Beer and chips for me
Omega - 3 fatty acids and chess performance
Sort:
Pickle brain in whisky. Chess begins to happen ?
I mean it's a nice-theory but do hunters go hunting ''after'' a big-meal ?? You play better chess when hungry.
joeydvivre wrote:
When I used to play chess tournaments I would bring a live fish for that reason. Omega-3's are very beneficial for thinking. Often, I would remove the fish from the bucket, grab him by the tail and slam his head into the table to stun him, and then eat up. Very often I would acquire large advantages over my opponents after that.
Now here's a suggestion I really like! I might enter an OTB tournament just to try this out (I've been out of OTB chess for a dozen years). So thanks joey!
All seriousness aside, back in the day when I played, and coached middle school/high school teams, my own practice, which I urged on them, was to stick to light, snack-like food during a tournament day. NUTRITIOUS snacks: nuts, raisins, stuff like that. Nothing 'heavy;' save anything resembling a full meal until the day is over. Drink juice. Stay away from sugar-heavy stuff. Sugar (other than what you get with fruit or juice) can play havoc with your brain function. Same goes for a lot of meat and fatty food.
All this was before much was known about Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs like from fish oil. (Without knowing why, I liked to have a can of sardines in my bag - I love sardines anyhow!) I've since learned from research and my own experience with mental issues how valuable those EFAs are for mood stability and good brain function. So they've gotta be good for chessplayers!
Also nice-theory but fact is the food ends up in your stomach & will take approx. 12hrs to be fully-processed ? Sardines the night before (or possibly for breakfast) may be the answer ?? :-)
Aug 20, 2012
0
#6
@Joey: This is a brilliant tactic, I will definitely try it out!
Thanks for sharing that, it looks like chess books have been incomplete in stating all of the known tactics.
Perhaps taking a few cans of sardines, and eating them during a four hour chess game would be a good option too. A reasonable excuse to the chess manager of the tournament could be a need for frequent meals and adequate protein due to low blood sugar levels!
Aug 20, 2012
0
#7
@netzach: Maybe it's just the placebo effect taking place, but I feel more alert and I have a higher attention span if I have a salmon, avocado and cheese sandwich right before my chess game than when I have an alternative meaty meal.
netzach wrote:
Also nice-theory but fact is the food ends up in your stomach & will take approx. 12hrs to be fully-processed ? Sardines the night before (or possibly for breakfast) may be the answer ?? :-)
You can't go through a whole tournament day without some nourishment! The foods I mentioned have the benefit of digesting more quickly; their nutrients are available far more quickly than 12 hours, unlike, say, a Big Mac and fries, which will "sit there" and leave you sluggish. Those foods (and drinks) are also good for keeping blood sugar in balance.
But yes, you are right: and Omega-rich meal the night before is good. But you also need to eat and drink "effectively" especially during those 12-15 hour days you often get at a weekend tournament.
By the way, I was curious about the Kool-Aid - looking concoction (at least on video) Gelfand was drinking during the Anand match. Anyone know what dat wuz??
Funny how so many chess coaches don't educate their students on just how positive the effect of a salmon/sardines sandwich is on their performance in a chess game.
I have no shadow of a doubt that a number of grandmasters have used careful meal planning such as this to supplement their already well - equipped arsenal of tactics, strategies and visualisation.
Does anyone have experiences of playing chess better after having an omega - 3 rich meal?