At my school the chess club is quite adamant that chess is a sport. we even go so far as to have our team photo taken with the other sports teams. However, when we had our photo taken the other sports teams laughed at us and even joked around with the plaque to be placed in front of us so it read "chess is not a sport" so I'm going to put forward the question; Do you think chess is a sport or not?

"Do you think chess is a sport or not?"

 

How do you define Sport?

Chess is everything - art, science, and sport. - Karpov

If Poker is a sport, then so is chess.

Heck, yeah! I'm captain of the chess team at my school, and I am insistent that it be treated as a sport.

From Wikipedia, sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors.  Chess is a sport!

Charlie91 wrote: From Wikipedia, sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors.  Chess is a sport!

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There's the answer right there but even if you did only judge sports by physiological standards Tournament Chess requires a great deal of stamina and the players invest enough emotionally to change their heartrate, temperature, and brain chemistry while playing. I remember the headaches, sweating, and raised blood pressure.

Just gets harder at the top levels where your paycheck is riding on your performance and you have to play other GMs. Unless you become so good that they will pay you to lose (participation purse).

Chess is a competitive activity.  I think every reasonable person would agree on that.

 

Some people consider it a sport. Some people don't.

 

What I wonder is... does it matter? 

I can understand if, say, funding would hinge on whether it was considered a sport officially. Then it would matter. So, I can see certain reasons why calling it a sport is beneficial.

 

But barring the political side, does it matter whether one calls it a sport rather than simply a competitive activity? Does that somehow change its nature or other people's perceptions?  Does it elevate the game to a higher level? Does it matter?

 

I do believe chess is a sport

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet;"

yeah, but maybe not as many people would stop to smell the stinkblossoms along the way...

I think people wanting to include non-physical games under the definition of sport are just an example of the "over-politically correct" trend that wishes to exclude nobody from any category. If chess is a sport, than anything is a sport. Even monopoly. That gives me an idea, what about monopoly at the olympics? I think I'm gonna start training now.

Chess is a sport of the mind! But is it really? Those who participate in physical sports suffer from stress and related physical manifestations such as sweating and exhaustion. Chess players suffer from the same conditions. There are many physiological similarities between professional chess players and professional athletes during performance or competition. I would have to say that chess is a sport. One without the side effects of physical damage, unless of course you've played a game or two at a biker bar!

I never thought of chess as a sport before but I'm beginning to reconsider.

Becca wrote:

At my school the chess club is quite adamant that chess is a sport. we even go so far as to have our team photo taken with the other sports teams. However, when we had our photo taken the other sports teams laughed at us and even joked around with the plaque to be placed in front of us so it read "chess is not a sport" so I'm going to put forward the question; Do you think chess is a sport or not?

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Becca. Yes its a sport as much the sports your school friends play. Unfortunately we have a culture in society, thanks to the media, that if you don't understand something then the best thing to do is to ridicule it. I don't for example like golf, cricket or American football ( see my other forum topics ). So just like your intellectual challenged school mates, i enjoy ripping them apart.

Knights, Kings, Queens, Bishops, sacrifices...? Chess is war!

"Knights, Kings, Queens, Bishops, sacrifices...? Chess is war!"

 

but it's all feudal in the end.

chess isn't a sport.

chess is more so a way of life.

i think that a sport is something that u train for and later might help in a fight.

i dont think the chess team would be very good at figthing.

i've seen some weird people.

like people with capes, because apperantley he was cold.

chess is for the eccentric lol  

batgirl wrote:

"Knights, Kings, Queens, Bishops, sacrifices...? Chess is war!"

 

but it's all feudal in the end.

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 That is awesome! :D