Chocolate Chess

I don't really have an addictive personality, but perhaps my only addiction is chocolate. Even my ICC handle is "Shokoladka", which is Russian for chocolate. Maybe abundance of fine chocolate in Switzerland is the real reason I'm going to play chess there in October :)

Chess pieces should be made out of fine white and milk chocolate and covered in transparent wrappers, so that chocolate doesn't melt in your hands while playing chess. And when you capture an opponent's pawn or a piece you'd have a pleasure of eating it! :) I think most girls would agree with my idea. And the guys would probably opt for a drinking-game chess set. But alcohol is certainly not good for your brain power, unlike chocolate with its multitude of good qualities. I think the recent incident with GM Tkachiev proves the former. But I do feel sorry for him as well as for the people who witnessed it. I hope he mentally recovers from it and turns his addiction to chocolate instead!

Chess players often seem to have addictive personalities. Some get addicted to the ICC, some to smoking and most to coffee. Personally, I much prefer tea. Besides, coffee is vile in most playing venues. However, I don't find that tea keeps me sufficiently alert. My favourite energy drink during long play chess games is Lucozade. And it comes in different flavours, so I don't get too bored. The slight problem is that Lucozade isn't sold absolutely everywhere, so I always have to carry one around with me. The other problem - I don't particularly like fizzy drinks, but I haven't found anything better yet. I also drink water to keep hydrated during my games, otherwise you can get a headache and it's the last thing you'd want in a complicated position!

Before I discovered Lucozade I occasionally used ProPlus (back in the university days preparing for exams) and Red Bull. However, those things have too much caffeine and when their effect ends the next day I end up totally exhausted, unable to do anything. So now I avoid ProPlus and Red Bull like a plague! Anyway, I wonder how many chess players consider their choice of drink for chess as seriously as me... I'll bore you with my diet some other time. Yes, I eat more than just chocolate.