The Effect of COVID-19 Confinement in Behavioral, Psychological, and Training Patterns of Chess Players

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 has triggered a pandemic, jeopardizing global health. The sports world is also suffering enormous consequences, such as the suspension of the Olympic Games in Tokyo or, in chess, the cancelation of the World Candidates Tournament 2020. Chess is a sport characterized by high psychophysiological demands derived from long training durations, tournaments, and games, leading to mental, emotional, and physical stress. These characteristics could provide chess players a certain advantage in facing quarantine situations. This study aimed to analyze the effect of COVID-19 confinement on behavioral, psychological, and training patterns of chess players based on their gender, level of education, and level of chess played. We analyzed chess players (N: 450; age = 38.12 ± 14.01 years) in countries where confinement was mandatory: Professional players (N: 55; age = 43.35 ± 13), high-performance players (N: 53; age = 38.57 ± 13.46), competitive players (N: 284; age = 36.82 ± 13.91), and amateur players (N: 58; age = 39.10 ± 14.99). Results showed that chess players significantly decreased physical activity per day while increased chess practise during the confinement period. However, anxiety levels remained moderate despite the antistress effects of physical activity. Amateur players showed a significantly higher level of social alarm than professional and high-performance players. Moreover, professional players showed higher values of extraversion than high-performance players and amateur players. In neuroticism, professional players showed higher values than highperformance players. In addition, the professional players showed higher scores in psychological inflexibility than competitive players. Finally, chess players with the highest academic level showed higher levels of personal concern and anxiety due to COVID-19 as well as lower psychological inflexibility compared to those with a lower academic level. In conclusion, chess players, especially those with a higher academic level, might have adapted their psychological profile to fit confinement situations and the worrying levels of physical inactivity.

Personality, Coping Strategies, and Mental Health in High-Performance Athletes During Confinement Derived From the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Authors attributed these phenomena to the larger experience of high-performance athletes in coping with competition-related anxiety and the higher cognitive resources professional athletes have. Similar results were observed in professional chess players by Fuentes-García et al ( 49 ) despite the decrease of physical activity, which suggests that the cognitive resources of athletes potentially mitigate the negative effects of confinement. However, the same studies previously mentioned showed contradictory results in terms of academic levels and subjective perception of the confinement situation.…”

“…However, the same studies previously mentioned showed contradictory results in terms of academic levels and subjective perception of the confinement situation. On the one hand, chess players with university studies showed greater concern about the COVID-19 pandemic ( 49 ), while Olympic athletes with higher education showed more dissatisfaction with the confinement measures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic ( 48 ).…”

Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training and Moderate-Intensity Training on Stress, Depression, Anxiety, and Resilience in Healthy Adults During Coronavirus Disease 2019 Confinement: A Randomized Controlled Trial

“…The COVID-19 home confinement increased the level of sedentarism among the general population (Fuentes-García et al, 2020 ; Narici et al, 2020 ). This, linked to a high uncertainty and stress (Lin et al, 2020 ), led to a significant decrease in the psychological health (Ammar et al, 2020 ).…”

COVID-19-Related Restrictions and Quarantine COVID-19: Effects on Cardiovascular and Yo-Yo Test Performance in Professional Soccer Players

“…Besides its social, psychological, and economic impact, COVID-19 has affected sports activities too, with major competitions and events being canceled/postponed (Fuentes-García et al, 2020;Guerrero-Calderón, 2020). Also, professional soccer has been affected (Guerrero-Calderón, 2020).…”