Chess-based cognitive remediation training as an add-on intervention treatment for alcohol use disorder: A quasi-randomized clinical trial

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is associated with deficits in various cognitive functions which can impair conventional treatment and increase relapse risk. This longitudinal quasi-randomized controlled study investigated chess-based cognitive remediation training (CB-CRT) as add-on therapy to improve cognitive control and psychosocial outcomes compared to standard rehabilitation. Patients in the EG attended 90-minute CB-CRT group sessions twice weekly for six weeks. Assessments were conducted at baseline (T1, day 1), post-intervention (T2, day 42), and on day 126 (T3). Cognitive measures, abstinence, craving, subjective well-being, and liking of the intervention were assessed. Fifty-one participants completed two timepoints (T2 six weeks after T1): n = 32 allocated to the EG and n = 19 to the CG (no chess intervention). The CB-CRT group showed modest improvement in sustained attention at T2. No significant effects were found for short-term abstinence, craving, or mood at T3. General life satisfaction increased in the CB-CRT group at T2, but this effect was not maintained at follow-up. The intervention was well accepted, with recommendation ratings increasing over time, suggesting CB-CRT is a feasible, low-cost add-on option for AUD rehabilitation.