If I move my pawn to e4 instead of e3, it absolutely affects my performance. How about blitz? Everything we do has some basis in physical performance, hence why I think your definition of a sport if lacking. If a sport requires physical exertion, ping pong is out also.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrp-FT51zPE
How can you compare this to moving a piece and hitting a clock once every few minutes?
In a commencement address a few years ago, billionaire Bill Gates (of Microsoft fame for those of you not in the U.S.) gave graduating seniors a list of things to consider as they went out into the world to make a living. One of them was (paraphrased):
Be nice and respectful to nerds. You will probably be working for one some day.
"Nerd" is a term given to superior intellectuals by those who cannot compete on an intellectual level.
People make sport of all sorts of things, including nonsense like this thread.
In light of the idea being subjective at best, I tend to make non-athletic competitions games in my book and athletic ones, sports...
...having said that, I think plenty of people would defy such a simple, reasonable system, based on my logic, just to spite me or anyone who wants to give order to things. They loathe and are bored with such things, when it makes certain things simple, predictable, etc. They would rather have chaos and difficulty abound, so they can simply laugh at it all and continue enjoying not lifing a finger, to try making life any better...
I can bench 180 lbs. Can someone tell me what is my equivalent USCF rating?
Take your Standard live rating and subtract the amount you can benchpress.....that will get you pretty close.
"including nonsense like this thread." Man, I was just telling about a funny thing in a stand up and see the reaction...
If you remove any physical qualification from your definition to allow chess to become a sport, then tic tac toe also becomes a sport.
Agree until golf.
"Golf is a good walk spoiled."
-Mark Twain
That is what everyone says that can't hit straight, except for me...I usually take a cart...
Im no nerd, I lift weights and play sports and love to play chess!
Maybe we need a thread to, reach a concensus on "nerd" first and then resume this thread ?
In a commencement address a few years ago, billionaire Bill Gates (of Microsoft fame for those of you not in the U.S.) gave graduating seniors a list of things to consider as they went out into the world to make a living. One of them was (paraphrased):
Be nice and respectful to nerds. You will probably be working for one some day.
"Nerd" is a term given to superior intellectuals by those who cannot compete on an intellectual level.
I always viewed it differently. I have met really intelligent people who don't fit most of the other stereotypes that are commonly associated with people who are called nerds.
I always attributed people being called a nerd, more toward the social aspects of the person. Infact, for all of the " book smarts " a "nerd" may possess, I always thought that non-nerds, ridiculed the " apparent " intelligence of nerds, considering they weren't "intelligent" enough to overcome things like, their looks, their choice of dress, and the lack of perceptions that others have of them, in order to improve their social status. In retrospect, I think that some nerds just didn't care what others thought of them, but those sort are rarer.
Stereotypes, to be sure. One common characteristic of a nerd or intellectual is that they are more concerned with acquisition and application of knowledge than taking time or concern with personal appearance. Many college professors fit this mold (and many do not of course). On the other side of the coin, there are many very dumb people who don't care what they look like, either. I see "nerd" as a derogatory label tinged with jealousy.
Stereotypes, to be sure. One common characteristic of a nerd or intellectual is that they are more concerned with acquisition and application of knowledge than taking time or concern with personal appearance. Many college professors fit this mold (and many do not of course). On the other side of the coin, there are many very dumb people who don't care what they look like, either. I see "nerd" as a derogatory label tinged with jealousy.
I think the main cog is that they are social misfits, uncool and especially sexually undesirable, mainly due to looks, dress and lack of social status. Even nerdy chics tend to stear clear of ultra nerdy guys, or atleast in my perception.
Nerdy chics do indeed seem to be more cerebral, compared to their counterparts. I think that part of it is that, they are usually no more than average or slightly above average looking, while their personalities make up for it, or they are cute "in their own way", but aren't what you'd consider "smokin hot" or model like in looks. I think they dress better than nerdy guys, but that is simply because, they are women. They are low maintenance in the looks department, but still as women, have more of a tendency toward vanity than most men. Low maintenance women are often attractive to many guys because, women who are rather vain, are perhaps often, not as good looking inwardly. In the perceptions of some, a person is only as beautiful as their mind. Nerdy chics are certainly more sophisicated than nerdy guys in my mind, beyond simply being full of literature.
I wouldn't agree that simply caring about appearance in addition to "nerdiness" makes you more sophisticated. In some ways it can actually make a statement to not wear fancy clothing or perhaps cover up "flaws" on your face -- though some or many may avoid such things out of laziness, some may avoid it because they just don't evaluate themselves based on their looks. To be able to go out there without covering up your flaws looks-wise can send the message that you are not concerned about the people who will judge you for your looks, because you are already confident with yourself. In other words, that kind of person doesn't need to be praised by other people to feel confident because it's enough that this person convinced him or herself of their merits. If you know, for example, that you're a person with worthwhile qualities, and really believe that, then someone telling you otherwise won't convince you, as after all, you are the one who knows yourself the best.
If you compare that to someone who does evaluate themselves by how others say they look (among other things of course), such people in some ways are showing that they feel like they have to prove something to the world, as if otherwise they are not convinced that they are "good enough."
I agree chess is not a sports. Hobby for nerds!? Absolutely not. Many nerds play chess but not all, not even by majority. I think less than 20% of chess players are nerds.
I wouldn't agree that simply caring about appearance in addition to "nerdiness" makes you more sophisticated. In some ways it can actually make a statement to not wear fancy clothing or perhaps cover up "flaws" on your face -- though some or many may avoid such things out of laziness, some may avoid it because they just don't evaluate themselves based on their looks. To be able to go out there without covering up your flaws looks-wise can send the message that you are not concerned about the people who will judge you for your looks, because you are already confident with yourself. In other words, that kind of person doesn't need to be praised by other people to feel confident because it's enough that this person convinced him or herself of their merits. If you know, for example, that you're a person with worthwhile qualities, and really believe that, then someone telling you otherwise won't convince you, as after all, you are the one who knows yourself the best.
If you compare that to someone who does evaluate themselves by how others say they look (among other things of course), such people in some ways are showing that they feel like they have to prove something to the world, as if otherwise they are not convinced that they are "good enough."
yeah i meantioned that @ the end of post 37 ... some people mistake someone not caring about another's opinion as social ineptitude...
It is possible to both not care and be social inept.
It is possible to both not care and be social inept.
Yeah, there are a few of those around, they come out of the wood work once in a while....
TheGrobe: Depends on what you mean. Confidence wouldn't be an issue if one believed in himself or herself and literally felt nothing from opinions to the contrary (but in reality everyone will feel something from opinions sometimes as nobody is so black and white). They could, in any social situation, do whatever audacious thing they may dream of, not bound by humiliation.
On the other hand, this kind of person (in the purest sense) probably would be closer to the opposite of the life of the party hehe. For example this kind of person would probably pick their nose even with everyone looking -- he or she wouldn't care, but a lot of other people probably would 
"Geek Chics" are not actually incredibly nerdy.
Thats my point!
So take something like the big geek glasses... geek chic now... used to be incredibly nerdy