The stress of chess players as a model to study the effects of psychological stimuli on physiological responses: an example of substrate oxidation and heart rate variability in man

Abstract

We have studied the physiological consequences of the tension caused by playing chess in 20 male chess players, by following heart rate, heart rate variability, and respiratory variables. We observed significant increase in the heart rate (75-86 beats/min), in the ratio low frequency (LF)/high frequency (HF) of heart rate variability (1.3-3.0) and also a decrease in mean heart rate variability with no changes in HF throughout the game. These results suggest a stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system with no changes in the parasympathetic system. The respiratory exchange ratio was rather elevated (over 0.89) at the start and significantly decreased during the game (0.75 at the end), indicating that energy expenditure progressively switched from carbohydrate to lipid oxidation. The changes in substrate oxidation and the sympathetic system seem to be due to high cognitive demands and bring new insight into adaptations to mental strain.

Heart rate variability and pre-competitive anxiety in BMX discipline

“…Closer to real competition, during a chess game, a legitimate psychological stress environment, a pair of studies assessing HRV have been conducted. In the former, Schwarz et al (2003) showed an association between increasing helplessness/hopelessness ratio and reduced vagal activity; whereas in the latter Troubat et al (2009) suggested a stimulation of the sympathetic branch with no changes in parasympathetic activity during chess game. Only one study, to the best of our knowledge, has previously used HRV to explore cardiac autonomic regulation in the moments prior to competition; finding a shift towards sympathetic predominance as a result of decreased parasympathetic activity, and suggesting HRV as a valid, practical and non-invasive way to assess changes in sympathetic-parasympathetic balance in the presence of competitive stress (Cervantes Blásquez et al 2009).…”

Doping for Chess Performance

“…Only in highly trained endurance athletes may blood oxygen saturation fall during heavy exercise [2]. Troubat [14] observed in his study a constant ventilation rate, so that a limitation of O 2 during mental activity was excluded.…”

“…A limitation of the study of Troubat [14] remains because of the relative short time of the game (on the average 45 minutes for each player). In blitz-chess tournaments for example, the players have only 5 minutes for the complete game so that 10times as many conflict situations must be solved per time unit.…”

“…In terms of rapidly available energy from glucose and glycogen, only a limited amount necessary for the completion of most of the competitions of chess players can be delivered [14,45]. The continuation of competition must then be carried out with energy derived from adipose tissue at a slower rate of availability.…”

“…When glycogen stores are expended, brain "talks" to adipose tissue [14], which then delivers energy from fatty acid oxidation. Mental and physical performance speed decreases now and mental and physical performance declines cumulatively and finally fatigue occurs.…”