Is chess a sport or a game

What do you think of chess? Is it a sport or a game? Thank you for your comment in this topic.

Ray Duque III, New York City

i think its both

Both and more. It can be a sport or a game, a hobby, and intellectual pastime. Chess thrives on competition, but that is not its alpha and omega. It can be played, as with so many other sports and games, for the camaraderieand social aspect. Some prefer tournament chess, others online chess. Then there are the time as well as game variants, Chess960 for example. The came can change for you as your life changes. It can be a game for you as a kid, a sport and competition for your 20's and 30's and a pastime to spend with family and friends over a glass of wine in front of the fireplace, when the competitive urges have receded. One can study and take pleasure from the games of masters past and present. Study problems and endgame compositions. Use software to explore ideas of the masters as well as your own. Chess, is a game and a sport. It is more than that though, it is a lighthouse, a beacon, our rock of Gibraltar, of what the human mind and spirit is capable off. It is a sign, a symbol of all that is best in us. It is the Royal Game (in more than one way).

I think it is officially recognized as a sport.

It's a game, give me a break. Technically, a 'sport' defines a diversion or any type of leisure activity. However, the connotation of both 'sport' and 'game,' in modern culture, contends that sports involve some sort of physical activity, whereas games don't necessarily involve this. For these reasons, chess is a game, (albeit a hobby, and one of my personal favorites) checkers is a game, backgammon is a game, and yes, golf is a game (not using golf carts does NOT make it a sport).

I saw chess on British TV when Short played Kasparov for the PCA World Championship.

British TV also used to have a regular chess programme in the 1980s.

i say if you consider golf a sport, you should consider chess a sport. i'd call chess a game.

neither.  or is it niether?

hahaha

 I remember one programme when no one made a move.

 you can use a mind suppliment AND there used to be a very popular tv show dedicated to chess in the 1900's

there was even a MOVIE titled "looking for bobby fischer"

That has a lot of chess involved

It's an old debate, a question of definition.

For me, it is more of a sport than for instance long distance running, where often only one percent of the field actually COMPETE, the rest just do it for fun or exercise.

At least chess is competitive, even at the lowest levels. You have an opponent, which to me is an integral part of sport.

 " Chess is a game."  - Boris Spassky  

He should know.  I agree with Boris.

Why should he know?

Because he played chess he knows if it is a game or a sport?

I would think someone who devoted their life to chess, made it their profession, was world champion and USSR champion in chess should know suggo, you don't ? If such a person doesnt know then noone does imo.

Chess is a game - and i love it: competition, logic, psychology etc.

Interesting that most people would think of snooker as a sport.

Originally they were all parlour games - bridge, cribbage, chess, draughts, billiards, snooker etc.

i think its a game and a sport.  It's a game and be considered as a hobby as well and a sport where you can compete with another.

 Tal called it sport. I Agree with Tal.

Just because someone is an expert player doesn't make them an expert in deciding what the differences are between a sport and a game.  So no, I don't agree.  No disrespect to him, or you Reb, but unless he has some other expertise relating to this that I am unaware of, I would consider he doesn't know.  Cheers.

I don't think you should call it a sport just because you compete against someone. You do the same thing in most games as well.

Of course it is a game!