Drug Testing For Olympic Chess Players?

Lawrence Person writes: "According to this AP wire story, they're thinking of adding chess as an Olympic sport. The downside? Mandatory drug testing. 'He's using steroids to move that pawn!'"

Re:Chess - A stupid game for stupid people.

[3am]

great, make broad generalizations about a large group of people based on your limited high school chess experience.

i'm glad you could share.

let's see if I have this right. people who think they're smart because of great skill with a game of strategy are way off base. here's a question: how much difference can you really point out between chess, a mathematical proof, and computer programming... they all require very similar cognitive processes. perhaps you can prove me wrong, or give me a pointer to 'scientists' who have proved it.

as for chess clubs having poorly-socialized members, and linux user groups coming in a close second... i'd like to direct your attention to the following... [despair.com]

and last of all. you say that chess is stupid, and magic and d&d are real games of strategy that demand true intelligence. how about this... maybe some chess players think that fantasy games are immature? i don't, but just a thought.

Should this be considered humor?

[DarkWinter]

At first, the notion of testing for drugs in chess seems foolish, but not so after a second look.
If they don't exist now, someone, somewhere will develop a drug that will improve your chess game. How do you then impliment drug testing? You could go 2 or 3 sets of olympics before the arguments are over. By then, chess would be as much of a joke as weight lifting.

Another notion is whether chess be in the olympics. I believe that it was previously stated that the olympics were origionally to display skill in military arts. And what are they now? Is hockey any more martial than chess? At least in chess, you're eliminating the opposition. (though as a Canadian, I'd hate to see hockey removed from the games). And then there's synchronised swimming (ew)

Won't Happen

[wafath]

Ignore the "Chess Isn't a Sport" arguements. That does not matter to the IOC. What matters is that chess is not TV friendly. The IOC cares more about ratings than anything else.

posted by an irrate fencer, a sport that is in danger of being cut because we aren't "TV Friendly".

W

Re:Chess - A stupid game for stupid people.

[kramer]

Actually, just today on NPR they discussed a research study that suggested that many Master and Grandmaster level chess players are using a part of the brain completely unused in the average player. The conclusion drawn by this researcher and study was that your average person is incapible due to his brain structure to become a Grandmaster.

Now while I don't agree with that, since it's been proven that different experiences can help develop the functioning of different parts of the brain, and I would imagine thousands of games of chess in childhood would warp anyone's brain... anyway, there's a point here somewhere.

The point I'm trying to make is that just because you someone may think differently, it's an amazingly concieted assumption to make to assume that it's "stupid".

And no, I can barely keep the names of the pieces right, I'm not a chess fanatic.

Dangerous...

[ChristianBaekkelund]

This is without a doubt dangerous territory to tread on...For, while I for one would love to see there be a contest of "mental" challenges of "Olympic" proportions, I don't think the actual Olympics is the place or way to do it.

If Chess is added to the Olympics, it's only a matter of time before many many other "mental" games are petitioning the Olympic Commission for admission to the games. Instead of allowing the Commission to be very judgemental in what they allow, it'd make better sense for a mental Olympics to be wholly created outside of the existing Games, IMHO.

Re:Chess - A stupid game for stupid people.

[bmongar]

Scientists have proved that all it takes to be a good chess player is a good memory. So why do we treat these people as though playing chess is a sign of intelligence ?

Rarely is anything about the mind proven, just speculated and corelated. If all it takes to play chess is a good memory, then why has it take so long for computers to compete with grand masters level chess players. Computers have superior memory to people. It is becuase computers lack abstraction and reasoning skills, two basic component in what you call imagination.

Re:Chess - A stupid game for stupid people.

[Mtgman]

The funniest thing about your comment won't be understood by most people. Most people probably don't know who BilldaCat is. Some of us remember. [e-league.org]

And even fewer of us probably remember, and still celebrate, "Chad is Bad" day.

Steven

Re:Chess - A stupid game for stupid people.

[Anonymous Coward]

If you ask me, its stupid. I'd rather play Magic - The Gathering

So, you spend a fortune on a rip-off card scheme and say that chess is stupid? At least when you buy a chess set, all the pieces are included.

Forget about the olympics

[tlayne]

The USCF is talking about having drug testing at all tournaments. Would you want to have to urinate in the presence of the TD just to play chess? If you have a 9 year old son or daughter who plays chess, would you want the 50 year old TD taking them to the bathroom to watch them urinate? This is absolutely insane. Note that among the banned substances is caffeine! I've been playing in tournaments since 1984, but this may be the end of it for me.