Left-handed GMs

If there is a serious study (ie published in a peer-reviewed newspaper) that establishes that left-handed people are more or less (include almost anything) than right-handed ones, I would like to see the reference.

And shepi, I also have a "psychology website" that claims that our destiny is chosen by the planets outside solar system.

(include almost anything) should not be replaced by "are more likely to do XXX with the left/right hand" of course.

Why is there all of a sudden a flurry of comments (starting from 4 hours ago) on a 6 year old thread?

Before that, there was the 'XXX is a terrible person' (in less chosen terms), but apparently the mods did not like the joke.

It is true that the last few days have been particularly trollish, between farting, free bashing, left-handedness, and how CC ratings are worthless.

I know that Fischer, Kasparov, Karpov, Korchnoi, Smyslov, and I believe all of the Polgar sisters are right-handed. Tal is perhaps the only world champion (men, women, computer, and all the rest) who is left-handed. But that may be because his right hand was deformed. All their photos can be found on the Internet.

Leftys tend to be more creative and have a great special ability than right handers. Both are good qualities in chess. Righties, however, tend to calculate better than leftys.

It could be that calculation is the most important quality in chess or perhaps righties who play chess have more in common with leftys than most other righties.

It is particularly interesting to note the average percentage of leftys in just about any general population is about 10%. However, in chess, that percentage is about 20%, with music and art being about the same.

I would also like to mention I am left-handed, my IQ is about 120 and my creativity is literally off the charts.

Barefoot_player

The 'Kentucky Derby' was excellent although it was a brief. TV coverage via Bangladesh captured all the highlights.

Proof ?... Reference ?...

Oh, so that's why they can fly ?

Rubbish at hi-5's so intelligence & trumpets is inadequate compensation.

Irontiger

I don't know what you would consider "proof".

Proofs only exist in logic problems, math problems, and the like.

What you might mean is "evidence".

In which case, there is much evidence for what I claiming. I was a psychology major, and learned some tendencies about lefties, in fact much more than what I presented here.

You can certainly look into text books.

But perhaps the best evidence I can offer it what I mentioned before.

"It is particularly interesting to note the average percentage of leftys in just about any general population is about 10%. However, in chess, that percentage is about 20%, with music and art being about the same."

SInce music, art, and chess are all creative fields, and that lefties represent a percentage that is twice as much as the general population, it would be at least suggestive to say that leftys are there for a reason. Maybe it is because they are, on the whole, more creative  than righties. Otherwise, the percentage of leftys in those fields would be the same as the general population.

In addition to what I find in books, where most of this data is given, I've actually gone to chess tournaments and found the percentage of leftys to be anywhere from 18% to 22%, which will place the 20% exactly in the middle.

Finally, and as most people here already know, is the left side of the brain is involved with language (grammer) and calculation while the right side of the brain is involved with creativity and non-linear thinking.

The right hand uses the left side of the brain and the left hand uses the right side of the brain. So anytime a lefty uses his left hand, he strengthens the right side of the brain every time. Since, by definition, a lefty uses his left hand more than his right hand, his capacity to be creative increases, even by a small amount, everytime he uses his left hand.

Righties also tend to excercise the left side of the brain more than lefties. So they would, as we probably expect, become better in calculation and language over time.

barefoot_player

You have a higher IQ than Einstein, which if I recall was 160...

I gladly abandon you the proof vs evidence thing.

If, and I say if, real statistics have been gathered about population XXX (artists, chess players) proving that they have significantly higher percentages of left-handed people, then I would be convinced, though that correlation could have other reasons I would be picky about if the "significantly" is not clearly met.

For instance (I do not believe it makes a significant difference) left-handed people have an advantage in chess due to the clock placement (Black gets to choose, and when they are White they face mostly right-handed players). Of course the advantage is much smaller than in for instance fencing, where being "off the majority" is a clear advantage.

I was ready to believe your stats on behalf of a (psychology) book reference I wouldn't read, until you gave the proportion of '18% to 22% in chess tournaments [you] played'. But this makes me ask you for a precise reference : how did you collect those numbers ? If they are the result of personal feeling, no way you can get close to 4% spread. If you noted the hand with which your opponents move their pieces (which is not a fair indicator of left-handedness for the clock reason I mentioned, but forget about it), you have a ridiculously small sample size, and again not even close to 4% deviation.

