Is Chess Silent Violence???

I just want you folks to share ur opinion.

The top definition for violence is:

"violent - Involving extreme force or motion; Involving physical conflict; Likely to use physical force"

Violence is almost all definition is to hard someone or something physically.  One definition I read used that when people cannot break through any other way, they are crafty.  Still the outcome is forceful harm.

Some of the most brilliant chess players are and were pastors.  I was ordained last week.  Most pastors would not sanction violence of any sort.  Yet many chess clubs are hosted, even sponsored by churches.

I think I get what you are after.  Does it represent violence?  Does it make kids or adults more aggressive?  It would be interesting research - but my guess is no, it would not promote violence.

For some, they cannot take losing.  I have met titled players that are the nicest people in history.  Some, of course, are not.

But chess, the game, is not violent.  People are violent -- and since the word suggests action, the game, the board, the pieces themselves cannot be violent.

But violent people are everywhere, even in chess clubs.  But that is life.  I have run kids chess groups.  They are less likely to be rude than their parents.  But that is true in most sports.

My kids was the worst baseball player ever to play every season he could. But he played every season until he was too old to play in rec league.  He loved it.  He sat on the bench a lot and played a lot of right field -- but he loved it.  I was very proud of him.   He learned humility and graciousness. 

Chess does that too -- depending on who is in charge.  But no, chess is not violence, silent or otherwise.

JollyPlayer. Thank you for illustrating the topic beautifully. I have a notion that Chess lets you bring out your inner-violence in a very sophisticated way..... just like meditating.

One month ago (it has been almost three months since I joined chess.com), it was very difficult for me to see my ratings dropped. Now, I have learnt that it does not matter and am resigning comfortably in the games where i see that things have gone out of my control and still I am able to reach new heights.

Chess, eventually teaches you to deal with your own conflicts (my opinion).

Mate is also about slaying the King .

Chess is certainly not silent violence.

"CHECKMATE!!!!!!!!!"

QED

lol I think chess is violent and not silent too. Solitaire - now that's a nice silent peaceful game ..

Good point raised Teja :)))

people cant live without struggle , its   inhereted in our genes, essence of life ....wise men invented the GAME THEORY to mathematically put "silent" struggles in a rigorous discipline....so ppl can behave naturally without blocking their instinct....yet without blood ....BLOODLESS STRUGGLES

chess is  at the crown of these ...its the NOBEL BLOODLESS STRUGGLE

in my opinion i call it SILENT STRUGGLE but with no violence

An interesting question.

I guess that competitive sport of all kinds are designed to satisfy and divert (in a constructive way) the inherent basic human instincts of aggression and violence.

A caring society teaches us to suppress these emotions - seeing them as destructive and dangerous, however in times of conflict or when acts of violence are perpetrated against us, and we are provoked, then we are all capable of violence and aggression in some form or other...

My opinion is that Chess (as with all competitive sport) top up this emotional channel in a constructive way.

It is common to explode when you make a bad mistake after a long fought match and easier still to feel cheated when you lose to a lower rated player and it wipes out your rating. We all know the satisfaction we get (at another players expense!) when we play a decisive move... gamesmanship... the joy of beating an opponent is all part of the thrill.

The good news is that I think this helps us to be more rounded "human" beings - able to explore our emotional chemistry in a way that helps us to learn humility and respect for one another...

Is chess silent violence? Yes... but only in the same way that violent computer games and films allow us to explore areas of the human psychi without harming anyone or anything else into the bargain.

Long may it reign.

E the G :)

Haha I find this kind of funny, throw a vague phrase like 'silent violence' into the fray and watch people try to force in all sorts of explanations.  Of course people learning chess struggle 'in silence' (just like almost everything else) You should have watched me take thermo tests a few years ago, those were 'silent struggles' (USUALLY).  The above are right though, unless you really stretch the meaning of the word, there is nothing violent about chess.

 Of course man it is funny. We talk about taking pieces, we are always in a hunting phase for better exchangesand we go for the final kill, now don't we? I reckon its sort of Kill or Die (no matter if we call it win or lose) on board game .

u dont just reckon it as kill the exact meaning of MATE in persian is DIED ....checkmate is 2 words check originally CHAH which is the emperor or king in persian

 Thanx for the rescue

So, suddenly if I use an old persian word for die while moving a piece of wood, I'm involved in violence, sorry you asked for opinions, I don't buy it.

Chess_Lobster plz dont take it personally but it may be an old word but it is not obsolete. Any player from Iran would endorse that. And nobody says that we are involved in violence.

Plz read the previous post of leo8160:

"people cant live without struggle , its   inhereted in our genes, essence of life ....wise men invented the GAME THEORY to mathematically put "silent" struggles in a rigorous discipline....so ppl can behave naturally without blocking their instinct....yet without blood ....BLOODLESS STRUGGLES

chess is  at the crown of these ...its the NOBEL BLOODLESS STRUGGLE

in my opinion i call it SILENT STRUGGLE but with no violence"

War is violence.

Thats sort of the post my initial response was based off of.  This can be subsituted into any game ever played. Look you have your view of what "silent violence" means, for the third time, I don't buy it sorry, If you didn't want contradictory opinions, you should have said that in your first post

Well I would love to have contradictory posts. This is what I originally meant (and still mean it). I am not forcing anything, just dont want a battle .

I just started reading 'Bobby Fischer goes to war' by David Edmonds and John Eidinow (good book). I'm right at the start but apparently Bobby would tourture insects and stuff like that, it says if he'd not turned to chess then he'd most likely be some sort of psychopath. Like people have said the whole taking pieces and checking the king is essentially symbolic of violence.

"it says if he'd not turned to chess then he'd most likely be some sort of psychopath"

Funny but kind of a little too strong statement.

Thanx for contributing james.