Chess=Drugs?

There's proof chess was responsible for Fischer's problems? Where?

Another question would be can a drug be used to enhance your chess game , and is this cheating and then again , do you blood  test the top players.

If you are interested , then consider the consumption of memory enhancing supplements that are reported to have been used by GM's and indeed the general public  i.e., e.g.,  the pharmaceutical galenical , Brahmi root , which contains baclosides that increase the  nerve function facilitating nitric oxide levels in the brain , especially the hippocampus that processes cognitive reasoning , tying ideas together , personal image perception , memory ( vital for chess expertise ) and appetite and a region that is often deficient in dietary zinc where that mineral is concentrated   ( ...... its latter deficiency is associated with anorexic  manifestations apart from memory deficits ) .  The globus region concentrates copper.  The nitric oxide mediator discovery attracted a Nobel Prize. 

Also you have to consider how many of the old top players were also heavy smokers , nicotine of course is a focus enhancer, so is this cheating?...if you use a drug to enhance your performance in sports , that is usually called cheating , why not in chess.

i'm addicted to breathing.  not so much in my past life.

Maybe this answers some very odd behaviour by some of the top players , like Fisher, are these side- effects .

I believe Fischer have psychological problems, probably unhappy child life and resort to chess as an escape... like some of us. Its not that bad as chess is much much better than drugs and alcoholism.

rwillhewitt wrote:

Is playing chess as addictive as drugs? I know it has made some people a little looney (like Bobby) and many people obsess over it so I'm wondering if it has the same effect on your brain as taking a drug.

I didn't address the premise of the discussion that " Chess=Drugs  ? ".     The definition of what constitutes a drug is contentious. Some say that if it occurs naturally then it is not a drug.  Some say that synthetically derived chemicals are all drugs since they do not occur naturally.  One may be aware that many antibiotics are found naturally but require the intervention of organic chemists to manufacture those same antibiotics or their analogues ( synthetic derivatives ) to achieve supplies large enough to meet the demand for their properties.  Florey and Chaine used the US deep South corn-steep liquor fermentation manufacturing technique to generate tons of penicillin that effectively saved millions including Audy Murphy , the most decorated ally soldier in WW11 , later to become a Hollywood actor .  The Axis had only Supha drugs that were inactive in the presence of pus , a usual war wound consequence.

Interestingly, Penicillin derived from a fungus , despite antibiotic resistance , is still the "drug" of choice in many infections, but if the researches had used guinea pigs to test before release , we may have not had it to use as it is lethal to that rodent.

Some naturally occurring plant and animal chemicals are too toxic to be used in medication , but synthetic derivatives can have attenuated properties that makes them acceptable in medicine.

 Within the unprocessed tobacco leaf there lie 196 known carcinogens that , last year , contributed to the deaths of 1 million Chinese.

  A 4% nicotine sulphate solution is used in horticulture to kill aphids . 

  Nicotinic and cholinergic receptors in our parasympathetic nervous system have the properties of impulse conduction  , but the biological dose released is minute.  

A nuturally occuring brain chemical , 5- beta encelphin , is 200 times more potent that heroin as an analgesic ,  a synthetic derivative ( di-acetyl morphine ) of naturally  occurring morphine from the papaveratum poppy , and is released instantaneously from the brain in e.g., a severe traumatic incident,  to block pain perception . It is fortunate that cyclase enzymes are soon released to metabolize  the 5- beta encelphin , pain breaks through the thalamic / frontal cortex , and we would otherwise perhaps be unaware that we were experiencing appendicitis requiring medical intervention to prevent peritonitis etc., etc.

The usual definition of what constitutes a drug says " any ingested chemical that alters the biochemical homeostasis of the organism ".

 However, sleep deprivation does that  , excessive exercise does that , any food does that with stacks of naturally occurring chemicals present.

Now the REAL question :   Is performance enhancing justifiable under any circumstance  ?  

It certainly is if one is on one's death bed owing to a multitude of possible biological deficits which responsibly , where possible , demand our attention to save the salvageable organism.

But we complicate the question by pre-existing medical conditions perhaps determing the usage or not  of naturally occurring e.g., ephedra leaf alkaloids or synthetics in asthma and other respiratory conditions.

In sport, many say " let's have a level playing field and allow ALL to consume any enhancing method , as long as it is non-injurious."

......but this does not take account of the individual person's EXISTING starting point of well being , fitness , size etc.etc.....can they EVER BE COMPETITIVE ?

In my opinion, those seeking advantage , whether it be in politics , sport , study methods , etc. etc., , will pragmatically do what it takes  , especially if the technique is not YET under investigation in law or practice.

I don't wish to be didactic, but this topic is  contentious and debatable and depends a lot on one's perspective and involvement and knowledge..

   "Is a drug a chemical ".......Yes.

   " Is a chemical a drug ?"......It depends.......in my opinion.

Thank you for all of your responses!! Especially coolshot.

so like sex or eating good foods, I am assuming that winning in chess releases dopamine? Or has that ever even been studied? I suppose I'm simply very competitive and therefore addicted to winning or increasing my rating and that causes me to feel like I'm addicted to chess? 

If you want a good recuperative sleep then bring milk to the boil, let it simmer, include a tablespoonful of sugar unless diabetic, to allow the casein protein to break to its component amino acids which are rich in l-tryptophan and along with the calcium contained therein are precursors to the the formation of serotonin

i/e., 5-hydroxy tryptamine and , in a complex fashion , the  " feel-goodie " dopamine is released , more appreciably realized when awake !   I like to add cocoa to enhance the effect.    Is it "enhancing " ?...well ,  the hedonist in me says :

" If it feels good , do it ! "........but then , that is just me ??!

We don't know if Blackburne "needed" his ethyl alcohol , but he said he played better chess..........an addiction  feeding  another addiction ?!

I feel that most of my habituations have not lead to addictions , but if you like them  so much you may not  be able to tell the difference if you don't stop.

Chess is not a drug, or even close.  I know from experience, you know.  

I remember when Art Linkletter (" People are Funny " old US TV show )   asked  a child , " What would you do if your friend  broke his arm ?' ...."put it in a cast " was the reply. Art then asked , " What would you do if your friend got a bad cold ?"....."give him a shot" was the reply . Then Art asked "...what if your friend had a hole in his head".....his reply , " Put a cork in it "............kids are so perceptive , aren't they ?

I would agree if one took "drugs",  but many that don't , say that chess is a drug and highly addictive........it's all in knowing what is addictive and what is a drug.

I think chess is as bad as the drug that causes the thinking of the brain in the basin - so pure of stories that the parallel was not considered. This is dating 1981 research that case is proven in science magazine while the cold war was getting over. 

Pardon my English as it is not my first language.