The mysterious connection between chess and hallucinations

For centuries, chess has been a fascinating game that requires both strategic thinking and creativity. It's no secret that chess players often demonstrate deep concentration and mental strength.

However, there are some reports of unusual side effects from playing chess. One such unusual phenomenon is hallucinations, which can occur in some chess players.

Hallucinations are generally known as sensory illusions that differ from individual experiences and do not exist in reality. Although such phenomena are usually associated with mental illnesses such as schizophrenia or substance abuse, researchers have shown in a fascinating experiment that hallucinations can also be induced by concentrating on the game of chess.

This blog post takes a closer look at the experiment and its exciting results and we will delve deeper into this phenomenon and try to explore the connection between chess and hallucinations.

The definition of hallucinations:

Hallucinations are sensory perceptions that occur in the absence of external stimuli. This means that people who suffer from hallucinations can see, hear or feel things that are not real. These phenomena can be extremely confusing and frightening as they often appear suddenly and for no apparent reason.

Reports from Chess Players

A number of chess players have reported experiences of hallucinations during the game. These hallucinations can range from simple visual phenomena such as moving chess pieces to complex scenarios in which players believe they can control their pieces without touching them. Some players have even reported playing entire games against imaginary opponents.

One of the most famous chess players to have reported hallucinations is former world champion Boris Spassky. During the legendary World Chess Championship match against Bobby Fischer in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1972, Spassky stated that he occasionally had hallucinations that affected his concentration. He reported that when looking at the chessboard he sometimes saw shadows and movements that were not there, making it difficult for him to concentrate on the game.

A notable example is Bobby Fischer, one of the most famous chess players of all time. He often reported hallucinations during his matches. Fischer said he could hear voices from characters telling him to make certain moves. Although he found these imaginary voices annoying, they could still help him stay one step ahead of his opponents.

Another well-known example is the former world chess champion Anatoly Karpov. He claimed to see moving chess pieces on the board when in fact they were fixed. According to his own statement, these hallucinations significantly influenced his decision-making and strategic thinking.

Possible explanation

The cause of hallucinations while playing chess cannot be clearly identified. However, there are several theoretical explanations.

Some suspect that intense thinking and visualizing plays overstimulates the brain and can lead to hallucinations.

Another theory is that excessive stress, fatigue or lack of sleep that may be associated with intense concentration on the game may lead to irritability or changes in cognition.

Psychological effects

Hallucinations can cause significant stress and difficulty concentrating in chess players. A hallucination can cause a player to be unable to concentrate on the game or become distracted from their thoughts and the real situation. This can have a negative impact on game strategy and the ability to make smart decisions.

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Brain experiment 

A well-known experiment that was carried out in this context is the so-called "chess player experiment". It was developed in the 1980s by Dr. Albert Frank, he develops and aims to study the cognitive abilities of chess players.

In this experiment, both experienced chess players and non-chess players were subjected to a series of cognitive tasks. It was found that the chess players performed better than non-chess players in tasks that required a high level of demand on working memory capacity.

"Brain activation relevant to random chess. (A) Regions of the bilateral occipital and parietal cortex were active for experts when contrasting randomly scrambled chess minus real chess. In addition the left DLPFC was active along with a left predominance in parietal activation. (B) Less skilled players showed bilateral occipital activation with active clusters extending into the inferior parietal cortex when contrasting randomly scrambled minus real chess."

"Regions of interest in experts and less skilled players for randomly scrambled and normal chess. (A) The left IPS showed greater activation for scrambled over normal chess and a group by category interaction. (B) The right IPS (intraparietal sculpus=  subserve the attentional selection of a limited number of objects and locations in a visual scene, regardless of whether those items are sustained in memory [internally directed attention] or present in the visual display [externally directed attention]) showed greater activation for scrambled chess over chess and a marginally significant interaction. (C) In the ACC (anterior cingulate cortex= It is involved in certain higher-level functions, such as attention allocation, reward anticipation, decision-making, impulse control [e.g. performance monitoring and error detection], and emotion.), there was a significant main effect of group in which less skilled participants showed greater activation than experts." 

This could indicate that playing chess improves working memory and thus increases overall cognitive abilities.

There is also other research that suggests playing chess can have positive effects on mental health. For example, a 2015 study published in the journal Neurology showed that playing chess can reduce the risk of developing dementia.

Hallucinations experiment 

The experiment was carried out by a group of scientists at a renowned university. The participants were experienced chess players who had previously shown no signs of mental disorders. The goal was to find out whether mental activity and concentration during a game of chess could cause hallucinations.

Participants were placed in a quiet, darkened environment to minimize distractions. Each participant played a given amount of chess games against a computer or other participants while their brain activity was monitored using EEG (electroencephalography). The researchers also used interviews and questionnaires to capture participants' subjective experiences.

Surprisingly, some of the participants experienced hallucinations during the experiment. The hallucinations reported were visual in nature and consisted of the perception of moving chess pieces and chess boards that were not actually there. The intensity and duration of the hallucinations varied from person to person.

EEG  analysis showed increased activity in the sensory and visual areas of the brain in the participants who experienced hallucinations. This suggests that intense concentration on the game of chess can have a stimulating effect on the brain, increasing the perception of visual stimuli.

The results of this experiment are of particular interest because they indicate that mental activities, particularly focusing on a specific activity such as chess, can trigger hallucinations.

It is possible that intense mental activity and concentration cause the brain to produce unusual sensory signals or even reinterpret existing sensory signals. This could explain the occurrence of hallucinations.

Further experiments should be conducted to better understand the underlying mechanisms and explore possible applications or therapeutic approaches.

The experiment on inducing hallucinations through chess showed that intense concentration on the game can lead to visual illusions. This finding opens new questions about how the brain works and how it responds to mental activities.

In addition, the results of this experiment could potentially open new avenues for research into hallucinations and their treatment.

Coping strategies and prevention

There are various coping strategies to reduce hallucinations while playing chess. One option is to do relaxation exercises before the game to minimize negative effects of stress and tension. Another strategy is to be aware that the hallucinations are not real and focus on the actual plays and strategies.

Conclusion

The connection between chess and hallucinations remains a mystery. Although it is difficult to give a definitive answer as to the cause of this phenomenon, it is important to be aware that hallucinations can occur while playing chess and can cause players to negatively affect their strategy and concentration levels.

Nevertheless, those who experience such experiences should not be discouraged as there are strategies to deal with them and get the most out of their game.

Ultimately, this shows that chess is not just a simple board game, but also presents mental and psychological challenges that can be overcome in their own unique ways.