Why is chess not that popular?

My parents forced me to play piano.

Now I like piano, and music in general.

No one forced me to play chess, but I learnt it once and played against my parent for a short time, then they were busy working and I did not get other players to play with.

The problem is teach as many as you can and promote this beautiful game.

On the contrary, I think chess is very popular. It is the most popular board game in the world. You can go to any country and point at any person. It is likely that the person knows how to play chess. However, not everybody is addicted to chess and not everybody is a good player. Some people don't have the time. Others may not have the resources (books, mentors, etc.) to improve their chess.

An issue with chess is that there is no working model to make big money with chess. This prevents chess from reaching the popularity heights of soccer, football, basketball, etc. Still, chess is widely known. How many have seen ads featuring chess pieces? Chess is a universal symbol for intelligence. Any person in the world when shown a chess piece knows what it is.

Because people prefer activities that are way more entertaining and much easier than chess.

It is way easier to kick a ball than to analyze a complicated chess position.

A person that is not a hardcore fan of chess, will not be watching two guys playing, because he will find it to be the most boring thing ever! And specially if it s a game of GMs, puffff, they will be waiting like 10 minutes for each move that they will not even understand.

Chess needs a very hot female that poses naked, then the popularity of chess will be considerably elevated lol

Wow the last few post to this subject matter was really great and heavy intellectual thought. I appreciate reading it will now keep my mouth shut its reached a level above my rating! lolo

And George1st, I was not offended, it was funny like lololo!! You are on your way to be one of us, a Chessnut!!

It's a simple concept.

If I'm watching football(American soccer) it doesn't take long to figure out that the people are trying to get the ball in the goal. It's fun to watch all the cool ways they are trying to accomplish this. And if I so wish I could take a personal interest in the game and learn more advanced concepts.

If I'm watching chess all I see is people moving pieces of plastic and wood. I have no idea why they are doing this or why they care to do it. My only means of having any understanding of what's happening is to take a personal interest in the game and learn it. Sure some people will watch because it looks interesting but they won't have the slightest idea of what's going on. They feel left out of the loop.

Chess is not a spectator sport and so it's just not going to be as popular.

It's not that popular because it's not that fun for most people. It's a very strenuous game that takes a lot of concentration and mental stamina and most people aren't capable of these things. 

If there was only the torturous side to it, then no one would play it.

But as Tarrasch famously said: "Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy."

In short, it's not popular because it's esoteric, as titanCG said.

I'm a chess lover for more than 30 years. I won't watch chess matches on TV. It's simply boring. I would wait for tomorrow to see the moves of the game. Chess simply don't belong to TV.  

TV is visual & action-oriented. People staring at a position looks like nothing happening.

People do seem to like watching blitz in the park though.

If people are watching a game, they know what (more or less) is going on. The average person with only a slight idea of what goes on in a chess game is not going to watch people fling pieces around on a board.

Or, stare at it as you stated earlier. I remember my Dad watching reports of chess championships on the nightly news.

Today? Work out those thumbs while texting so you can get better at xbox!

It is simple why chess is not all that popular here in the USA. The game requires certain traits that most americans lack.......patience, work, and brains....nuff said

Who is to say that chess is worth the use of any of these things let alone the most expensive which is time?

And is it not reasonable that one may prefer pursuits that do not require "work" in their "free time?"

Perhaps more thought is required before making claims of this or any sort.

Look ......no hands......

Look ma I hooked me a big one......too easy

besides, the crucial moment of beginner in chess will determine love or boredom towards chess.

for instance, when I started chess as a kid in the mid 90's, I learnt in hard knock outs school disappointed with the game.

Later, I realized, It was more than that, When I moved to a new house and my neighbor was obsessed with it all day so I could learn from him. and Love is still on, now aiming to be a senior world chess champion some time in future. that I am past chess prodigy stage :)

Chess is beautiful for those who are challenged to play and few other insiders, now that we have young champions all over the place, chess has a beautiful future, note down that one from me and you will realize too~

To be perfectly honest, this is coming from a non background and non playing chess person, till recently.

I think chess is extremely popular, I'd say it would easily beat any game out there when it comes to amount of people who play (popularity) and when people play chess it turns into a (game of life), lifetime game. What other game has such continued support?

Chess has stood the test of time, chess is not just a fad, no other game could ensure it's mass popularity throughout the test of time, and if 1500 years doesn't prove this as fact, then you Sir/Madam will never be one to see the forest for the trees.

Chess is and always will be the #1 game people play!