FIDE Drug Testing

Many people treat the subject like a joke, but as an integral aspect of The Sociology of Chess (November 2016), drug testing is taken seriously by those responsible for organized chess. Last month, on my World Championship Blog, I had a post on the World Anti-Doping Agency (see WADA Ya Know?), and this month I have a video interview with Dr. Marape Marape, Chairman of the FIDE Medical Commission (fide.com).

Interview with Dr. Marape Marape | World Blitz Ch 2019 | Day 2 (7:37) • '[Published on] Dec 30, 2019'

At about 5:30 into the clip, Dr. Marape (pronounced mah-rah-pay) says,

Chess is generally considered a low risk sport for doping. There are drugs, what I call stimulant drugs. Those are the ones that we are most interested in. Stimulant drugs include amphetamines and others that can give a player some performance advantage in terms of their ability to stay alert and to be able to concentrate for a longer period of time.

For an earlier interview on the same FIDE chess channel, see FIDE World Cup 2019. Interview with Dr. Marape Marape (youtube.com; September 2019). Elsewhere on the web, a FIDE spokesperson informs, 'Dr. Marape is from Botswana. He is also the father of a very talented young player, Naledi Marape.'