Olympic drug testing was mentioned in another thread, bringing me to the Question: Do you believe that drugs, whether prescriptions, nutrients, or Other, can improve ones' Chess play in any way? 

That might be thru increasing alertness at the board, improved general intellegence (aor "IQ", which is not precisely interchangable, but either way), or improved memory or study abilities, etc. 

Question Part 2 ... What other unconventional means might be used to better Chess performance? Chess knowledge? aor its application?(My own belief is that there are only two basic & legal means of winning Chess games; #1 to KNOW more than an opponent and apply it adequately, or #2 to Execute better at the board regardless of comparative levels of knowledge. 

Under Part 2 might be found such ideas as Hypnosis, "Sports Imagery", meditation, watching opponent eyes, the Psych-Out, Microwave Emmissions from your WC Chair, scanty clothing or playing in a Deodorant-Challenged State ...

Let's do stay away from any means of violence however. (So keep those Microwave Emitters turned low please! Perhaps they would fall under "harassing" your opponent anyway, and be illegal? As we heard in the last year or two, Blue-Tooth reception of moves, as by one "Master", is definitely illegal reception of assistance. From India, was he?) 

PART 3: Have you had any personal experience, or perhaps seen a friend or fellow-player use any unconventional improvement means; especially any that really worked? 

Of course, I'd also love to hear of any unconventional attempts that FAILED/ Especially if they are really HILARIOUS, or just startling, as I suspect some will be . . . 

Kick them under the table.  Sleep with their wife.

1- Of course. Eating right, sleeping, exercising will help anyone with concentration. The rule of thumb is to play in the same condition as when you study. "State dependent learning" is the psychological term. 

2- What you said was accurate. I heard of a guy who ate a meatball sub before the game, and adjusted all the pieces before the game, getting marinara sauce all over them.

If I was suspect of an opponent trying to get me out of my game, I would immediately stop the game and complain to the TD. At the very least, I would return the favor to my opponent, psyching him out instead.

3- Playing an attractive woman is very difficult to do for four hours. Plus, when she pressed the plungers of the clock, she would twirl it around sort of suggestively. I should have reported her, but was naive and didn't want to be labeled sexist.

Are you sure you were not suffering from an acute case of lust induced hallucinations?  It's nothing to be ashamed of; it's happens to all of us!

 hahaha. After about 2 hours it started to get to me. I didn't know to be angry at her or to try to get her number! lol

I eat during tournaments sometimes.  Is anyone here distracted when their opponent eats during the game?

          To start my own Question answer; I Have tried some fairly unconventional means & will share some as the thread advances if there is any interest in the topic. For right now I'll just remark upon one that Did NOT work at all. That would be Too Much Caffeine~!

     While a small amount, such as a cup of coffee or maybe several thru the day, seemed helpful for alertness if feeling a bit tired anyway; I would say Too Much Caffeine was a disaster for me. It did not improve my play at all, in fact it seemed to help me make the Same type of mistakes already in my play, quite a bit FASTER~! No kidding. Then it ADDED to those by inducing Impulsiveness in selecting & making moves. At Worst it ruined the game thru blunder. At Best, it was present there as something I had to caution myself against and struggle not to do. {Incidentally, CAFFEINE at Casino's was also found Not Good~! And a bit costly ... pretty much the same reasons.} 

     So I might have A coffee. Or some soda-pop thruout a tourney, but no supplemental caffeine tabs for me. Someplace a stimulant Might help some to a degree, could be during the Study process before an event. I don't recommend it, nor anything mentioned in this thread. But will try to site the rationale, as I understand it to be. I might be wrong . . . 

     I recall reading in a Psych book by James V. Mac Connell of some studies being done using Rats or Mice {How'd you guess!?} to run mazes. Apparently, they could learn & retain faster on a stimulant. {They actually used Rat Poison basically, Strychnine, in minute amount, to act as a stimulant. It can kill or injure humans as well, so kids and others, don't try it. Besides it won't work if you have NO Brains}.

