Oxygen

[Bonobo]

[..] when I was living in Germany, all the clubs I ever went to were in bars, and smoking was allowed, as was skimpiness [..]

Smoking is forbidden meanwhile in Germany in almost all public rooms. Skimpiness still is allowed.

[RobertJasiek]

a blunder caused by distraction thinking there wasn't enough oxygen in the room.

Of course, not. As I have said, I became aware of the problem only DUE TO the blunder (when then wondering why the blunder could have occurred at all, and bad air is the only possible explanation in this case; other possible explanations, such as heat, tired, psychology independent of air condition, distraction, insufficient understanding of go theory, did not apply).

Why do you think out of all the possible reasons for a blunder, why do you think oxygen/co2 was the only likely reason?

Because I could exclude every other conceivable, relevant reason, see above.

Besides, after the blunder, I could recall the relevant part of how I made a decision: it was a battle I lost against my brain's urgent request to get the decision making job done quickly for the sake getting a rest ASAP. Similar to playing online at 3 am when being by far too tired, but here not tiredness but air was the problem.

Also, can you estimate how many games you might have won because of oxygen/co2 influence on your opponents?

I cannot know. Inferring from the kind of mistakes my opponents made, I would say: none. Because the mistakes, due to which they lost, were not blunders well below their playing strength, but could be reasonably explained as insufficient understanding / application of go theory. However, I cannot be sure at all; it could be that bad air let them make slightly suboptimal go theory application.

I am surer about my own other games during this congress: I lost one other due to heat (ca. 37.5 °C, although another room on that day way reported to have had 41°C). The other games I lost due to insufficient go theory understanding / application. Actually, I am impressed that heat affected me so little this year; in 2007, it was much worse; maybe I have learnt from that experience. But the oxygen problem caught me unexpectedly; I simply was not prepared to defend against it in time at all. In most other tournaments, the air conditioning is to open windows if needed, and apparently this works.

you are all playing under the same conditions, it stands to reason that if there was an issue it affected you all in one way or anther, no?

Sure. (However, different players can be affected differently, because of different physical stanima. As an understatement, mine is not particularly impressive. I do not use stanima as an excuse, but just as an illustration why it is not necessarily a coincidence that I clearly noticed to be affected by the bad air condition.)

Or are you special in this respect?

Please understand that I do not intend to reveal details. It is bad enough that people like Claudia Pechstein needed to reveal every detail of their blood just to defend (in vain) their case at courts.

[Bantari]

Please understand that I do not intend to reveal details.

That's ok, and I certainly respect that.

Well, then, the only way I can see for you is to either:
a) don't play in tournaments where games are played in non-ventilated rooms, or
b) try to adjust the rules so that each tournament hall has to be sufficient ventilated, or
c) just chalk it off as 'one of those things' (I am pretty sure each one of us has some) and move on.

Sorry I could not be more helpful.

PS>
How about brain-fart? Ruled this one out as well? Or multiple conditions, each of them insufficient by itself, but combined - very potent? Like: lack of oxygen contributed, but it would not have been sufficient if not for the heat, or too much beer last night, or whatever? Perfect storm theory? Just curious, and you don't need to answer if you are uncomfortable with that. I know I am being pushy here.

[Unusedname]

oximeter.jpg

You don't have to go this crazy
But a noticeable ring would work.

>>Play stone
>>Wonder why the heck you're wearing this ring
>>Oh yeah to remind me to breathe.

[RobertJasiek]

How about brain-fart? [...] multiple conditions

No. (Not relevant in this case.)

[hyperpape]

hyperpape, dfunkt, just see here.

Yes, most of those links reference the same study that I saw.