Skip to content
TheChessWorld.com
TheChessWorld Facebook TheChessWorld Twitter TheChessWorld Pinterest TheChessWorld YouTube
  • Start Here
  • Play
  • Learn
    • Training Techniques
    • Openings
    • Middlegame
    • Endgames
    • General Information
  • Tournaments
  • Academy
  • 21-Day Course
  • Store
    • TheChessWorld
    • TCW Academy
    • iChess
    • Chess-Teacher
    • Modern Chess
    • Roman Chess Lab
    • Foxy Chess
    • Grandmaster Magazine
    • ChessLecture
    • ICC
    • Rules Chess Strategies
    • Improve My Chess
    • Others
  • Contact
TheChessWorld.com
Close

Chess diet: eat or play?

Yury Markushin
Yury Markushin
01.22.2010
Category: Health/Psycology
Tags: chess, chess diet, chess health, eating at chess, food and chess, grandmaster diet, sports food,
Chess diet: eat or play?

Chess is a very complex sport requiring a player to be in great mental and physical shape in order to perform well in rough competition. Many factors influence player’s performance, but food intake before and during the competition plays significant role in any chess event. Food intake before and during chess tournament significantly affects player’s performance. In particular, nutrition impacts player’s psychological state, alertness, memory recall and overall brain performance – the most crucial characteristics for chess. Therefore, chess players should develop individual diet to fit their needs.

Food intake before the chess game is absolutely crucial factor of a competition. All food consumed approximately two hours before the round kicks off will affect how well player feels and performs during the game. Eating too much, too little or simply a wrong type of food can significantly low down player’s position in tournament standing. Nearly all nutrition professionals agree that food rich with fish oil is especially beneficial for chess player’s brain. Skolnik, a professional sport’s nutritionist, states that “there is an of the chart upward trend in use of fish oil by athletes and non-athletes alike” (Klein, Grandmaster Diet, 21).

It’s believed that Japanese have higher IQs because of regular seafood consumption, rich with food oils (Klein, Grandmaster Diet, 21). Kelly A. Hammer, healthy food expert, recommends a high protein and high carbonate meals before the chess competition begins. “The carbs will help sustain the focus, while the protein will add to the needed nutrients for brain connections”, Hammer says (Klein, Grandmaster Diet, 21). In order to get enough carbohydrates it’s suggested to consume plenty of fruits and vegetables, potatoes and rice. Food like eggs, chicken, nuts, milk and soy are high on proteins and recommended as a part of chess diet by many nutrition professionals. From my personal experience consuming foods like pork, beef, hamburgers and French fries is not recommended before any intensive mental or physical task. Digesting of these foods takes up a lot of energy making it almost impossible to concentrate and stay focused for long periods of time. After eating these foods a player would be more likely to take a nap, than to play a tough game. As a rule of thumb, consuming too much of any food before a chess game isn’t a good idea because player’s stomach will do all the work and not his brain.

Not eating enough is also a bad practice. Grandmaster Evgeny Bareev advised to be hungry before the game: “Your head is really clear, you can calculate variations and you are aggressive” – he said. Many players including myself tried it and it’s actually not a very good idea. Grandmaster Gregory Serper comments that it’s almost impossible to stay even close to focused when hungry: “all you can think is food” (Klein, Grandmaster Diet, 22). There should be a compromise between how much food is too much and how much is not enough in order to play best possible chess. This balance is individual thing which needs to be developed by the player himself or with a help of qualified nutritionist.

Food intake during the chess game itself plays even more significant role in competition. Not only an opponent gets annoyed when somebody periodically opens up a battle of water or clears a second banana in a row, but there are also real advantages of having access to food during a game. If you take a look at any chess tournament hall you will see that most of the tables have water on it. Water is the most essential part of player’s food ration during a game. According to Kelly Hammer, a professional sports nutritionist, “not drinking enough [water] during a game increases prevalence of fatigue, headaches and low blood pressure which may negatively affect the results” (Klein, Grandmaster Diet, 22). There is a debate going on about sports drinks.

Kansas City Chef’s sports dietitian, Mitzi Dulan, suggests drinking sports drinks such as Gatorade and Powerade during chess events because people drink more of these drinks than regular water (Klein, Grandmaster Diet, 22). Hammer argues that chess isn’t an endurance sport so sports drinks should not substitute water (Klein, Grandmaster Diet, 22). From my personal experience I suggest to drink something in between water and sports drink. Caffeine free iced tea works the best for me since it dehydrates, supplies with carbohydrates and puts some taste in a mouth at the same time.