See it otherwise : if someone claims 1% of total population is affected by schizophrenia (or whatever) while being graduate in the relevant domain (psychiatry in that case), I guess I would trust him - the number is not so huge, well, he must know. If he claims that it is 1.256874% of population without providing source/methodology for that statistics, I start doubting this data and all his subsequent and previous more reasonable claims. Not because he's a liar and making stuff up, but that precision is simply not attainable, so there must have serious flaws in the study - even though possibly the effect is here and close to their call.

We do not even need the 4% spread - anything where the global percentage does not lie in the error margin would convince me about chess players, even if it is "between 20% and 80% of chess players are left-handed, while 10% of the global population is". But I am still asking how your statistics are taken.

As for the whole exercising one side of the brain, I don't buy that exercising physically on one side would push me to being more whatever is associated with mind traits of the second. One could argue, at the opposite, that as you exercise the left hand, the brains part that commands its movement grows bigger, and this being at constant right hemisphere relative proportion, the other parts that supposedly make for creativity go smaller. I am not saying it is true, but it points out a huge flaw in the mere expression "exercising the left side" that you developped in the end.

All this is of course assuming that at least at a statistical level right side = creativity, left side = logic ; which of course I never saw a proof (or evidence or...) of. Wiki's article on the subject (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateralization_of_brain_function) is far from making definite claims about this.

Iron,

Here are some of the ways I collected data for my lefys vs. righties in OTB chess.

I used to play OTB and I still might go back. Everytime I played an opponent I wrote a note whether  this person was a lefty or a rightie. In addition I also noted whether I was playing a male or a female.

In addition, I chose a line of table at random, and usually at a amatuer table. I counted the number of players who were lefty, rightie and female.

Here is a summary.

Number of Females, righties - about just under 10%

Number of Females, lefties - exactly 1. Not 1%, just one. Can't really do any stats here!

Number of Males, righties - 80-88%

Number of Males, lefties - 18-22%

Number of which a player, male or female, used both hands, or didn't use a hand, or didn't make a move while I was watching - about 2-3%.

I do not have the numbers to back up all of this - this study was done in the late 1980s and in the US, especially in California, where I still live.

If you want, go ahead and repeat the study. See what you can find! =)

Oh before I forget, about what you wrote,

"As for the whole exercising one side of the brain, I don't buy that exercising physically on one side would push me to being more whatever is associated with mind traits of the second. One could argue, at the opposite, that as you exercise the left hand, the brains part that commands its movement grows bigger, and this being at constant right hemisphere relative proportion, the other parts that supposedly make for creativity go smaller. I am not saying it is true, but it points out a huge flaw in the mere expression "exercising the left side" that you developped in the end."

That is exactly what I mean. Sorry for the ambiguity.

barefoot_player

Ok. I'm impressed.

Well, again, I use the left hand occasionally (especially in rapid) although I am right-handed, when the clock thing kicks in - but it wouldn't make up for 10% of people, surely. Maybe if you (or someone else) want to start over again, note the hand they use to write their moves too !

Crap ,Crap and all over Crap,everwhere crap

Iron,

To determine which hand was dominant on a chess player, I made of note of which hand they used to write their notation.

As you mentioned, the clock is often on the wrong side on about 1/2 the players. Most times players use the hand closest to the clock, as hitting the clock requires less coordination than to write down a move.

Does anyone want to re-do this study?

barefoot_player

PS - This photo of a young Susan Polgar clearly illustrates how little finesse is needed to "hit the clock" ;)

Well, as usual with this sort of crap, it tends to break down at the premise:  ie, just how exactly do you measure "creativity"?

One way to measure, and while it is basic, does show some differences between creative and not-so-creative people.

It involves a photo, illustration, or other image that is ambigious. Ask a person what this image is about. A not-so-creative person may see one or two things, and may even get annoyed. A creative person may see 4,5 or more things.

barefoot_player

what IQ tests do you use? are they based on age?

Abhishek2,

To whom are you speaking and what are you refering???

barefoot_player

I'm a lefty! It comes quite in handy because it compliments right-handed players. According to your statistic, 22% of male GMs are lefties? That seems to make a statement considering only 10% of the general population are lefties. Does that mean lefties have twice the chance of being a GM than righties?