Chess players find themselves losing more when air quality is compromised
For chess enthusiasts, it is imperative to be vigilant of air pollution.
That is the resounding conclusion of a recent study co-authored by an MIT researcher, in which it was demonstrated that chess players' performance can be measurably hindered and their choices of moves rendered sub-optimal when exposure to fine particulate matter is elevated.
"We find that when individuals are exposed to higher levels of air pollution, they make more more mistakes, and they make larger mistakes,"
- Juan Palacios, an economist in MIT's Sustainable Urbanization Lab, and co-author of a newly published paper detailing the study's findings.
More specifically, with a modest increment in the concentration of fine particulate matter, the likelihood of chess players exhibiting an error rises by 2.1 points and their errors increase by 10.8 per cent in magnitude. In this scenario at least – where cleaner air positively correlates to clearer minds and sharper thought – one can see that cleanliness help the mind!
Fine particulate matter refers to minuscule particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter, categorized as PM2.5. These so-called 'particulates of doom' are often associated with combustion processes such as auto engines, coal-fired power plants or forest fires, etc. - The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes over 4 million premature deaths annually, due to cancerous disorders, cardiovascular ailments and other maladies.
Scholars have undertaken several investigations into the impact of air pollution on cognition. The current investigation furthers this field by utilizing a notably controlled setting in which 121 chess players were observed during three seven-round tournaments held in Germany over a span of two years, totaling more than 30,000 moves. The researchers installed three web-connected sensors inside the competition venue to monitor carbon dioxide, PM2.5 concentrations and temperature; all of which can be affected by external factors such as weather patterns. Asking questions about air quality over a period of eight weeks was therefore an effective way to study how changes in player results were correlated with environmental conditions.
In a replication exercise, the authors analyzed the effects of air pollution on some of the most prominent figures in chess history by utilizing data from over 20 years' worth of games from Germany's top division.
To assess the level of performance displayed by players, scholars have employed sophisticated software programs that analyze each move made in a chess match and identify optimal decisions, any errors detected would be flag immediately. Utilizing the standardized chess ratings, scholars investigated whether it was possible to ascertain player quality based upon their opponents. Analyzing plausibly random variations in pollution due to alterations in wind direction – a characteristic that all players share during play - strongly confirms this hypothesis; demonstrating that poor quality competition was an important factor underlying the results.
Palacios asserted that it's simply random exposure to air pollution that can affect performance, "Against comparable opponents in the same tournament round, being exposed to different levels of air quality makes a difference for move quality and decision quality."
The researchers discovered that when air pollution was higher, chess players performed more erratically under time constraints; tournament rules mandated that a minimum of 40 moves had to be completed within 110 minutes. For moves 31-40 in each match, an increase of 10 micrograms per cubic meter increased the probability for error by 3.2%, with magnitude increases ranging up to 17.3%.
Discovering the nature of these errors can be fascinating. Irrespective of whether players are under time pressure or not, we observe that there are greater proportions of mistakes when cognitive capacity is lower relative to deliberation.
Palacios underscores that, as the investigation reveals, air pollution may impact individuals in environments where they might not anticipate an effect.
"It's not like you have to live next to a power plant, ... You can live miles away and be affected."
Juan Palacios
Despite its primary focus on chess players and their strategies, the authors of this study want to focus their findings on professionals in high-level offices, who may also be forced to tackle cognitive tasks under varying levels of air pollution. Thus, Palacios highlights that it is crucial to provide accurate estimates when formulating public policy decisions about cleaning up the environment.
Indeed, Palacios observes, it is remarkable that even chess players - who devote countless hours devising strategies to face any conceivable pitfalls in competitions - can perform worse when air pollution increases. This suggests that a similar effect could be having an impact on cognitive capabilities of people in other settings.
Source: ScienceDaily