Answers.Body: <blockquote>
  <p>if there are certain talented players who should not become competitively active cause of their mental health status</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>On the contrary, there are many chess players, successful and otherwise, who get relief from their mental problems by playing chess. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer#Personal_life" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Fischer</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Bloodgood" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Bloodgood</a> are probably at the extreme end of mental disturbance but there are many at all the levels below that.</p>
  <p>Victor Kortchnoi, in his famous <a href="https://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/78kk$$01.htm" rel="nofollow noreferrer">world championship match with Karpov</a>, is another famous example at a lower level of mental disturbance.</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>others who could become successful only under the supervision of a mental health practitioner</p>
  </blockquote>
  <p>Again, I think you have it the wrong way round. Without their mental health problems many strong GMs wouldn't be that strong.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-13T12:41:38.000Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2021-01-13T12:41:38.000Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Brian Towers
Body: <p>I suppose that participation in international open tournaments has a positive mental effect on most amateur players. As for the professionals involved, if they have other sources of income and also don't suffer from untreated issues then I can't see any mental health risk. Concerning international closed tournaments, there players have already been preselected both by their coaches and the organisers, thus I assume most of them should be well-adjusted.</p>
  
Tags: <psychology>
Title: How does competitive chess affect players' mental health?
ThreadText: # How does competitive chess affect players' mental health?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2021-01-13)
  
  I suppose that participation in international open tournaments has a positive mental effect on most amateur players. As for the professionals involved, if they have other sources of income and also don't suffer from untreated issues then I can't see any mental health risk. Concerning international closed tournaments, there players have already been preselected both by their coaches and the organisers, thus I assume most of them should be well-adjusted.
  
  **Tags:** psychology
  
  
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  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2021-01-13. Score: 1
  
  > if there are certain talented players who should not become competitively active cause of their mental health status
  
  On the contrary, there are many chess players, successful and otherwise, who get relief from their mental problems by playing chess. [Fischer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Fischer#Personal_life) and [Bloodgood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Bloodgood) are probably at the extreme end of mental disturbance but there are many at all the levels below that.
  
  Victor Kortchnoi, in his famous [world championship match with Karpov](https://www.mark-weeks.com/chess/78kk$$01.htm), is another famous example at a lower level of mental disturbance.
  
  > others who could become successful only under the supervision of a mental health practitioner
  
  Again, I think you have it the wrong way round. Without their mental health problems many strong GMs wouldn't be that strong.
  
  
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