Sportsmanship is a must!

I recently read another persons blog who was very frustrated with how rude his opponents from the USA were. I responded with the following comment that thought would benefit all. Let me just add that Chess is a Sport, and Sportmanship is a must! Chess has a rich history of being a sport played by Kings of Country, World Leaders, Noblemen, and the like. I believe that gentlemen-like behavior is a part of this game and should be required.

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Hello,

I'm Zac Wilson, and I'm an American. Nice to meet you. :-) I am sad that your interactions with Americans has been thus far so negative. It is true, there are many rude people in the world.

I have had the priviledge to travel the world as my father is a US Veteran. He was stationed in Germany, England, and Turkey. I have bee fortunate to experience many different cultures.

One thing I remember growing up was how different each place was and how differently the people interacted. What seemed rude or odd to me was considered normal there. Please keep in mind that some of what you may be experiencing is difference in cultural norms. That being said, there are still many people that just lack manners.

In general I have noticed an increasing lack of sportsmanship and gentleman like behavior here. As a people we are very competitive and sometimes selfish. Sometimes being competitive is a good thing. It motives a people to strive, grow, and push forward. Take the space race between the USA and Russia in the 1960's. That competitive attitude led to some spectacular results. Unfortunately a recent trend is win at all costs. This leads to playing within the exact rules of a tournament but not by which the spirit of the rule is intended.

I have encountered an equal share of rude and kind people here on chess.com that are from the USA. I hope you will encounter the nice ones as well in the future. After all, no matter what country we visit it will be filled with people, and not all people are nice.

Challenge me to a game! I assure you I will play with integrity.

Cheers, Zac Wilson