Another hot topic is caffeine. Skolnik thinks, “caffeine is an individual thing” (Klein, Grandmaster Diet, 22). It helps one player to stay alert but the other one can lose concentration and focus because of the drug. I do not trust caffeine during a serious game. One day it can help you to wake up, but another day it can make you sleepy. Consuming caffeine during a game is a gamble: sometime you win, sometime you don’t. That’s why caffeine free drinks are preferred.

Amy Taylor-Brill, healthy food specialist, believes in study that correlates brain activity with protein intake (Klein, Grandmaster Diet, 23). There are plenty of options for during a game snacks: nuts, cheese sticks, sandwiches and tuna are all high on protein. Tiger Woods in his book, How I Play Golf, writes that vitamins B1, B6 and B12 are essential for high accuracy sports (Klein, Grandmaster Diet, 23). Since playing golf and playing chess require similar rate of concentration vitamins play important role in brain activity. It is a good idea to take a big apple or a banana on game with you.

In conclusion, player’s food intake before and during chess tournament can significantly affect player’s performance. Consumption of too much, too little or simply a wrong type of food can dramatically low down player’s position in tournament standing. It is recommended by many food experts to eat meals reach on fish oils before and during the game in order to improve brain performance. Carbohydrates and proteins are also suggested as a part of chess diet. In order to get enough protein it’s suggested to eat eggs, chicken, nuts, milk and soy. Carbohydrates are present in foods such as fruits and vegetables, potatoes and rice. During the tournament it is very important to drink plenty of water or another drink like caffeine free iced tea in order to be properly hydrated. Sports drinks and caffeine drinks must be consumed with caution due to possibility of “double effect”. It’s a good practice to take a big apple or a banana to a game with you. Over the board snacks may include nuts, cheese sticks, sandwiches and tuna. Well balanced chess diet will not make a bad chess player – a good one instantaneously, but it’s something that will give any player a slight edge over the competition.

Sources:

Klein, Mike. “Grandmaster Diet. Chess Life. Ed. Daniel Lucas and Jennifer Shahade.

USCF Publications. Dec. 2008. 20-25.

Find this post useful? Share it?
Become a Chess Player You've Meant to Be!
TCW Academy is the fast, fun & convenient way to become a MUCH better chess player.
Join Academy Today!

Related Posts

  • We’re Hiring!We’re Hiring!
  • Happy 2023!Happy 2023!
  • 10 Reasons to Train with Chess Coach10 Reasons to Train with Chess Coach
Related Products
0 0 votes
Article Rating
Login
10 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
mohammed
11.03.2014 09:56

😆

0
Reply
Yury
12.16.2011 17:29

I will try to address one of the future articles to this theme:)

0
Reply
mjbl
12.14.2011 14:42

can you write about foods in a specific order mentioning us what to eat in dinner,breakfast and lunch

0
Reply
george2009
02.25.2010 13:34

excellent article

0
Reply
george2009
02.25.2010 13:31

paix

0
Reply
george2009
02.25.2010 13:30

😀

0
Reply
Yury
02.09.2010 01:10

😉

0
Reply
george2009
02.07.2010 11:52

paix

0
Reply
Yury
01.27.2010 05:10

Yes Adam, you’re right about that: taking an exam or playing chess are somewhat related, since you have to solve immediate problems over the table in some way or another.

0
Reply
Adam
01.26.2010 04:18

Excellent article, the same applies to eating before a test or exam I think, or competing in any other sport besides of course the sport of organized starvation. 😉

0
Reply
Join the FREE Road to 2200 Masterclass (and learn how to Attack Like a Chess Master)
We value your privacy
Supercharge Your Chess in 21 Days!
Join Academy Today!
TheChessWorld.com
http://pogonina.com/
Company
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • F.A.Q.
  • Partnership
  • Blog
  • Grandmasters
  • Jobs
Chess Resources
  • TCW Academy
  • The Store
  • 21 Day Course
Top Resources
  • Opening Lab
  • Mastermind
  • Chess Mastery Series
  • Academy
100% Secure Purchase
Customer Support +1 (410) 656-9104
Email Us [email protected]
Contact Us
Facebook Twitter Mail Pinterest Youtube
Copyright 2007-2023 • TheChessWorld.com • All Rights Reserved
Cookie Policy | Acceptable Use Policy | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of all the cookies.
Cookie SettingsAccept
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
wpDiscuz
wpDiscuz