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Effects of Caffeine on Chess Performance and Cognitive Function in Professional Chess Players (GRANDMASTER)

8 juin 2026 mis à jour par: Hossein Rafiei, St. Louis University

GRANDMASTER: Gauging the Role of Alertness and Neurostimulation With Dietary Caffeine in Master-Level Chess; A Double-Blind Randomized Crossover Trial

This study will examine whether caffeine improves cognitive and competitive performance in professional chess players during tournament-style games. In a randomized double-blind crossover design, participants will complete two experimental sessions in which they consume either caffeinated coffee or decaffeinated coffee before playing a standardized chess match. Cognitive performance will be assessed using attention and reaction-time tests, including the Stroop Test, Trail Making Test, and Puzzle Rush task. Chess performance outcomes such as move accuracy, time management, and error rates will also be evaluated. The study aims to determine whether moderate caffeine intake enhances focus, alertness, and decision-making during prolonged competitive chess play.

Aperçu de l'étude

Statut

Pas encore de recrutement

Les conditions

Intervention / Traitement

Description détaillée

This randomized double-blind crossover trial will evaluate the effects of moderate caffeine intake on cognitive and competitive performance in professional chess players. Twelve FIDE-rated chess players will complete two experimental conditions in randomized order: caffeinated coffee and decaffeinated coffee placebo. During each visit, participants will complete standardized cognitive assessments and a tournament-style chess game under controlled laboratory conditions.

Primary outcomes will include objective chess performance metrics derived from chess engine analysis, including move accuracy, centipawn loss, error rates, and time management. Secondary outcomes will include cognitive test performance, tactical reaction time, and self-reported alertness and fatigue. Chess games will be analyzed using standardized software-based evaluation methods.

The crossover design allows each participant to serve as their own control, minimizing variability related to individual differences in skill level, caffeine tolerance, and playing style. The study aims to determine whether caffeine enhances sustained attention, decision-making, and competitive chess performance during prolonged gameplay. Findings may provide insight into nutritional strategies for cognitive performance optimization in mentally demanding competitive environments.

Type d'étude

Interventionnel

Inscription (Estimé)

12

Phase

  • N'est pas applicable

Contacts et emplacements

Cette section fournit les coordonnées de ceux qui mènent l'étude et des informations sur le lieu où cette étude est menée.

Coordonnées de l'étude

Lieux d'étude

  • États-Unis
    • Missouri
      • St Louis, Missouri, États-Unis, 63104
        • Saint Louis University
        • Contact:
        • Chercheur principal:
          • Hossein Rafiei, PhD

Critères de participation

Les chercheurs recherchent des personnes qui correspondent à une certaine description, appelée critères d'éligibilité. Certains exemples de ces critères sont l'état de santé général d'une personne ou des traitements antérieurs.

Critère d'éligibilité

Âges éligibles pour étudier

  • Adulte

Accepte les volontaires sains

Oui

La description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Male and female professional chess players aged 18-50 years
  • Current Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) standard rating between 2300 and 2600 Elo, or achievement of a standard FIDE rating within this range during the previous 12 months
  • Habitual caffeine consumers consuming ≤2 cups of coffee per day
  • Willingness to comply with all study procedures and study visits
  • Ability to provide written informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Non-caffeine users
  • Habitual caffeine intake exceeding 2 cups of coffee per day
  • Cardiovascular disorders
  • Metabolic disorders
  • Psychiatric disorders
  • Pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Current smoking
  • Shift workers
  • Use of psychoactive medications
  • Participation in another clinical trial within the previous 3 months
  • Known allergy or intolerance to milk proteins, dairy products, or soy
  • Known red-green color blindness or other color vision deficiencies that may interfere with Stroop Test performance

Plan d'étude

Cette section fournit des détails sur le plan d'étude, y compris la façon dont l'étude est conçue et ce que l'étude mesure.

Comment l'étude est-elle conçue ?

Détails de conception

  • Objectif principal: Science basique
  • Répartition: Randomisé
  • Modèle interventionnel: Affectation croisée
  • Masquage: Tripler

Armes et Interventions

Groupe de participants / Bras
Intervention / Traitement
Comparateur actif: Caffeinated Coffee
Participants will consume one serving of black caffeinated coffee prepared from 15 g of ground coffee brewed in 200 g of water, providing approximately 100 mg of caffeine. The beverage will be consumed approximately 30 minutes before completion of cognitive testing and a standardized tournament-style chess game during the experimental visit.
Complément alimentaire: Caffeinated Coffee
Black caffeinated coffee prepared from 15 g of ground coffee brewed in 200 g of water, providing approximately 100 mg of caffeine. The beverage will be consumed approximately 30 minutes before cognitive testing and tournament-style chess gameplay.
Comparateur placebo: Decaffeinated Coffee Placebo
Participants will consume one serving of black decaffeinated coffee prepared to match the caffeinated coffee in taste and appearance. The beverage will be consumed approximately 30 minutes before completion of cognitive testing and a standardized tournament-style chess game during the experimental visit.
Complément alimentaire: Decaffeinated Coffee Placebo
Black decaffeinated coffee prepared from the same batch of coffee beans and matched for taste and appearance to the caffeinated condition. The beverage will be consumed approximately 30 minutes before cognitive testing and tournament-style chess gameplay.

