Drugs tests at World Mind Sports Games are a riddle

An employee of Baccarat Pacific K.K. demonstrates a Baccarat crystal chess set at an exhibition at Tokyo's Mitsukoshi department store May 15, 2007.

ATHENS (Reuters) - Ever thought that chess or bridge players could use performance-enhancing drugs to win?

Drugs tests will be in place at the first-ever World Mind Sports Games in Beijing in October, the International Mind Sports Association said on Wednesday.

"Bridge and chess are recognised by the International Olympic Committee and we have the obligation and duty to sign the World Anti-Doping Agency code," IMSA president Jose Damiani said. "So we will proceed in Beijing with anti-doping tests."

The Games comprise four mind sports. Apart from bridge and chess, they include draughts and go, as well as Chinese chess or xiang qi as a guest sport.

Some 3,000 participants from about 100 countries will compete for 35 gold medals in the inaugural Games on October 3-18, a few weeks after the end of the Olympic Games in Beijing.

Damiani did not say how many tests would be conducted or which substances testers would be looking for but another official was quick to respond.

"We follow WADA's instructions but we cannot see what drugs could be used to become smarter," World Chess Federation Vice-President Georgios Makropoulos said. "Otherwise they would be sold in every pharmacy around the world."

(Writing by Karolos Grohmann, Editing by Derek Parr)

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