What if Olympic chess players were constantly moving around the board trying to get a better look, athletically moving their bodies and shouting Kiai style exclamations and perhaps jumping at the clock as they move frenetically around the table needing constant water to refresh and some product to keep fingers dry ...thats can make more impressive as sport show ?...I try imagine first experimental table tennis match and how evolutioned to the frenetical actual spectacular rythm.Sponsor can be a special sportive carb drink...
Can you consider Chess a sport?
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Pashak1989 wrote:
No it is not. Not even close.
BTW:
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/is-chess-a-sport-ending-the-debate?page=47#last_comment
I mean it's a mental exercise but it truly just is whatever you think a sport it. I would consider it a sport because 1. Chess is recognized by the International Olympics association and 2. There is no really true definition of a "sport" I would consider it a mental sport AND game because a lot of the time game and sport come hand in hand although not the same thing though chess is rather leaning more into game but I'd consider it a sport
AZPawnstar wrote:
Robalero wrote:
It certainly is. When you compete in a tournament with longer time controls sometimes you are sitting over the board for four, five or even six hours. It takes physical stamina, good eating habits and strong concentration. You must be in shape, you must eat well and most of all you must focus.
you must be in shape? seriously? check out gm ben fingold...
https://www.reddit.com/r/fatlogic/comments/42qaku/there_are_no_fat_top_chess_players/I don't think you are understanding what he means. The average chess IM to GM is not very likely to be "fat" or "obese" also there's a difference between being in shape and not being over weight. Certainly it's true that ben fingold isn't "in shape" but he's still in a healthy zone and basically looks like the average guy for his age minus A LOT of dad fat; but just in general he just looks like the average guy who just happens to be a grandmaster in chess. Also pointing to one example of a chess player not being in shape (talking about the current not any past players) Seems very disingenuous considering you can't make a generalized statement from the handful considering in total there are 5969+ grandmasters+international masters (I just added the first amounts that came up for grandmaster amount and IM amount )
Kristian_wakeup wrote:
AZPawnstar wrote:
Robalero wrote:
It certainly is. When you compete in a tournament with longer time controls sometimes you are sitting over the board for four, five or even six hours. It takes physical stamina, good eating habits and strong concentration. You must be in shape, you must eat well and most of all you must focus.
you must be in shape? seriously? check out gm ben fingold...
https://www.reddit.com/r/fatlogic/comments/42qaku/there_are_no_fat_top_chess_players/I don't think you are understanding what he means. The average chess IM to GM is not very likely to be "fat" or "obese" also there's a difference between being in shape and not being over weight. Certainly it's true that ben fingold isn't "in shape" but he's still in a healthy zone and basically looks like the average guy for his age minus A LOT of dad fat; but just in general he just looks like the average guy who just happens to be a grandmaster in chess. Also pointing to one example of a chess player not being in shape (talking about the current not any past players) Seems very disingenuous considering you can't make a generalized statement from the handful considering in total there are 5969+ grandmasters+international masters (I just added the first amounts that came up for grandmaster amount and IM amount )
Also I forgot to add one more thing about making a generalized statement and being disingenuous is that you can obviously find outliers in almost any sport of people that look a little more average compared to others in their sport yk?
Yeah if snooker and darts even bowls is considered a sport then chess is definitely sport
Yes
If e sports are a thing I don’t see why chess can’t be considered a sport
Mar 15, 2025
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#72
in my opinion chess is definitely a sport because chess is an exercise for the brain and exercises are sports, fun fact playing chess prevents alzheimer's disease...
Mar 17, 2025
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#74
i didnt expec this much research on if chess was a sport. its nice tbh 
Mar 17, 2025
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#75
The topic is old and opinions are varied. Some are quite nuanced. But these threads usually get overrun by a few small-minded dogmatists.
Mar 17, 2025
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#77
It is a competitive game played professionally and in tournaments.
In terms of content, chess is not like other sports. In terms of other things, it’s definitely a sport!
In terms of content, chess is not like other sports. In terms of other things, it’s definitely a sport!
Mar 17, 2025
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#78
Physical activity doesn’t define a sport.
Weightlifting, running a mile solo, those are not sports. A sport is something that is often played “for sport” instead of “for fun”.
Weightlifting, running a mile solo, those are not sports. A sport is something that is often played “for sport” instead of “for fun”.
Mar 17, 2025
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#79
Another definition:
You have definitely heard of a chess match. If it has matches, it’s a sport. If it has games but no matches, it’s not a sport
You have definitely heard of a chess match. If it has matches, it’s a sport. If it has games but no matches, it’s not a sport
is that a yes or no