Chess should become an olympic sport and should be onm tv were ever it is but people who do not like chess think it is crap and its a waste of time and th would rather play with barbie dolls. They think that because they are dumb!

There are loads of people who think that at my school!

People who hate other activities say the same things about them too. So whats ur point in this?

we should forget they egsist

Dont compile your life from the vantage point of others. Chess is about you.

Dont have to forget them, just have to not care if they like it or not, just as long as u enjoy it.

egsactly but they are insulting us

Who cares! tell them they just jelious because they suck at it and wish they had half a brian to play with hahaha ok maybe not. But tell them each to their own and u like it so get over it.

Their insults are a reflection of their intellectual capacity.

yer i agree just ignore them, i get teased i still play chess at school every time i can!  i think that bullies bully you because they can't do what you can! 

Just ignore peoples insults and try to promote chess. 

If chess is ever to be popular on TV it would have to become more like hockey.

Yeah, the power play and lots of chess players with missing teeth!

People fear that which they do not understand. Different people deal with fear in different ways. It is very common for school-aged kids to deal with fear by outwardly displaying dislike or hatred (as if some adults don't do that), while on the inside they may be quite interested. If they tease you about it, offer to teach them how to play. Be polite about it. You may be the only chess embassador they know.

Chess isn't physical, so it will never go in Olympics or commonwealth.

Politeness doesn't work too often on those that display vitriol towards chess and players. Best answer is to challenge them with a retort along the lines that they must be seriously lamenting the fact that they don't have the half a brain necessary to even understand and perhaps allow them to play the game properly.

I actually think that most of the problem stems from the fact that a hell of a lot of chess players don't like telling people that they play chess because of their own long held beliefs that it is a game for nerd types, or the kids that couldn't play 'real' sports play chess, etc. Take some pride in the game you love and be willing to stand up for it, when people see that you actually care, they will give the game some respect because of that.

that's almost a rite of passage for kids playing in the school clubs.  Just like upper classmen will always think it is their right to pick on freshmen, many will think it's okay to pick on chess club and science club people.  They know that they shouldn't, and they know it's for intellectuals. 

Just try to be at ease with the fact that they (wittingly or not) essentially have a problem with a club for intellectuals--so they are essentially putting themselves in opposition to a club for people who think.

I'm about to begin student teaching for physical education, and I'm going to incorporate chess into a lot of my lessons in the future, and I intend to start a chess club at whichever school I get hired at!

I have a great deal of sympathy for afldood08. Kids can be cruel; I remember the taunts I received when I was going to chess club at school. It's easy, as an adult, to brush these things off; indeed, most people I know really respect how much I play, as my friends recognise and respect a passion (and think I'm a magician whenever I play them). It's much harder at school. The only way to deal with it is the way you deal with all bullying. Unfortunately, I don't know how that's done. My teachers always used to say to me: "enjoy this time. It the best time of your life". Absolute rubbish. Adulthood brings an intellectual freedom that is denied you at school. You should remember, afldood08, that the taunting is as a result of ignorance and weakness. Do not let it distort your interests; you will become a better person as a result.

And some people think that chess expresses a philosophy about life!

Chess is history, Chess is war

Alas it true. And to top it off, even Dear Abby the advice columnist said "I'd rather date a trucker than a Chess player" ...whatever that means. Well Abby, since you died (and it wasnt me either!) I will reveal the following: I had a guy who said he was a Chess playing trucker ... and he woudn't date you!

I did a little thread on this topic myself awhile back. Seems to have died itself from GK and gone to google-land with the other 180 pages ... But I found it~!

http://play-online-chess.com/online/chess/4167.shtml

play-online-chess.com/online/chess/4167.shtml

OMG I just checked Google again for my usual Nik of other sites, and they reduced me from 1800 hits to a mere 33 pages! Brutal~! See, even google hates Chess players.