The impact of psychological stress on somatic and biochemical parameters in an atypical sports discipline

The subject of our interest was to investigate the response of the organism to mental strain in an atypical sports discipline. To this end we examined 10 chess players. We assessed their pulse rate at rest, before a contest, immediately after the contest and after 5 mins. recovery. Statistical evaluation revealed an increased heart rate before the contest, as compared with rest at a level of significance of 0.01; after the contest as compared with the status before the contest at a level of 0.02; in the recovery stage, as compared with rest, at the 0.01 level. As a control group we examined 10 hockey players under the same conditions and the results were compared with the chess players. For scientific practice it is necessary to find a way to monitor the internal environment during a chess game (catecholamines, lactate, glucose, fatty acids, cholesterol and others). As soon as this will be possible without disturbing the reflection process of the chess player, we shall be able to obtain more information on the adaptation of the organism to mental strain during a game of chess.