Abstract
Introduction: Chess is an educational sport of the mind that involves different types of items and rules but is based on creative intelligence. Improvement of cognitive function can lead to improvement of performance and quality. Goals: The aim of this study was to investigate state-trait anxiety levels and visual memory scores before and after chess games, whether there was any change in those scores, and if that change was related to gender. Material and methods: Twenty elite chess athletes (10 males, 10 females) who were participating in the Turkish Chess Championship, aged between 18 and 30, enrolled in the study voluntarily. Demographic data were recorded. The athletes were tested randomly 30 minutes before a game and 60 minutes after the game. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Benton Visual Retention Test F form were administered. Results: Athletes’ ages were 24±8.1 years, heights were 173.2±9.1 cm, body weights were 66.6±22.7 kg, and they had been playing chess for 12.6±4.1 years. There was no demographical difference found between groups when groups were divided according to gender (p˃0.05). There was no statistically significant difference found between pre-game and post-game scores (p˃0.05). When gender factors were evaluated, it was found that female athletes had higher pre-game and post-game Benton Visual Retention Test and anxiety scores. Conclusions: However, those results were not statistically significant between female and male groups (p˃0.05). Male and female athletes’ pre- and post-game results showed no statistically significant differences (p˃0.05). To a certain extent, anxiety levels have beneficial effects for athletes, but it is important to determine the anxiety levels at which athletes start to perform badly. This level should be determined individually and must be controlled via behavior therapy, or medically, if needed. We think that training sessions performed for various anxious situations or different types of programs will improve athletes’ performances.
Highlights
Chess is an educational sport of the mind that involves different types of items and rules but is based on creative intelligence
The aim of this study was to investigate state-trait anxiety levels and visual memory scores before and after games, whether there is a change in these levels, and whether that change is related to gender among chess athletes
When gender factors were evaluated, it was found that female athletes had higher pre-game and postgame BRVT and anxiety scores
Summary
Chess is an educational sport of the mind that involves different types of items and rules but is based on creative intelligence. When the psychophysiological responses of adolescent athletes to chess problems of different difficulty levels were examined, stress responses and heart rate variability were found to increase (Fuentes-García et al, 2019). It is further known that the change in physiological responses to similar stresses may vary depending on whether the athlete has a high or low performance level (Fuentes-García et al, 2019). Athletes with high levels of anxiety affecting their performances will need professional help (Coombes et al, 2009). The best known theory is the so-called inverted U theory According to this theory, anxiety has beneficial effects on the performance of athletes to a certain extent. The aim of this study was to investigate state-trait anxiety levels and visual memory scores before and after games, whether there is a change in these levels, and whether that change is related to gender among chess athletes
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