If Testosterone could improve preformance, I'd be the reaining wold chess champ from the day I hit puberty!
Sadly, that's not the case.
Robie
Do high testosterone levels improve performance?
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Dec 16, 2014
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#43
They sure do. Just look at Hou Yifan, her testosterone level is over 9000!
Dec 16, 2014
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#44
I would guess it improves attacking skills. Mikhail Tal probably had the highest levels in chess history.
Dec 16, 2014
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#46
I have just been thinking that isn't it incredible that here we are a group of intelligent people from all over the planet, having a discussion about the most intelligent game in the world .... or is chess outclassed by any other intellectual passtime?
there are a couple of girls on the thread, plus a cat and a bird, so yeah, there's definately intelligence here!
Dec 16, 2014
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#48
Isn't that a backhanded compliment with just a sprinkle of sarcasm, where are you coming from? There is just a sniff of egocentricity in your remark!
the arbiter might just give your opponent some scuba gear to play in. What ya gonna do then ?
Dec 17, 2014
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#50
The component of a "killer instinct" and the ego-involvement of wanting to crush, conquer, and prove yourself to be the better player with better ideas is essential to winning, regardless of sex or hormones. I honestly believe my rating would be higher if I cared more about winning (and of course, knew more). Deborah was a great general in the Old Testament, but she still wanted to kill her opponent. It is unnerving to sit across from a player visably focused and intent on destroying you.
Dec 17, 2014
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#51
DrSpudnik wrote:
I think that was the highest blood alcohol level.
he had way too much blood in his alcohol.
Ellie47 wrote:
... ability to move your chess pieces correct, AND the right body chemisty! For example not intoxicated with anothing other than the correct levels of adrenaline and testosterone. I am not being silly here, I actually think the reason why there are more male players than females is because men love a battle, how many female Generals do you know?
Female generals: Jeanne d Arc
I am competing with very good small girls, at the age of ca 10. They are very strong , and wins a lot.
I dont believe in steroids for chessperformance. The problem with steroids is that you gain more muscleweight, and more weight is more that needs oxygen. In badventilated playing rooms, oxygencapasity is an advantage, and good oxygencapacity is maybe a reason why Magnus wins tournaments against other superplayers at roughly the same level.
Dec 17, 2014
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#53
Caineghis wrote:
Physical fitness improves your cognitive ability way more than even chess can. It is scientifically proven. For skinny asses like Mersaphe above, Arnold is still smarter than you on top of having massive gains and overall superiority
I no longer have access to journal articles, so perhaps you can list some well known papers that scientifically prove this?
On a personal level I used to to run/swim/cycle/do weights 10-15 hours a week for about 10 years. Did I think it improved my cognitive abilities? No. In terms of playing chess, that is 10-15 hours a week I could have spent learning about openings, using a tactical trainer, or playing chess to improve this area of my cognitive abilities.
Ellie47 wrote:
Now spacial visualization is better in men than women you say, can I ask then, why it is that a guy can open the fridge door and stare into it for 10 minutes saying "Hey honey where did you hide the milk?" ... when it is right in front of them ?
'Cause you didn't ask for beer.
No wonder he couldn't find the milk.
Probably has a cow in the shed.
Dec 17, 2014
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#58
Does anyone see any of this in there ? It's our local beer here.
Dec 17, 2014
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#59
Bronco70. Wow that's inspressive man. Can I come over? ;)
I will bring a couple loaves of fresh homemade cheesy beer bread.
Short answer is no, and I'll explain why this is my opinion.
First, it's incorrect to assume that more aggression = stronger chess player. We have great attacking players like Kasparov and Tal. Then we have more quiet players who like to take small, innocent looking advantages and squeeze you to death with them, slowly, such as Karpov, and our current World Champion Magnus Carlsen.
Also, I think it's incorrect to assume that more testosterone = more aggression. Ever heard "Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn"? Women have their own hormones going on to fuel aggression, and in my experience, females are the more aggressive chess players. Jennifer Shahade, a WGM, says so too in her book "Chess Bitch".
The most aggressive move is not always the best move. But playing a strong, quiet and positionally is not the same as playing passively.
Tigran Petrosian is the most defensive Grandmaster ever. He would play very unassumingly, until his opponent made a mistake--then he would go for the throat, because he knew it was best.
If anything, I think that keeping calm will improve your chess performance. Getting overly aggressive will cause you to go for unsound attacks and you will overextend as your opponent counters you.
And finally, being more aggressive won't help you find more aggressive moves. I know enough book in the Queen's Gambit that I know how to punish opponents who play the wrong move. It probably looks like I'm very aggressive in countering them, but really, I just know the theory, and calm as can be.