Cognitive Performance and Remote Work - Evidence from Professional Chess

26 Pages Posted: 18 Nov 2021

See all articles by Steffen Künn

Steffen Künn

University of Potsdam

Christian Seel

Maastricht University

Dainis Zegners

Erasmus Univeristy Rotterdam School of Management

Date Written: September 9, 2021

Abstract

During the COVID-19 pandemic, traditional (offline) chess tournaments were prohibited and instead held online. We exploit this unique setting to assess the impact of remote--work policies on the cognitive performance of individuals. Using the artificial intelligence embodied in a powerful chess engine to assess the quality of chess moves and associated errors, we find a statistically and economically significant decrease in performance when an individual competes remotely versus offline in a face-to-face setting. The effect size decreases over time, suggesting an adaptation to the new remote setting.

Keywords: Remote work, productivity, chess

JEL Classification: C72, J24, Z20

Suggested Citation

Künn, Steffen and Seel, Christian and Zegners, Dainis, Cognitive Performance and Remote Work - Evidence from Professional Chess (September 9, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3937878 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3937878

Steffen Künn

University of Potsdam ( email )

August-Bebel Strasse 89
Potsdam, 14482
Germany

Christian Seel (Contact Author)

Maastricht University ( email )

P.O. Box 616
Maastricht, 6200MD
Netherlands
0031 433883651 (Phone)

Dainis Zegners

Erasmus Univeristy Rotterdam School of Management ( email )

Do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on SSRN?

Paper statistics

Downloads
157
Abstract Views
1,210
Rank
399,864
PlumX Metrics