RT Journal Article
T1 Challenging the top player: a preliminary study on testosterone response to an official chess tournament
A1 Mendoza Torrico, Guillermo
A1 Jimenez Lopez, Manuel
A1 García-Romero, Jerónimo
A1 Garcia Bastida, Jorge
A1 Rivilla, Iván
A1 Carrillo-de-Albornoz, Margarita
A1 Barón-López, Francisco Javier
A1 Benítez-Porres, Javier
A1 Alvero-Cruz, José Ramón
K1 Testosterona
AB According to the Challenge Hypothesis, high levels of testosterone (T) are associated with status-seeking behaviors, especially in competitive situations. However, there have not been many studies about rivals’ social status and pre-competition neuroendocrine responses. The aim of this study was to analyze whether the participants in a chess tournament showed different pre-match testosterone and cortisol levels depending on differences in ELO (i.e., the International Chess Federation rating to rank the competitive potential and social status between players). The sample was six male participants (mean ± SD) aged 25.5 ± 8.4 years with experience in official tournaments of 16.33 ± 5.72 years and an average ELO rating of 2217.67 ± 112.67. Saliva samples were collected before each round for hormonal determination when participants competed against a rival with a different ELO rating. After five competition rounds per participant, higher rival pre-competition T concentrations were shown when playing against the best-rated participant, but there were no differences in cortisol (C). The multilevel model confirmed rises in rivals’ precompetitive T levels modulated by the difference in the opponent´s ELO rating. No significant changes were observed in C. The results suggest that the rival´s status can determine the opponent´s anticipatory neuroendocrine responses to an official chess tournament. © 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
PB Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)
YR 2020
FD 2020-02-02
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10630/29435
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10630/29435
LA eng
NO Mendoza, G.; Jiménez, M.; García-Romero, J.; García-Bastida, J.; Rivilla, I.; Carrillo de Albornoz-Gil, M.; Baron-Lopez, F.J.; Benítez-Porres, J.; Alvero-Cruz, J.R. Challenging the Top Player: A Preliminary Study on Testosterone Response to An Official Chess Tournament. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2020, 17, 1204. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17041204
DS RIUMA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Málaga
RD 20 ene 2026