Does alcohol improve chess performance or destroy it?

All things in moderation?

If you're looking for a definitive answer, you aren't going to get one because nobody really knows. 

However, what we do know is that alcohol destroys neurons. You can draw whatever conclusions you want from that. 

Alcohol, probably nothing. Being drunk? Worse, without a doubt.

There, done. Thread over.

It certainly doesn't make you better... lol.

Maybe better at blitz or something, if some kind of crazy attacking style comes out where you don't mind sacrificing all your pieces and make it work for the short time limit.

Because otherwise, for example when you need to concentrate for long periods of time, I can't see this helping at all.

nah

I'd be interested in the results. In fact, feel free to private message me and I can arrange for you to purchase me a bottle and ship it to me solely for the purposes of this scientific study.

If you can't comply with this simple, yet very reasonable suggestion, then don't pretend you're interested in the results. That's right...Put up or shut up! 

I think I play fantastically well when drunk. Don't seem to win though. Therefore drinking alcohol improves your opponents play. Or something. Just had a few drinks.

lol destroys! A nice study could be done on the influence of various stimulants on chess performance - an alternative 'substance abuse world championship' perhaps. For a giggle google 'spiders on drugs' to see the effect of various stimulants on their web spinning ability (as a tenuous link like making pretty patterns on a chessboard). On caffeine they cant spin for s**t , with marijuana they start well but lose concentration, on speed they're super enthusiastic but hapless and on LSD they make a useless but cool trippy looking web. Funny stuff!

I have a 100% score when I have played OTB tournament games after 5-10 ounces of wine. After wine tasting between rounds (six one-ounce pours), I arrived twenty minutes late for round 2 and played this game.

Six months later, I ate lunch in a wine bar with a nice glass of Bridge Press Cellars 2008 Merlot, arrived in time for round 2 and played the same adversary.

I don't drrrrrink alcohol at all!  It's nasty and it makes you do stupid stuff such as get purrrRRrrregnant!

I much prrrefer to get high on coffee, and to relieve anxiety via valerian tea  >^.^<

No man, get drunk and play chess.

Tal and Nezhmetdinov were drinking like hell and they have one of the most  brilliant games ever played.

It improves, as long as you can achieve the so called "Ballmer Peak" http://xkcd.com/323/

After just a few mouthfuls of beer my concentration goes completely. As I start to calculate there is a cheerful voice in my head saying, "What is this thinking? Push the wood and find out that way! Easy."

So I do.

Testing:

Are the forums working?

I guess it would improve your performance if you always tend to overthink your moves.

Wine migt be ok anything else if taken too much will impare your thought process

I have a rule:  No playing or posting in the forums when intoxicated.

There's a very good reason for this rule.

Including, I assume, the idea that they are men of genius?

I miss Joey when I read this  He played the Parham after four drinks.

Lol at grobe

Then again, Tal came out of a 6-month-drunk and found out he used to be world champion.