IS CHESS A SPORT?????????

They are. All of which have nothing to do with someones ability to play chess. Or be better at chess. The results of a chess game aren't decided by who has the best dexterity. They are decide by who has the best knowledge of chess. 

Dexterity is important in speed chess, whether played OTB or online. Too much speed chess online can leave you with a sore wrist and shoulder. I’ve been suffering the past few weeks, and yet I cannot stop playing. Maybe I need to check into rehab.

I know a lot of people who hold the view that Chess is an excellent means of training the mind in logic and shrewd calculation, prevision, and caution. But I don't find these qualities reflected in the lives of Chess Players. They are just as fallible, and as foolish if you like, as other folk who don't know a Rook from a Pawn. But even if it were a form of mental discipline—which I take leave to doubt—I should still object to it on the ground of its fatal fascination. Chess is a kind of mental alcohol. It inebriates the man who plays it constantly. He lives in a chess atmosphere, and his dreams are of gambits and end games. I have known many an able man ruined by Chess. The game has charmed him, and as a consequence he has given up everything to the charmer. No; unless a man has supreme self-control it is better that he should not learn to play Chess.

J.H. Blackburne

http://chessskill.blogspot.com/2009/01/blitz-addiction.html

I don't know

Chess is an art, a science, and a hobby all in one. I do not really think its a sport, because sports require physical STUFF

A mind sport is a game of skill where the competition is based on a particular type of the intellectual ability as opposed to physical exercise. As well as many board games, chess and card games, other disciplines that have been described as mind sports are speed reading, competitive programming and cybersecurity wargames.

But good hand-eye coordination isn't required to play chess.

If a player wanted to, they could merely announce their moves, vocally, without ever touching any of the pieces. (Per FIDE rules.)

you guys talk to much

Absolutely. I think early on we all agreed forms of speed chess could be considered a sport. Because how to play, and how to determine a winner, is decided by who physically moves their body the fastest. Sort of like Slapjack. Slapjack is a card game, but it's the physical skill that decides the winner. Speed chess seems to be the same way. It's all about speed.

What about madness e.g. Bobby Fischer?

It seems likely if he was a little bit off that's what caused the good chess. I dont think the good chess caused the problems. That has been brought up before though. If you can't get hurt, it's not a sport. The other good one is all sports require a field of play. A physical venue. 

Chess is not only recognized as a sport by many organizations such as the Olympics but it also fits the dictionary definition. People don't think of top level chess as being physical but you have to be in shape to sit there for hours and focus. At the end of the day words are words and different people will attribute different meanings to them but chess can be interpreted as a "sport" and it is pointless to argue otherwise.
Edit: Yes it is not a physical activity and that is why others may think it isn't my only point is you can interpret it as one and it doesn't make sense to tell that person they are wrong. Language changes and if there are people saying it is a sport than it can be interpreted as such.

It does not fit the dictionary definition. At all. If you have to "interpret" it, then you know it does not fit the definition. Chess isn't just about the very top level. The vast majority of people who play chess are not top level. There is no physical skill requirement in traditional chess. None. Being in shape has nothing to do with playing chess or moving the pieces or thinking of the moves. Being in shape helps with anything you do in life. If you sit there and watch TV for hours, being in shape helps. But it's not required for either one. 

Well, until language changes the words in the dictionary we are stuck with the current definition. 

I said it before, and I’ll say it again.  A person with a limited vocabulary narrows the meaning of each word, whereas those with high verbal fluency can more easily understand the subtle distinctions words take on when combined with other words. 

Some people are literally incapable of thinking outside of the limited guidance provided by dictionaries. 

You bring up some excellent points and I would like to clarify that by interpreting it differently I meant the reason there is a discussion in the first place is because some will say it is not a sport because the activity itself isn't physical and others will say it fits the competitive nature which is half the definition. You can't say the Olympics are wrong to recognize it as a sport. You can interpret it different ways. Also I would like to point out again there are many dictionary's and you can interpret them in different ways because there is no set definition. Whether English is standardized or not as a whole is an entirely different discussion.  

On the other hand, we probably shouldn't ignore the meaning of words. For example, lets say you get pulled over for speeding. The officers asks for your license, insurance, and registration. You reply "really? I'm free to go? Thank you officer." As you drive off don't be surprised if you quickly encounter a different opinion about the meaning of words. 

I agree. Different dictionaries have different definitions. But there is one common thing all the definitions have in common. The physical part. I agree, and always have, that chess sometimes shares some of the qualities that sports have. Competition, organized events, etc. If it weren't for the requirement that a sport be an activity of physical skill, I would probably agree it's a sport. But because it is what it is, and I can't change it, chess cannot be a sport. It's a great game, it just doesn't meet that higher threshold that sports have. 

I totally understand what you mean. You can look at it both ways. I guess the main thing I meant to say was language changes and if people are saying it is a sport then that alone can make it what we call a "sport".

Of course. Over time if people continually referred to chess as a sport, then the definition in the dictionary would change. But then I think of sports bars, sporting events, and sports in general and realize that will probably never happen. The reason people dont think of chess as a sport is because its so sedentary. It's not just a stereotype, its actually is a game where there is very little physical movement.