Que mesure l'étude ?

Principaux critères de jugement

Mesure des résultats
Description de la mesure
Délai
Chess Performance Accuracy
Délai: 30 minutes after beverage consumption through completion of the tournament-style chess game at each experimental visit.
Chess performance accuracy will be assessed using engine-based analysis of tournament-style chess games. The primary reported metric will be average centipawn loss per move, with lower values indicating better chess performance accuracy.
30 minutes after beverage consumption through completion of the tournament-style chess game at each experimental visit.

Mesures de résultats secondaires

Mesure des résultats
Description de la mesure
Délai
Puzzle Rush Correct Responses
Délai: Approximately 30 minutes after beverage consumption at each experimental visit.
Tactical accuracy will be assessed using the 3-minute Puzzle Rush task on Chess.com. The outcome will be the total number of correctly solved tactical puzzles, with higher scores indicating better tactical accuracy.
Approximately 30 minutes after beverage consumption at each experimental visit.
Puzzle Rush Response Speed
Délai: Approximately 30 minutes after beverage consumption at each experimental visit.
Response speed will be assessed using the 3-minute Puzzle Rush task on Chess.com. The outcome will be average response time per puzzle, with lower values indicating faster response speed.
Approximately 30 minutes after beverage consumption at each experimental visit.
Stroop Test Performance
Délai: Before gameplay and immediately after gameplay at each experimental visit.
Selective attention will be assessed using the Stroop Test. The outcome will be the change in Stroop Test completion time from before gameplay to immediately after gameplay, with lower completion time indicating better performance.
Before gameplay and immediately after gameplay at each experimental visit.
Trail Making Test Performance
Délai: Before gameplay and immediately after gameplay at each experimental visit.
Cognitive flexibility and processing speed will be assessed using the Trail Making Test. The outcome will be the change in Trail Making Test completion time from before gameplay to immediately after gameplay, with lower completion time indicating better performance.
Before gameplay and immediately after gameplay at each experimental visit.
Self-Reported Alertness
Délai: Pre-game and immediately post-game at each experimental visit.
Self-reported alertness will be assessed using a study-specific visual analog questionnaire. Higher scores will indicate greater perceived alertness.
Pre-game and immediately post-game at each experimental visit.
Self-Reported Mental Fatigue
Délai: Pre-game and immediately post-game at each experimental visit.
Self-reported mental fatigue will be assessed using a study-specific visual analog questionnaire. Higher scores will indicate greater perceived mental fatigue.
Pre-game and immediately post-game at each experimental visit.
Average Time Per Move
Délai: From the start of the tournament-style chess game until game completion, assessed over approximately 3 to 4 hours at each experimental visit.
Chess time management will be assessed as the average time used per move during each tournament-style chess game. This value will be calculated from the total game time divided by the number of moves completed by the participant.
From the start of the tournament-style chess game until game completion, assessed over approximately 3 to 4 hours at each experimental visit.

Collaborateurs et enquêteurs

C'est ici que vous trouverez les personnes et les organisations impliquées dans cette étude.

Parrainer

St. Louis University

Les enquêteurs

  • Chercheur principal: Hossein Rafiei, PhD, St. Louis University

Dates d'enregistrement des études

Ces dates suivent la progression des dossiers d'étude et des soumissions de résultats sommaires à ClinicalTrials.gov. Les dossiers d'étude et les résultats rapportés sont examinés par la Bibliothèque nationale de médecine (NLM) pour s'assurer qu'ils répondent à des normes de contrôle de qualité spécifiques avant d'être publiés sur le site Web public.

Dates principales de l'étude

Début de l'étude (Estimé)

15 juin 2026

Achèvement primaire (Estimé)

1 juin 2027

Achèvement de l'étude (Estimé)

1 août 2027

Dates d'inscription aux études

Première soumission

24 mai 2026

Première soumission répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité

8 juin 2026

Première publication (Réel)

11 juin 2026

Mises à jour des dossiers d'étude

Dernière mise à jour publiée (Réel)

11 juin 2026

Dernière mise à jour soumise répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité

8 juin 2026

Dernière vérification

1 juin 2026

Plus d'information

Termes liés à cette étude

Mots clés

Termes MeSH pertinents supplémentaires

Autres numéros d'identification d'étude

  • SLU-CHESS-CAFF-2026

Plan pour les données individuelles des participants (IPD)

Prévoyez-vous de partager les données individuelles des participants (DPI) ?

NON

Description du régime IPD

Individual participant data (IPD) will not be publicly shared because this is a small pilot study involving highly specialized professional chess players, and there is potential risk of participant identification despite de-identification procedures.

Informations sur les médicaments et les dispositifs, documents d'étude

Étudie un produit pharmaceutique réglementé par la FDA américaine

Non

Étudie un produit d'appareil réglementé par la FDA américaine

Non

Ces informations ont été extraites directement du site Web clinicaltrials.gov sans aucune modification. Si vous avez des demandes de modification, de suppression ou de mise à jour des détails de votre étude, veuillez contacter register@clinicaltrials.gov. Dès qu'un changement est mis en œuvre sur clinicaltrials.gov, il sera également mis à jour automatiquement sur notre site Web .

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