Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Chess Players 'Are Paranoid Thrillseekers'

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the sure-why-not dept.

Tardigrade submitted a brief little article that claims that chess players are paranoid thrillseekers. It's a fairly amusing little piece and definitely makes me wish that my high-school chess club would have got into epic battles with the groups that were capable of stretching us into pretzel shapes, if only for the thrill. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

1 of 269 comments (clear)

  1. Definitely descriptive of tournament play. by YoungHack · · Score: 3, Informative

    This describes very well how I have found tournament play. I am not a good chess player (and have only played few tournaments). Like any player relatively new to tournament play, I lost all of my first games. The adrenalin was about enough to kill me.

    I'm not actually that fond of tournament play, because of the excitement/stress/tension, whatever you like to call it. However, if you are interested in chess it is natural to attend tournaments, at least sometimes, to expose yourself to different ideas and players.

    After a couple of rounds of losses, I managed to calm down enough and force myself to remain patient. My games improved. But the first time that I realized that I could make a draw, the adrenaline was back (not a win mind you--I just realized I wasn't going to lose). It was a total test of self-control not to blow the game on nerves.

    The same was true the first time I won a game, so I am completely unsurprised that a scientist would observe an increase in testosterone after a win. I haven't gone to a tournament in about a year, but just thinking about being in a game and having the upper hand makes me feel aggressive, like I need to calm down.

    For comparison, I enjoy other activities that might be considered "testosterone high" like Karate. By comparison to tournament chess, I would rate my typical experience in Karate as bland. Sure I want to improve my martial art, and I would like to perform well with/against my workout partners. By I tend to feel that I am learning WITH my martial arts partners. In chess, it is win or get beat--and it really taps into the survival instinct in a different way.