Chess's decrease of popularity

Why is chess supposedly getting less popular? 

With the rise of technology, many people especially the youth, choose to play video games on PC, Xbox, PlayStation ect. Chess is in decrease, because there are other things to do. That doesn't mean chess willl disappear, only that it is less likely to become a real passion, beyond occasional playing.

I don't have any statistics, just personal experience, but I'm not entirely sure that PLAYING/LEARNING chess has ever been that popular in the United States. Maybe there was a spike during Robert Fischer's run but I am going to make an assumption that it was in large part due to his personality and general disposition. 

I could enumerate several opinions on why chess isn't very popular in the US but I will stick with my main one: Americans are being institutionally "dumbed-down" from a very early age now. State education systems are failing miserably. Public primary school teaching techniques center around standardized test results that lead to a school's funding based on those results. Therefore, primary school has become nothing more than test preparation. 

Before I go into an extended dissertation on the subject, the bottom line is that the game of chess requires a vast, cumulative knowledge and understanding gained by careful, focused training and demanding practice in order to even be considered "good" or "proficient". These habits/skills/behaviors (or how to obtain them!) are not necessarily learned in schools or in the home today. 

Culturally here in the US, a greater emphasis is placed on body image, consumption of specific brands (status symbols), traditional sporting endeavors that require a certain degree of physical conditioning, etc. and not problem-solving techniques and brain and mind development.

And let’s face it; although it is simple and uncomplicated to learn the basics and even some of the fundamentals, chess is a difficult game to master!

Its still doing pretty well all things told.

Still one of the most popular, and recognisable games in the world.

        I've just finished commenting on the conspicuous lack of logic and evidence contained in the majority of chess.com forum posts elsewhere. Post #3 is an outstanding exception to this. It is considered, measured and clearly contains much that is true.

Its just a very difficult game 

With Chess software like Houdini and other programs, Chess although remaining a great game, has been relegated to Tic-Tac-Toe status for most. A Grand Master can be trounced if they make a minor mistake among 30 or 40 moves. Is that challenging??? I think not. That's was Fischer's point in proposing Chess 960... it's a new game every time you setup the pieces. Much more challenging don't you think? 

Dear Chessmicky,

I believe you're accurate... the problem is those future endeavors you listed generate much more income during a lifetime. Chess is simply a game not a profession to become wealthy or even comfortably healed. The era of great chess masters is deminishing but it is fun to play with your children to develop their analytical skills and powers of concentration. I believe chess does give children a competative edge in life but I fear the 11 year old if he continues on to become a future Grand Master will end up like Fischer, Morphy or Alekine. Of course your Hedge Fund manager will probably end up jumping from a tall building like recent Brit Bankers! Life is a box of chocolates!

I could also not disagree with your post more.

Every generation believes the next is being "dumbed down" when in fact the opposite is mostly the case.

Also, you seem to verge on the bitter in your rant about sports and designer clothes.  That's rather odd for someone who sports a Florida State Seminoles logo.  What exactly is wrong with encouraging students to play sports?  Physical fitness and personal appearance are of great importance not only as kids, but also entering the work force, dating life, marriage, etc.  Physical fitness enhances self-esteem, sports teaches working together in groups and socialization, and physically fit societies also have lower health care costs.

You are also totally off base on how American culture "encourages" designer fashion.  Europe and Japan are much more superficial in that regard.

What's the evidence that chess is losing popularity?

That too!

And..what's the evidence that American kids are being "dumbed down"?

Children in the Dade county school system (which is probably one of the more troubled areas of Florida) are solving logic problems, working on fallacies, rhetoric, and analogies, and also learning Geometry I by third grade.

And I'm also sure you are familiar with the Flynn effect and a battery of studies that claim (somewhat disingenuously I admit) that your average adult of 1914 would be considered "retarded" today.

Well, the average adult of 1914 would be pretty old today too.

Too often these forums dumb us down.  Present company excluded, of course.

Fact is everyone is being dumbed-down by schools, the government and the media...like they're the all knowing all wise Carnac's. Nothing could be further from the truth. They've made themselves the experts on life.

Expert?? X is a unknown quantity... xpert or spert is a drip under pressure. The decisions being made today have no relationship with human beings supposedly becoming more intelligent. Today it's all about livng a dream...

And with 7 billion knuckleheads going on 14 billion in the future it's going to get worse with human beings becoming even more delusional!

Batgirl, your short posts are as inciteful and delightful as your longer articles. As for FamousJameis,I think I would pass on your longer "dissertation." The word implies research and knowledge, while your post simply regurgitates misguided stereotypes. And by the way, the funding of schools in my state is in no way affected by test scores. Accreditation, maybe--or a teacher or administrator's job--but not funding.

People circumvent the USCF and chess clubs. Chess can be found in too many places online anymore.  The USCF and by extension chess clubs are suffering the same fate as printed magazines and newspapers whose circulation coninually decline in spite of the probablility, or at least the possibility, that people today are reading as much or more and staying better informed.

NO IT ISN'T!

Please stop this! Every year, in America alone, there are hundreds to thousands high school tournaments plus the state tournaments for the youth.

Now think about this site, we have about 9 million people, now after taking at least 2-3 million of them for being doubles and over 6 months of inactivity. You still get 6 million people!

Just because, chess isn't  in the news everyday doesn't mean it is dying!

In fact, chess is becoming more and more popular as it is being shown as the "smart people's game" which can infulence kids to play, as some actually, beleive it or not, want to be SMART! or aleast to be treated as one. Then you have it in movies and TV shows making it way more exciting then it is actually is.

So please, for the last time, stop with this thinking that we are playing a dead game, it is not true and hopefully, it will never be.

Keep chess alive! we will survive all!

Welcome to the internet.

First, don't quote me selectively.
"in spite of the probablility, or at least the possibility, that people today are reading as much or more and staying better informed."

Second if your going to argue literacy rate, at least spell it correctly.

And third, don't make up stats.
According to the National Assessment of Adult Literacy in the USA, the percent of illiterate persons over 14 in 1920 was 6%, in 1950 3.2%, in 1979  0.6%.  According to the Huffinton Post, in the past 10 years, there has been no significant change in the literacy rate in the US.  According the World Fact Book, only a few countries exceed the US in literacy rate.  However, in the same light, most developed countries have extremely high literacy rates, almost all within +- .5 % of each other.  The least developed countries are significanly lower.