Chess as a sport
After a simultaneous exhibition in the Oberoi Imperial Hotel, Singapore (September 1986), GM Mark Taimanov told the following joke -
A chess administrator trying to get funding for a chess tournament from a potential sponsor was sidetracked by the latter to answer the question “Is chess a game, a sport, a science, an art form or a waste of time?” The frustrated organizer replied “when two beginners try it out, it is a game, when two club players play, it is a past-time, when two masters are matched up, it becomes a sport. When two grandmasters tussle, it becomes a science. When the top two players contest for the World Championships, it turns into an art-form. However, when I talk to you…it is a …..
14 January 2026 was a landmark occasion for chess in Singapore. It was the day where the Singapore Parliament officially recognized mindsports like chess as official sports and in the process, updating the Singapore Sports Council Act 1973 to reflect this change.
This was followed by more positive news with the revelation that a new federation for mind sports in Singapore will be launched to boost participation and help players qualify for major multi-sport events in the region. The plan is to coordinate efforts among the chess, contract bridge, weiqi and xiangqi associations to grow their respective games and support athletes.
Singapore chess has been on the rise and with the organization of the 2024 World Championship Finals (between Ding Liren and Gukesh) and Siddharth Jagadeesh winning the 2025 World Youth U18 championships, the news mentioned in the previous paragraph was really a boon to Singapore chess players.
Singapore Chess Federation's push to popularize Chess even further in the schools scene however, hit a speed bump when the Ministry of Education indicated that it would not consider mind sports to be included in the National Schools Games in an interview with the Straits Times (Do the National Schools Games need a refresh? - April 16 2026).
When asked about this take, the MOE said "that it “prioritized physical sports” as regular physical activity is fundamental to students’ holistic development and essential for health" and added “There are competition platforms organized by various organizations for students to represent their schools in other types of sports”,
What does it mean for a sport to be included in the NSG? It basically will help schools in Singapore consider starting chess clubs (and employing chess coaches in the process) as well as set aside funds to train their students to compete in the NSG. On the academic perspective, the secondary schools might also consider allocating places for Direct School Admission, allowing the top chess players to advance to these sought after schools without relying on their Primary School Leaving Examination results.
In the same article, Singapore Chess Federation's CEO GM Kevin Goh offered a possible inclusion without having to modify MOE's current stance. He opined “Perhaps the way forward is to introduce a multi-mind sports event and we can call it the National Mind Sports School Games and see whether we can bring this along another path”.
SCF President IM Dr Hsu Li Yang also expressed in the Straits Times Forum Page that mind sports should be seen as complementary to physical health rather than being seen as a 'sedentary' sport. The whole article (April 17 2026, Straits Times - Letter of the Day. You can see the whole letter below.
On the local schools' side. the record breaking 1897-strong field for the recently completed National Schools Individual Championships serves to affirm chess' burgeoning popularity.
The Direct School Admission program for Secondary Schools also saw the inclusion of chess as a talent area for St Joseph's Institution which is perhaps one of the 10 hardest secondary schools to gain entry to in Singapore. Previously, only Anglo Chinese Institution (also a top 10 type school), Crescent Girl's and Pierce Secondary, offered these places so this is good news for scholastic chess indeed.
It is very clear that the Singapore Chess Federation takes physical conditioning as of primary importance for their National trainees. For example, they set aside time for runs and fitness conditioning on one of the training days, frequently making the trainees go for runs or exercises.
From a personal viewpoint, I definitely could see the clear benefit of improving the players' stamina, especially when they have to play 90 minutes plus 30 seconds increment games. Sherman, a student of mine, competing in the Commonwealth Championships had matched his opponent move for move right into the three-and-a-half-hour mark. Then he started floundering, unable to continue resisting the continual pressure. He made 3 errors in 10 moves and eventually succumbed and lost. After analysing the game, I explained to him and his mum that he did not have the physical stamina to play such a strenuous game and could hardly calculate into the fourth hour against a relentless opponent. He also admitted that he was too fatigued to work out lines by then.She took in what I observed and before the National Age Group event, made sure that he can maintain his physical and cognitive stamina by making him do exercise (rope skipping and boxing(!) as well as eating bananas before games.
The game moves and observations of his energy level in the tournament hall late into the 3rd hour proved that his stamina has improved considerably since, He not only won games of attrition in the endgame and also rescued a 2 pawn down knight ending after defending relentlessly for the whole middle game and ending. He eventually won the National Age Group U14 title (of course, there are other important factors too) and should definitely continue with his exercise routine.
So is chess a game, sport, science or an art form? All of them, I suppose. But definitely not a waste of time to the likes of us!
