Chess is a Sport.

LeraiOg:
“You simply cannot argue that a game of dart-throwing classifies more of a sport than a game of chess.”
It easily does. It requires a particular *physical* skill.
(I don’t want to play it - it’s simple and boring compared to chess) but it definitely requires more *physical* skill than chess.

Nothing about chess qualifies it as a “PHYSICAL skill / exertion-based competition”.
It’s my favorite game, but nothing about it is a sport 🤷‍♂️

Hey, check it out, I’m gonna do something of which - from some apparently deep-seated psychological need - others seem incapable: I’mma let it go.

Gonna go solve puzzles. (Bc something doesn’t have to be a sport to be completely amazing, and I think chess is amazing.)

Later. (But not here…)

I believe that chess is on its own level and cannot be compared to sports, however all opinions are valid and I would like to hear them all

In my last game in real life I lifted 143 different pieces from one square and meticulously placed them on another. In darts you throw 3 darts and they are released as light as a feather.

Chess easily has more physicality than darts.

Chess has never been, never will be, and never can be a sport. It's a board game, very clearly.

Stop this ridiculous garbage topic regurgitation for some attention.

Not sure why this is being debated ad nauseam. If esports (recognized by the US officially in 2013) is considered a sport, why is chess (physical or virtual/online) not?

On the FIDE site "The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the governing body of the sport of chess, and it regulates all international chess competitions."

"The two largest sports associations in the world are the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and FIFA (Federation Internationale de Footbal Association) - here, football refers to soccer). The third is the FIDE (Federation Internationale des Echecs), the international chess federation" - GM Yasser Seirawan.

I won't say what I think, but people who say chess is not a sport will definitely not consider esports as a sport, so that argument doesn't work.

(Off topic: Interestingly, it's not just the US that recognizes esports as a sport. The US, Finland, Germany, South Korea, China, South Africa, Russia, Italy, Denmark, Nepal and Ukraine are some examples of countries that recognize esports as sports. Not saying I agree or disagree.)

I agree they would not consider esports a sport, but the world and language are continuously changing and evolving. What was not considered a sport years ago is now listed as a sport and has the support of institutional bodies and countries. Even schools have varsity esports programs for these athletes.

I didn't know those other countries recognized esports as well. Thanks for that tidbit.

Here's an objective overview of some useful information.

It seems that more than 100 countries recognize chess as a sport. Apparently this recognition makes it easier to get funding, which actually makes chess cheaper to play. Although, it seems that this financial support is one reason for why people wanted chess recognized as a sport, so I expect the decision was financially driven in some way.

People seem to agree that while chess may require "physical exertion" to some extent, it does not require "physical skill or prowess", so by some definitions, it is not a sport. However, it seems most people can agree that chess is a "mind sport", with the reasoning that it is an exercise of the mind. Surely this classification would make all parties happy.

Chess is, by literal definition, a board game.

It's a sibling, in nature, to Go.

It also has a simpler cousin that's played on the exact same board: Checkers/Draughts.

In fact, many chess sets are sold with Checkers/Draughts pieces included, so players can switch back and forth between these two games, depending on what they'd like to play.

IMO, those who wish to define Chess as a sport do so because they consider "sport" to be an elevated descriptor, and they consider "board game" to be diminuitive. So they declare Chess as a sport due to their reverence for the game, and its participants.

"I'm not a board-game player, I'm better than that; I'm an athlete!" they cry out.

But I see nothing wrong with declaring myself a board-game player, and saying it proudly. Chess is a fascinating board game and I love it endlessly.

It is only a game!

I played Missile Command a couple of times. Always ends with, “game over, man.” The voice sounds high, as in too much weed.

There was a time when it was about art and science and sports...... With engines that easily beat chess champions، it is now just a game for the general public and a trade for higher levels.

Or the feeling of a man on the verge of old age

Except in chess, no physicality is required. Lets say, for some reason, you had no ability to "meticulously place" any pieces. In fact, you couldn't place them at all. You had a condition that prevented you from using any body muscles from the neck down. Maybe a car accident or something, or hereditary condition.

You could still just as easily play the exact same game of chess. Your physical limitations have no impact on your performance at all because nothing about the game requires your physical participation. You are allowed to have a proxy. Someone to make the moves for you. If someone else makes the moves for you at your direction, you still get 100% of the credit for winning.

Try that in darts. Try telling someone else where to throw the dart and have the result be credited 100% to you.

While other athletes can't even lift an elephant, we move elephants, horses, even castles throughout the day.

You should just say what you think. You are mistaken though to pronounce what other people consider.

Chess is not a sport because it doesn't fit the definition. It requires no physical skill, which every sport does require. Without exception. esports, or video games, could be considered sports because of the physical skill required. they require dexterity. I know that's a bit of a stretch but it's in the same vein as calling bullet chess a sport. I can see how it's possible because the physical skill aspect is so important.

I challenge you to name one titled player with any of the conditions you have mentioned, oh wait there are none.

Just like chess has different time controls, there are many types of video games. Take Hearthstone, for example, a very popular video game played in the esports setting. It is a card game. You sit at a desk and move a mouse, much like chess. Do I take it that you consider Hearthstone more of a sport than chess?

I do agree that some games require dexterity, such as FPS games, but that doesn't apply to every video game. But just as you said, the dexterity argument can also be applied to bullet chess. My understanding is that though there's an argument for bullet chess being a sport due to the dexterity required, it doesn't apply to chess as a whole.

The reason I didn't say what I thought is because I didn't want to argue. But I think that chess is a game (like all sports are), and people can call it whatever they want to, be it a sport, board game, or mind sport.

The International Olympic Committee recognized chess as a sport in 1999 and a year later it was an exhibition event at the Sydney Olympics. The governing body for chess launched a campaign recently for the game to be included at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

I challenge you to explain how that has anything to do with the rules of chess or the definition of sport. Oh wait, it doesn't.

Unless, you are assuming only titled players play chess. Or maybe you are assuming only titled players play darts. I honestly can't follow what you are trying to say.