woody harrelson and chess

woody had some chess comments in a recent interview

Q: Last time you and I talked, you had just made it to the Maui airport after being engrossed in a chess match. Remember? Do you think life is one big chess match?

A: As a chess player, I do kind of see it that way. Chess is a very warring kind of mentality, I guess, so I don't necessarily see it that way always. But I do see how it relates to everything in life. You can always relate anything to chess. But that may be true of any game. You may be able to relate any game if you're into analogies.

Q: Here's an interesting question for you -- well, I think it's interesting. How came there aren't any great female chess masters?

A: Like the champs? I don't know about that. That's a good question. Maybe the mentality in most women is not quite as warring as the male mentality. We have that truculent approach. I think it was [Garry] Kasparov who said, "Chess is the most violent sport." I don't know. That's a good question. I have run into some really good chess players who are female, though.

Q: I've told you I spend a lot of time covering the Olympics. Do you think chess players ought to be drug tested?

A: I don't think anyone ought to be drug tested. If you're going to do tests, test for all the pharmaceuticals and everything else.

http://www.nbcsports.com/sports/1609124/detail.html

You never know, amphetamines could be helpful in a time pressure situations.

I think that's an interesting point as well. Why is it the women names in chess seem to stand out less? There are women grandmasters, women's world championships, women hall of famers. I'm not sure, personally I think women have made an impression on the chess world, it's just that there is such a denomination of men in chess that it's not as noticed. I'd like to see some of the female players competing for world titles with men. Chess shouldn't be segregated between sexes, it's not like there are any physical diversities that would make it unfair.

Originally posted by artplayer
You never know, amphetamines could be helpful in a time pressure situations.

Originally posted by artplayer
You never know, amphetamines could be helpful in a time pressure situations.

I think that's an interesting point as well. Why is it the women names in chess seem to stand out less? There are women grandmasters, women's world championships, women hall of famers. I'm not sure, personally I think women have made an impression on the chess world, it's just ...[text shortened]... tween sexes, it's not like there are any physical diversities that would make it unfair.

Originally posted by tmetzler
They could be helpful overall. Especially some of the ADHD drugs. Ever played a game of chess after taking an Adderall pill? I think a fair amount of people would find it improves their game/concentration.

Originally posted by thesonofsaul
As Aderall is amphetamine, I'm not sure how bringing up AD/HD helps the conversation. There are AD/HD drugs that are not pep pills for everyone else and would probably just make the average chess player too ill to play.

Abuse of stimulants is a big issue, though--Ritalin is big with college students cramming for exams. I think it should be understo ...[text shortened]... m sleep you might know someone with an attention deficit.)

Brain chemistry boggles the mind.

Originally posted by tmetzler
I would agree, if you are going to test for any drugs, then you must also include pharmaceuticals in your testing.

Originally posted by thesonofsaul
Or are you saying that a person's psych history should be open for employers to peruse?