AC/DC, sledging and booze: dirty deeds to help you cheat at Christmas board games

A study reports that playing Highway to Hell could be just the thing to break your opponent's concentration - but what other tricks will help you win?

The work of rock band AC/DC may not be an obvious festive choice, but for wily board game players it could come to define the sound of every Christmas to come. Research by Imperial College London and the Royal College of Music found that rock music can distract men (but not women) "undertaking complex surgical procedures" in the game Operation. In the experiment, 352 volunteers with no previous surgical training were given either a Mozart piano sonata, Thunderstruck by AC/DC or a recording of operating theatre sounds to listen to while removing the patient's wishbone, Adam's apple and that weird plastic horse; those listening to AC/DC fared the worst. But what else could put off your opponents and ensure you are board-game champion this Christmas?