In a friendly club championship game on friday night i am OK with it if opponent for example came directly from work and didn't have time to take dinner. But in a normal tournament game i hate it. When i grab a snack or eat an apple, i will stand up and usually even leave the playing hall.

Some months ago i played a junior who chewed gum during large parts of the game. I found it annoying and told him afterwards in a friendly manner that i thought that's a no-go, which got me some hate from his peers.

What is you guys' opinion on those subjects?

I think it's common courtesy to leave the playing hall when eating to avoid disturbing the players.

Some people find chewing gum to be distracting, some don't. If I was planning to chew gum during a game, I think I would probably ask my opponent before the game if he minds. If someone finds it distracting, they are 100% within their rights to tell you to stop.

I chew gum at work. I chew peppermint gum because it helps to stimulate the mind. And the chewing motion helps keep my brain focused. As far as I'm concerned, if I'm chewing gum with my mouth closed (and I always do) and not making noises from it, what right does someone have to tell me to not chew it during a chess game? And if my opponent is so distracted by my jaw moving (mouth, once again, always closed) maybe once every ten seconds, then don't you think he is paying a little too much attention to me and not enough attention to the board?

I personally have no problem with someone eating at the board during a standard time control match (40/2, SD/1 or other time controls like that) because it's a long game. You're not going to not get hungry. As long as the food does not smell or is messy IE potato chips or things with onions. And I personally always have at least a full bottle of water, gatorade, or coffee with me at the chess board.

Now, if it's a G/30 or G/60 or something rapid like that, there really isn't a need to eat at the board. If you get hungry in an hour, that's your own fault, eat better. There also isn't enough time for me to get distracted and refocused a couple of times in case there is something wrong with your eating.

So my opinion, in short: Gum is always ok as long as it's not excessive, it's ok to eat non-distractive food during long time control games, but not ok during short time control games.

i have been playing over 15 years in cafe where people play chess, smoke, with music on and a lot of players speaking over the games,etc....

in time u get used to it.

imho, if u get disturb by someone eating or chewing gum over a chessboard just says u have concentration issues ?

I think if this a friendly social game then it would be bad etiquette to eat, whether chewing gum falls into the same category I dont know.

But then if I was playing in a tournament and I thought it might put my opponent off I'd have a string of waiters bringing me stuff!!

I've come across more annoying habits but in general I agree with Montreal, if you're focused it shouldnt matter.

I don't mind players chewing gum or eating sweets but I remember playing one game where my opponent coughed up bits of scotch egg all over the board.

Agreed. I consider it to be poor etiquette to eat the board, regardless of time control. Just standing up is usually distance enough.

Agreed.

Have eaten at the board a lot of times. Never thought it would be much of a problem. Never ate anything messy, loud or smelly, but I guess I can see how it'd be distracting. I wear headphones/ear plugs specifically to avoid that.

That's rude right there. Eating is ok with me, but when an opponent has headphones in, that is the rudest thing I feel a chessplayer can do.

WTF? How can you possibly say that simply having headphones in - which does not affect YOU in any possible way - is the rudest thing I could do????

Headphones is an absolute no-go because of possible cheating. It's just too easy for someone to keep track of a position, feed the position into an engine and relate the best moves to you via your headphones.

Furthermore, it's general consensus that serious chess is to be played in silence. A player listenting to music while playing cannot really be taken seriously.

The concern for cheating is completely reasonable. And if you want to underestimate me simply for wearing headphones, then that would be lovely. But I still don't see how it's rude at all, much less "the rudest thing I feel a chessplayer can do." Has to be tongue-in-cheek hyperbole.

It is not tongue-in-cheek. I find it extremely rude when a player puts headphones in. How do I know they're not cheating? What if their music is slightly too loud? What if the headphone cord is hanging ever so slightly from the board? What if the player is making ever slight motions to the beat of the music? These are all highly distracting to play against, especially if they're cheating.

EDIT: I would rather an opponent not resign in a completely lost position or eat fairly loudly or even try to talk to me during the game before I'd allow my opponent to wear headphones because it just feels uncertain what is on that iPod or MP3 player. I'd even rather an opponent offer a draw every move in a completely lost position.

Wow. My mind is blown. Good luck, sir.

Hmm. Headphones are problematic for the reasons Noir_Desir mentioned (also, people who use them are more likely to exhibit other annoying behaviors, possibly because they just don't realize how much noise they are making) but ohsnapzbrah has a rather more extreme view.

Playing on in a lost position is my opponent's right, although I prefer than when his play is forced (e.g., literally, only one legal move) that he do so expeditiously. Offering repeated draw offers is an actual annoyance, to the point of violating the rules of chess with respect to annoying one's opponent.

I wouldn't underestimate you. If it's a rated game it's simply not allowed and i would first ask you to take them out and, in case you wouldn't, inform the arbiter. Additionaly, it's simply impolite to wear them because it shows a lack of respect for the opponent if you can't be bothered to invest all your attention into the game. Like someone reading a newspaper on his opponent's move (i've seen that).

I also feel ohsnapz exaggerates a little. But it's a known fact that headphone-wearers underestimate the noise they are delivering to their surroundings and the disctraction they cause themselves.

Acceptable imo as long as you can keep it civil - getting riled over someone eating gum seems a little ridiculous to me unless he was chewing on it in some loud manner/blowing bubbles/whatever. Agree that using headphones is somewhat out of line (sorry ook).

earplugs are presumably ok though?

If it's clear that they are not headphones, yes. Although the resonance of my thoughts would probably drive me mad quickly if i wore them during a chess game.

re: chewing gum. Maybe it's just my personal dislike for it. Not sure if imagining my opponent as a cow helps or disturbs my chess.

I think it's general etiquette not to eat at the board.

I have seen some people eat like a slice of pizza while playing and that's just a total facepalm.

Manners people, manners.

Taking an occasional bite from an energy bar is probably okay. But if you're going to finish it all in one go, probably best to step away from the board and eat it then.

As for the headphones, I will say that sometimes, I need silence to concentrate well, but other times certain background music can get me in the zone.

Very interesting. I actually wear headphones for the opposite reason. I focus so much better with just a bit of stimulation. Have always used music while studying (anything) or playing seriously. Even studying for boards during med school. I'd definitely wear them while taking boards if they'd let me. But maybe I'm just a freak and very weird dude? Oh, and in the US (lol US chess, I know) we are generally allowed to wear headphones.

Cf: the question of whether runners should be permitted to wear headphones during marathons.