Is chess a sport? Ending the debate

well it may be "good enough" for you, but neither you, nor the IOC, have no authority on that matter.

then why did you bother starting this thread?

All sports involve physical skill, physical exertion, or both. Chess has none of these. You can wear a Hannibal Lector-style restraint and have your opponent make your moves for you, and you wouldn't be playing chess any less. You can't say that about any sport. To me, it couldn't be any more obvious that chess is not a sport.

They won't have poker in the Olympics ... 
Do they have golf ?  I haven't checked on it - but I'm thinking no ...
The main group of people who watch Olympic sports - statistically - maybe wouldn't be keen on watching chess.  
But the forum is about chess in general as opposed to 'Olympic chess'.
There's a paradox about chess - its arguably the most popular board game ever.  But chessplaying is disapproved of by many people.  
Its often seen as something on the 'fringe'.  

from 1912 to 1948, competitive poetry writing was included in the olympics. so much for the olympics being the official arbiter of sports

the international olymic committee doesnt get to decide. what else have you got?

But they stopped that.  You gave the year !

Oh, maybe common sense, intelligence, that sort of thing?

This comment reminds me a little bit of the early Olympics, the year 67. Nero was the Olympic committee. Nero wanted to win the chariot event, but he was thrown from his horse and did not finish. He was declared the winner anyway. 

Being head of the Olympic committee, he also added contests in music and singing. Hardly sports, but since Nero considered himself great in these areas also, why not? Despite sounding like a dive bar karaoke singer, he won those too. 

It's interesting that the tradition of bribery in the Olympics goes back so far. The idea that people associated with the Olympics declare something, and pretend it's true, is not a new idea. 

So when a corrupt organization like the IOC "recognizes chess as a sport" I have to laugh. As if what they say actually means anything, at all. It would be like the NFL authoritatively claiming American football to be unquestionably and undeniably superior to all other sports. 

Consider the source. 

Whenever people argue that OTB chess is physically hard (therefore a sport!), I keep thinking of Magnus Carlsen falling asleep, at the board, during his 2014 World Championship match, against Anand.

And it was Carlsen's move, too! Magnus wasn't waiting for Anand. He just ... fell asleep while thinking of his own move ...

<<So when a corrupt organization like the IOC "recognizes chess as a sport" I have to laugh.>>

In fact, it would almost be like the Republicans claiming that th ..... BANG

elect .... BANG

     Hasn't anyone noticed that the "Olympic Games" are presently saturating the media? Surely we all agree that chess is a game, and should the Olympic organizations choose to include (or not) chess among the contests it holds that really clarifies nothing about the precise parameters of "sport".

I nearly made the U.S. Olympic team in Judo, (many years ago).  I also played competitive chess and won (only) about $2K (over many years, of course).  USCF 1863 (highest).  Both "sports" made me thoroughly exhausted.  One had less bruises.  Ha!

Maybe that could be a method of determining if something is likely to be a sport or not. Sort of a variation of the "lose an eye" criteria.

If you can get bruised, as in judo, it's more likely to be a sport. But if you are not likely to get bruised, it's more likely to be a game. Especially a board game, like chess.

This wont cover all sports and all games, but it does seem to cover almost all of them. Even a relatively mild sport, like golf, sees cuts and bruises all the time. Everything from tree branch scratches, falling down after a tricky shot, or simply losing footing anywhere on the course. Bruises are common. Compared to the lack of bruises in even the most active board games, like Monopoly or Battleship. And yes, even chess. I can't remember the last time I saw someone bruised from playing chess. It could be because it's never happened. 

You could get carpal tunnel syndrome - or scoliosis - from playing chess.
Kramnik got the latter.  A lot of people get carpal tunnel from too much mouse-work. 
Its much better to have the back of the keyboard angled up.
Like some wood underneath it or whatever.
Puts the wrists at a much better angle. 
But that's a side issue.

Regarding the mouse in chess - people use lots of rubber pads 
(hey you've got pads in football too)
but the worst thing is to have a heavy mouse.
Use the lightest possible mouse.  They're cheap.
Is cheaper sometimes better?
Yes !  Sometimes.

Kramnik’s scoliosis was not from chess. It is a genetic condition. My father had it, but did not have the benefit of the treatment Kramnik found.

Stress aggravates it. You can blame that aspect on chess.

I damaged my ulnar nerve playing chess online and had to sleep with a bath towel around my arm for several months to avoid surgery.

But why would long sitting and lack of healthy exercise for long periods of time not aggravate it.  

If the injuries associated with sports do not apply to chess (or other board games), then it stands to reason the benefits of sports also do not apply to chess (or other board games). 

Sports, in moderation, still have the risk of serious injury but the exercise does offer substantial health benefits. There is virtually no risk of injury with chess played in moderation. I suppose if someone were to play nothing but speed chess for 6 hours a day then they could probably expect some sort of consequence. Same for doing crosswords 6 hours a day. 

So while there is substantial health benefits for playing sports, there are no substantial health benefits for playing chess. In fact, it seems like it's probably the opposite. Sitting in a chair for hours a day is not healthy.

Just like the rest of life, one should probably engage in sports (or other physical exercise) to offset the negative results of antisports, like chess or Monopoly.