There was a recent controversy at the chess championships.
I live in the state capital, and all of the colleges in the state send their best and brightest for an annual chess tournament. This had been going on for over thirty years, and in that time there had been a few controversies. The latest was all over the local media, although to me it seemed ridiculous. One of the top competitors at the tournament was kicked out, and banned for life from the chess league, because he tested positive for cannabis in his system. Even though medical cannabis is legal in this state, the poor kid was excoriated for getting high before a match. The logic behind this is that the chess rules and regulations consider cannabis to be a performance enhancing drug. As I said, it was ridiculous! Smoking cannabis does not make a mind smarter or quicker-witted, nor does it give any advantage in playing chess. Cannabis sativa is well known for providing a greater sense of focus, but I still don’t believe it gives an edge in a chess competition! I was so outraged by the story that I found the kid on social media and sent him a message of support. He thanked me, but said it was no big deal and that he smoked cannabis before the match specifically to get kicked out. He hated chess, and knew cannabis was against the rules so he used it as a reason to get expelled so his parents would stop pressuring him to compete. It’s still a stupid rule!