is chess a sport?

Well I took your advice.  I went to google and did a search. Olympics.com does in fact have a list of activities that are in the Olympics. I was looking for chess, but it went from canoe slalom, to cross country. No chess. Maybe they figure chess is a sport, but not enough to be in the Olympics. Sorta like tic tac toe. Both rich in cultural history and competition, just not quite ready for prime time TV in the Olympics. 

hey shut up

chess is not a sport because according to oxford languages a sport needs to involve physical exertion

can you play chess?

Chess is a sport.

You have to use your brain to play chess.

Yeah

It falls under the world's governing bodies of sport ergo it is recognized as a sport by the sport governing bodies.  Many countries recognize their chess players as sportsman of the year.  Sports Illustrated had been covering chess for over 50 years.  The top players identify themselves as athletes.  But, the insipid posters on this site think they know better.

There are a couple problems with that reasoning. First, not all world governing bodies of sport recognize chess as a sport. Some do, some don't. But with actual sports, they ALL recognize they are sports. 

Secondly, many countries is not all. All countries recognize things like running, swimming, soccer, etc as sports. So there is disagreement there too when it comes to chess. 

Thirdly, Sports Illustrated covers things that most people would not call sports. They cover swimsuit models (much more than chess or curling or archery). Does that make swimsuit modeling a sport? And what about dog shows? Sports Illustrated covers dog shows too. Are dog shows a sport? And then there are interviews with people who aren't even athletes. Is that a sport?

And lastly, how a "top player" "identifies" really has nothing to do with chess being a sport or not. Some males "identify" as female. Does that mean they now suddenly, as if by magic, got rid of their Y chromosome? My daughter has a friend who plays the "identify" card. When asked before entering a store if she is vaccinated, she replies "I identify as vaccinated". It doesn't mean she is, it just means she identifies that way. 

For chess to become a sport, it's going to take a lot more than  people wishing (identifying) as a sport. It's going to take actual, real, physical skill and effort. That's never going to happen (unless it's something like speed chess). The only other way is to change the definition of chess, or sport. 

to ifpatriotgames if some one wants to call chess a sport how is that hurting you?

It's not. At all. If someone calls it not a sport, that doesn't hurt me either. Nor does either hurt anyone else. 

So it's not about if anyone is hurt, because nobody is. It's about how people find excuses to rationalize things that are not true. The reason most people think chess is not a sport, is really simple. It isn't. It's not complicated. There is nothing to figure out.

So what's much more interesting is the reason or motive behind people wanting to call chess a sport. Does it hurt anyone? No, of course not. So why do it? In some cases I think it's ego. In others, there could be a monetary reason. But I think the most interesting is the ones who actually, honestly do believe its a sport, with no other motive or reason. I know it's the rare exception, but it's the one I'm most interested in. 

I don't think it's a sport. Game is more appropriate in my opinion (of course, I think it is one of the best games though!)

If you call chess a sport, basically any competition becomes a sport (spelling bees, chutes and ladders, etc.)

Chess isn't a sport, no. But it's definitely one of the best board games in the world.

"

1. an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.

"

If chess involves physical exertion, yes. If it doesn't, then it's not a sport.

Exactly. It's very, very simple. Chess can, but doesn't require, physical exertion and skill. Some forms, like speed chess are tests of physical speed and so could be considered a sport. 

But traditional chess, where there is literally no physical exertion required (someone else is allowed to move the pieces for you). 

Clearly those below know something that yall dont know about what it takes at their level.  So, maybe at their level they know chess is a sport and they consider themselves athletes.  Maybe at the patzer level it is not a sport and a patzer wouldn't understand why it is a sport and they are athletes.  I ask the jury who is in a better position to say whether chess is sport? These champions who know more about chess or the brilliant posters on a chess.com forum?  

PS: Their "Sport" is governed by the Court of Arbitration and WADA who govern international sports and has been recognized as a sport by the IOC.  Also, in Russia, chess falls under the Ministry of Sports.  So, Ifpatriotgames, you mentioned that there are governing bodies that do not consider chess a sport.  I have listed some that do.  Would you care to name one governing body that does not consider chess a sport? 

There is a strong distinction between gender and sex (which I won't go into too much). Gender is based on the femininity/masculinity spectrum, which is typically used to describe female behavior. A female demonstrates feminine characteristics-- they are a woman. Likewise, a male that demonstrates masculine characteristics is a man. As gender is so closely related to sex, they two words are often interchanged. However, a male can show dominantly feminine characteristics, and a female can show dominantly male characteristics. Hence is why gender is fluid. However, sex is based on biology-- it can't be changed.