Objective: Clinical observations suggest that negative affects such as helplessness/hopelessness (HE/HO) may induce autonomic duration; affects were assessed for every move after reconstruction of the games. In all games compiled, 18 situation of intense confidence/optimism and 20 of intense helplessness/hopelessness were observed. Results: Intense affects of HE/HO were associated with decreasing HF-HRV (Fisher exact test, p ϭ .003), increasing "nervousness" (p ϭ .0005), decreasing "optimism"

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... ϭ .0005), and decreasing "calmness" (p ϭ .0005). Conclusions: Investigation of championship chess game players with an ELO strength Ն 2300 in a natural field setting revealed increasing HE/HO being associated with reduced HF-HRV suggestive of vagal withdrawal. Thus, our data may help link negative mood states, autonomic nervous system disturbances, and cardiac events. ECG ϭ electrocardiogram; ELO ϭ ranking system of the International Chess Federation for the rating of competitive players, developed by Arpad Elo, Hungarian mathematician; HE ϭ helplessness; HF ϭ high frequency; HO ϭ hopelessness; HR ϭ heart rate; HRV ϭ heart rate variability; IPFM ϭ Integral Pulse Frequency Modulator; LF ϭ low frequency; LPFES ϭ low pass filtering of event series; RF ϭ respiratory frequency; SD ϭ standard deviation.