matches.

    --
    "Pinky, you've left the lens cap of your mind on again." - P&TB
    "I can see my house from here!" - ST:
  2. Re:Can anyone thking of any drugs by TobyWong · · Score: 2, Informative

    methamphetamines don't calm you down, they do exactly the opposite: They rev you up. You feel like you could run the 100 meter dash in under 10 seconds.

    As for the feeling of "speed of thought", that's exactly what it is - a feeling, nothing more.

    --
    - Toby
  3. Re:Um, caffein is not an illegal drug. by marvin+tph · · Score: 2, Informative

    The simple fact is the IOC doesn't give a flying duck if a given substance is legal in a given country. In some events athletes are banned from taking cough syrup and aspirin. It also doesn't really care if they are performance enhancing (quick name an event that you would do better in if you were on weed).

  4. Re: Performance drugs for chess? Sure... by Ubi_UK · · Score: 2, Informative

    actually it does not
    It keeps you focussed for a longer time period. That's not the same thing

  5. Re: Performance drugs for chess? Sure... by skinhead · · Score: 4, Informative

    Of course, they can't ban cofee.. can they?
    In many sports, there are strict limits for caffeine. It's possible to get busted in tests just by drinking too much coffee. Usually 300-500mg of caffeine pushes you above the limit (12mg of caffeine in 1l of urine). Since there is usually 40-60mg of caffeine in one cup of coffee, 10 cups of coffee would be too much.

    --
    When you smile, the world laughs at you.
  6. Re:Can anyone thking of any drugs by Unknown+Bovine+Group · · Score: 2, Informative
    Actually, blood-caffeine content is tested and limited in certain chess 'Federations' although the actual benefits seem to be anecdotal at best.

    Competitors and tournament officials alike said they had never heard of a chess player taking drugs to become sharper -- although a good strong cup of coffee was not out of the question. Even then, the caffeine level in players' blood is restricted under Spanish federation rules.

    --
    m00.
  7. Re:Performance drugs for chess? Sure... by eXtro · · Score: 2, Informative
    It sounds like beta-blockers would fit the bill, but I'm not a pharmacist. I used to get terribly nervous speaking in front of people, part of my EE degree was giving a report on my final year project in front of a rather large audience. A portion of this audience was hostile (some of the professors were out for blood, not for technical reasons but merely because they could)

    A friends girlfriend, a pharmacist to be, offered to give me beta blockers. I didn't accept, but she insisted that they'd make it hard for me to be nervous.

    --

    Chris Kuivenhoven is a thief, beware

  8. Re:Can anyone thking of any drugs by checkm8er · · Score: 2, Informative

    As a professional chess player of 12 years, I would much rather play against some taking some sort of drug. As every chess player will tell you, in order to win a tournament you will have to play your best over the course of DAYS, not simply a few hours. Ridilin or Adderol would probably be likely choices, yet they both will lead to disrupted sleeping patterns and would overall hinder a performance the following days.