      I can't swear they didn't RUN faster too ~?!! But the theory was that they learned and retained better because there was a faster storage time for the memory learned, than without the stimulant. And as I understand it, generally, Faster = More Memorable. My own idea is that it would be involvement in some incident such as a psychological trauma sufficient to induce an Adrenalin burst, without triggering repression; or various physical "Shock" mechanisms at the same time, that might inhibit memory of the event. For instance, an auto accident with Shock inducing injuries can often inhibit memory surrounding it. I imagine Dopamine would be one Shock triggered chemical that would interfere with traumatic memory retention; and possibly Endorphins as well. 

     I do want to point out again that I am not recommending anyone try anything mentioned in this thread. Everyone is a bit different. And people are not Rats either. Or if they are, well only during WCC's ?! 

ELBEASTO : Great point, re that rather devilish use of Sound Interference. I can expand a bit too. Believe it was in London I heard they were trying a new practice to prevent young people from gathering in front of various businesses or other places & congregating for long periods. Presumably creating problems in so doing. Their answer was JUST AS you said; to install devices that emit high frequency sound waves that SOME human beings may find irritating and stress producing. ("Especially?"...) If they can HEAR them. And THAT was the point. Children, adolescents, & perhaps some young adults would be ABLE to hear those emissions, while older adults could NOT HEAR them. In general people lose High-Frequency Hearing first & most, as they age. I don't have any numbers to support it, but believe they were finding it had some effectiveness. {But also cannot say if it Irritated anyone enough to bust a store window or such ~? Perhaps That would not be noted}

***

ZEALOUSPAWN : As a player, I did not find it distracting. But as a TD I saw many that eating would bother; in particular when someone's opponent had "LOUD" food, such as Chips (aka "Crisps" in England). [and BOBBEREIGHT ] But the only time I thought someone might have a Coronary because of it ... A player came in Late for the round, toting a carry-out bag. Who proceeded to unload it & commence eating heartily, a rack of Bar-B-Que Ribs. As you guessed; using only his hands & fingers to do so. Then reaching out to grab a piece of the expensive wooden set just in time for the owner to appear in the room, and . . .  Well the rest is History, and everyone lived.

***

STAGGERLEE : NOW you tell me~!! One time I was playing an otb tournament, when my wife walked in and proceeded to stand behind my shoulder to view my game. It seemed like my opponent was becoming increasingly nervous . . .

***  }8-)

Often I found that playing with peices you have already captured on the side of the board will frustrate your opponent and throw them off their game.  One guy got so mad he actually took all the peices I had captured away from me, but by then he was so flustered he couldn't think and subsequently lost the game.

First promise you won't laugh! Ok, abstinence from sex(or its variants) for a few days before the match or tournament helps to keep the brain cool (and increases mental stamina - I told you not to laugh)! This is especially for the male gender.

Smoking works for me (I know, I know, trying to quit).

Caffeine containing drinks in moderation works for me too.

A brief bout of light jogging also helps for some.

Guys, what about some beer before the game? For example 0.5-1 litre. Is it useful? It gives some relax, better board view and quick mind but it seems to be harder to calculate exactly.

I'm really not sure about coffee. Does it wake me up or just make me more hyper. Does that mean I'll actually think better? I mean come-on? Coffee?? You wanna rule out coffee. I can't think at all without coffee. But honestly - I believe I think better when I can smoke. Only thing is I can't smoke anymore cuz I'm so old... and I had too much fun in my life. All those drugs just made me think I was smarter. The only way I know to get an undeserved advantage over a really good player is to play chess the same as you would play Hockey.

wormrose

You are right, "All those drugs just made me think I was smarter."

And smoking is very bad, you would rather stop it.

DARKSAR : I once had a friend from work who was rated as a Class D player (While I was Class A at the time) who came over for a Beer & Chess Day. Requirements can range from One Beer Per Game minimum, to Chug One For Every Piece Exchange, or be completely voluntary :)

Most players I know get progressively worse with consumption. But this player (Actually, to protect the innocent, lets refer to David as "Dave" henceforth :) ...Dave got better with every beer, until we met at the end of it all, and he crushed me like Bronstein. Or you might even say, like Bronstein playing a sober-Dave . It was not only amazingly sacrificial, but SOUND as well. The only time he scored on me; having never Lost nor even Drawn with him before. Nor did he ever repeat such an outstanding performance, to my knowledge. But he certainly deserved that win. Was really rather amazing.

