Improve at Chess: The Role of Vitamins and Supplements

I've been playing chess for years, ever since my early teens. I was considered an average talent, with around 1500 ELO strength at best. I thought I was the best in my city, but as I climbed the chess mastery ranks, I realized there were more intelligent, advanced players than I was. It was tough to accept, and my natural talent began to fade. Getting exposed by Indian and Russian masters at chess tournaments sucked, and I always went on losing streaks on chess.com. My rating eventually plateaued around 1700 elo strength, a barrier I could never break. If you want to get better and break out of that flatline, even by a few points, consider the role of vitamins and supplements.

Many chess players underestimate the role stress plays in competitive play. You will perform less than ideal in online and real tournaments if you are ill. If your immune system is weak and cortisol is high, neurons in your brain won't fire in their optimal order, leading to impaired decisions in gameplay. All chess players must be in top shape to perform at their peak. GM Noel Studer stated that nutrition is a vital factor for brain performance, thus affecting ratings.

The Benefits of Vitamin Supplements for Chess Players

So, how do you improve at chess besides reading books like Think Like a Grandmaster and Dvoretsky Endgame? Again, vitamins play a huge factor. Vitamins such as B6, B9, and Omega 3 can improve cognitive function, leading to a higher quality of play.

The number of combinations a chess player has to watch out for is endless; a player must plan and defend properly from a mating attack. If the body lacks essential nutrients, such as vitamins B, C, and D, a player can drop in performance due to brain fog and miscalculation. Especially in long-time controls, such as rapid and classical, where accuracy is put on a pedestal, supplements become very important. Supplements are the fastest way to improve chess, even by a 100-200 rating points scale.

For Faster Time Controls, Blitz and Bullet

I got paired up with a GM Kuritov Rolando on chess.com and was pleasantly surprised to see him. If I hadn't taken a vitamin that would reduce my stress beforehand, I could easily have overthought the game and been under a ton of tension.

Thankfully, my Ashwagandha, a personal favorite of mine, gave me natural stress relief during the game.

It started smoothly in a queen's pawn game, which transposed into an accelerated London system, almost six moves of theory. Then I castled and began to attack the queen. I expanded heavily with my pawns, grabbed a pawn, and promoted with a comfortable win.

I attribute my memory for theory in my Omega 3 and pride myself in my other vitamins, which gave me a stress-free middlegame, thus converting into a won endgame.

I know that improving at chess isn't all about vitamins. Some studies have to be involved as well. However, when playing, reducing stress against a strong opponent, memory in the opening, and energy boosts are all factors. It aided me to a win against this washed-up grandmaster and tons of Elo points (thanks for the game).

Check out my profile on chess.com, chesscats82! I hope to add you as a friend. 

Practical Tips for Improving Chess Skills

Again, supplements are a 60/40 split. The majority of chess improvement comes from study and hard work, and supplements support that in a natural way.

I recommend Dvoretsky Endgame and Alexander Kotov's Think Like a Grandmaster.

But if you're too lazy and don't want to work, I have a quote that'll hopefully change your chess trajectory upward. Aron Nimzowitsch said, "The Threat is Stronger Than the Execution."

How will this improve my chess?

This quote means that if you see a juicy move you desperately want to play, hold it off until later. The opponent must consider your checks, captures, and threats to defend themselves. When the amount of checks, captures, and threats overwhelm, the opponent must concede to a worse position. Thus, you gain the advantage. The person with the advantage must attack and not concede at all.

How Supplements Can Increase Energy Levels and Benefits of More Energy in Your Games

CoQ10, Ashwagandha, and magnesium are the best stress relief vitamins. They remove negative feelings such as stress and anxiety and boost mental clarity. You can see farther ahead in your games and not worry about higher-up syndrome.

You might be nervous if somebody paired you against a grandmaster in an online or real-life tournament. Eric Rosen has this heart rate monitor in his games, and when he played Magnus Carlsen, his heart rate more than tripled in beats, and he ultimately succumbed to a horrible defeat. Maybe if he had taken an anxiety medication before the game, he would have had higher mental clarity and not succumbed to the Magnus Effect.

Caffeinated beverages such as Celsius and coffee can also be good in the short term, but not long term, as these can cause heart palpitations if you're not careful. There are numerous studies on how caffeine affects the heart as a downside and how it can cause high blood pressure in some adults.

If you're more alert in your games, you won't succumb to the legendary brain fog and, hopefully, come up with a win in whatever elo range you may be in. Calculations become clearer and may have as much energy as WFM Anna Cramling.

Supplement Recommendations for Lower Elo Players

If you are new to the game, I recommend some vitamins to keep you awake. Lower Elo Players tend to blunder more often, and a supplement may aid in your journey to fewer mistakes.

Vitamin B and Vitamin D3 are optimal for keeping people alert and on edge when playing.

Stress usually happens in higher elo situations, where ratings matter, but at this stage in the game, you guys should be honing your craft in chess. Improving your chess game through books and videos and engaging in games daily is essential.

In Practical Play, you should keep your pieces. Know their worth and prioritize material in most cases. Sure, as you get higher, you will be involved in sacrificial play, but in general terms, you should keep your army intact. Control the center and develop your pieces—diagonals for bishops, rooks on open lines. Simple chess always prevails!

The Science Behind Supplements Aiding In Chess Games

As mentioned previously, B vitamins are essential in keeping all players, regardless of Elo, awake and alert like Anna Cramling (She's cool, no disrespect intended. I love her videos, to be honest).

As you take B vitamins, the body converts them into glucose, which provides the body with energy and enhances mental function. This improves productivity in the long run and reduces fatigue.

Omega 3 is excellent for chess players. It improves memory and cognitive function when calculating moves ahead or defending against a mating attack. This promotes plasticity in the brain, which causes neurons to fire optimally, enhancing chess performance. Finding the best supplements in the market is critical when optimizing your rating performance.

And finally, for my masters and grandmasters, Ashwagandha. This natural stress-free vitamin can reduce nerves in your play. In its raw form, this adaptogen has proven benefits to relieve stress and anxiety, improve sleep quality, and sharpen focus.

Study participants have found that their reaction times during a motor function test have significantly improved, and their ability to respond and lengthen their attention spans have also considerably increased.

Why You Should Consider Taking Supplements In Your Games

It's worth a try. I can personally attest to that. My Elo skyrocketed after using Ashwagandha as a health supplement from 1700 to 1830. Sure, it may seem like a few Elo points, but it helped me maximize my improvement at chess. To improve in chess, one must study and maximize one's well-being simultaneously. I was taking Ashwagandha as a teen, and I can tell you that for any teen reading this, it is safe to try.

There shouldn't be any side effects unless you are on medication or have a severe illness.

Especially when you guys play against higher competitions such as IMs or grandmasters, you need to have your nerves under control. You can try to sustain your mental effort, but I find it difficult. Chess players need that extra boost ahead of the competition, and what better way than supplements to enhance performance rating?

And for players suffering from anxiety and doubt when decision making, consider trying magnesium to aid in your nerves. I wouldn't say I like it when a higher Elo player asserts their dominance over me and has that psychological power. 

Can Supplements Make You a Grandmaster?

Probably not. 

But it can just sharpen the sides of the sword. 

Agitation, Restlessness, and Tilt are all part of the beautiful chess game, but they don't always have to be a reality. I suspect Carlsen is on some health routine. In his early 20s, he often quits against Grischuk and even Vasilly Ivanchuk in rage. 

Now in his 30s, he appears calmer and more relaxed. But it's

speculation by me. 

Try a supplement listed above and see how your rating improves.

It can't hurt to try.