[ExI] LA Times: Drugs to build up that mental muscle

[spike]

> bounces at lists.extropy.org] On Behalf Of PJ Manney
> Subject: Re: [ExI] LA Times: Drugs to build up that mental muscle
> 
> On Dec 25, 2007 8:32 PM, spike <spike66 at att.net> wrote:
> > The top chess players are still using good old caffeine after all these
> > years.
> 
> Would you really know if they weren't?  Do you think they would be
> advertising their use of Ritalin or Modifinil?
> 
> PJ


Good point.  It would intentionally be kept secret.

As an entertaining aside, consider the world chess championship between Gary
Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov in 1984.  The championship title was to go to
the first player to win six games, draws didn't count.  Karpov was using
massive doses of caffeine, equivalent to about ten strong cups before each
game, then coffee during the game.  Karpov won four of the first nine games,
but then Kasparov (correctly) recognized that Karpov couldn't keep on with
that much stimulant, so he began playing very conservatively.  Karpov won
one game after 17 consecutive draws(!), pulling the score to 5 to 0, where
it stayed for a long time.  Kasparov won one in another marathon string of
draws, bringing the score to 5-1.  Karpov kept on with the massive doses of
caffeine.  Was he able to sleep after all that no-doz?  How long did it take
to wear off?  

As the weeks drew on with draw after draw, Karpov steadily wore down until
he finally collapsed.  Kasparov suddenly won two consecutive games, bringing
the score to 5-3.  It was a *very* exciting time for those of us who don't
like commies, for Kasparov was an outspoken opponent of the Soviet system
even way back then when in his late teens.

It appeared Karpov was unable to continue playing.  The quality of his play
in the last two games showed he was punch drunk, the victim of a technical
knockout.  No one knows how it happened, but evidently the commies (tricky
bastids are they, never trust em) managed to influence the officials, either
by bribery or threats or both.  They inexplicably stopped the match and
declared Karpov and Kasparov co-champions.  This was after 48 games and
almost five months of play, when most realized only three more games would
have been necessary to crown an unambiguous champion.

In our hearts we know who *really* won that match.  Kasparov was recognized
as the real world champion, until his retirement over twenty years later.
With all his shameless capitalistic notions, he started his own
professionals chess league, which prospered.  Karpov's star faded, along
with the phony and corrupt world chess organization (FIDE) and its
now-disgraced championship matches.  The true world championship is just now
being established in 2008.  An American will play in it, woohoo!  {8-]

This much we now know: massive doses of caffeine work for some mental
applications in the short run.  Long term it has its risks.  

spike