NOTE: Some may wish to skip the following, as it contains an account of a very sad event...

 The only thing like it I'd ever seen was once playing an acquaintance at a book store, "R". He played an even more complex & brilliant game. Then he wanted to go back after the game and play out a number of options that he or I bypassed. So we did and he even won every one of those. "EVERYTHING WORKED" quite literally, after his first sac was made that could not be accepted nor declined safely.

  Although not a tournament player, normally "R" would play at about Class B, level. But That evening's game was most Masterful. So much so that I am certain myself, it was probably among the best of his life (or of Mine as well, if I had played HIS pieces :).  Which brings the saddest part. For later that night, he died suddenly, and completely unexpected by those of us present for that game. Tho perhaps he may have known. I will never know that. But very much wish I had recorded the game. 

Although i have a few friends who may swear differently Marijuana does not help my game playing in any shape of form. I recently cut back because of school when i discovered i could not effectively do my java or logic homework while high and i noticed that my chess games have improved too. i do know a few people who are much better then me when they are stoned but i would guess they are just better then me and would be so sober as well. So I would not reccommend smoking a joint before a chess tournament. But if you don't beleive me give it a try it does make things more interesting.

Being a former coffee professional, if you're already in the 5-6 cup a day crowd, you will gain none of the positive side effects of caffeine. Your body has already become addicted to coffee and while you no longer get the negative side effects, caffiene enduced sleeping disorder to name one of many, you will lose the positive ones as well, increased attention span etc.

What it will do, if you chose to OD on coffee before a match, is raise your heart rate through the rough. This, is perhaps not so good for OTB chess, I find it's not so bad for Blitz, but anything over a 25min timer and I personally am screwed.

I am usually so absolutely nervous before an OTB match I have found myself over-caffinated, wild eyed, and crazy. Plus I smoke. I think it's more of a handicap than anything but being addicted to caffeine and nicotine it's just something to deal with until it's time to quit.

The thing that throws me off more than anything is looking at someone's hands when they take a peice. If they have big monster hands and practically consume the whole peice with their massive mits I go absolutely crazy in my brain with rage.

I started a blitz game Tuesday night and neither of us realized that half of his board was set up incorrectly by the previous player, Bishops and Knights were reversed and so were the King and Queen. I know he didn't do it on purpose. I had a great position untill I looked and was like...wtf...and he was like...wtf...

I allowed the game to restart because I just felt that was a crappy way to win, and he adjusted to my opening and kicked my ass. That sucked hard.

Anyhoo...

I like to eat Canadian beans with some back bacon before a big match. I'm not sure if the diet sharpens my chess skills or not but I have found my opponents tend to make some rather hasty moves as they seem to want to get the game over with in a bit of a hurry.

Sound disturbances have affected the highest levels of competition. Poor Robert Hubner was stuck in Candidates match against Petrossian in a noisy playing hall. The old Russian just turned off his hearing aid; Hubner abandoned :)

The sex abstinence thing is a complete myth, debunked by health care specialists in sports. They say that mostly it is an individual response, that some athletes are more relaxed and ready, some are thrown off. Basically, before the " big game", chess or on the field, do your normal routine, this is not the time to experiment. I believe Prefontaine used this widely before his untimeley demise.

What is certainly BAD is "trying" to pick up sex - staying up in  bar, drinking, and not getting enough sleep and being stressed about it.

If you're tired, you can definitely use some stimulants (i.e. coffee, cola) to return to your baseline state of alertness. Do not exceed your dose, you'll get jittery and be a wreck. But this doesn't make you "smarter", just returns you to your optimal condition. Of course, this is a bit of trickery since it's really hard can stay fully alert for 5-6 hours and almost everyone could use a bit of help. But saying it makes you "smarter" is a long stretch. As far as I know, no cognition-enhancing drugs have been tested successfully in humans.

The IOC regulations as applied to chess are a money grab :) You have an idea how much $ is spent in testing athletes, and how unsuccessful it is at catching cheating?

 Heh, this sounds like it could lead to some full contact chess! I say just go with the sodium amytol ... all the way, so when they ask you what you have taken, you will just tell the truth.

people believe what they want to believe, if a world champion said chopping his dick off improved his game some people would try it.