Study of Chess Players Reveal Mask-Wearers Make Poorer Decisions

Study of Chess Players Reveal Mask-Wearers Make Poorer Decisions
Chess-players in Khouribga, Morocco on Nov. 17, 2020. Fadel Senna/Getty Images
Jessie Zhang
Updated:

A study of an international chess tournament has revealed that wearing a face mask significantly reduced the average quality of player decisions, impacting the cognitive performance of competitive chess players.

Australian chess Grandmaster and University of Queensland Prof. David Smerdon analysed almost three million chess moves played by 8,531 people in 18 countries before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jessie Zhang
Jessie Zhang
Author
Jessie Zhang is a reporter based in Sydney, Australia, covering news on health and science.
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