Is chess dead?

  Chess is a sport, an art and a science. 

  Reallly? I wonder why it is that there are hundreds of millions of people playing chess then?  I wonder why it is that chess tournaments are growing?  Have you ever been to a chess tournament?

 I wouldn't put too much stock in the estimate that 600 million people worldwide play chess. 

I've seen estimates that 30-40 million people play chess in the United States.  The USCF has 45,000 members that have played in at least one tournament in the last 12 months (33,000 are juniors).  The numbers are not consistent.

Note:  I realize that not all chess players are tournament players.  But I would expect the number to be higher than 0.1%.

It's a gorgeous game... come on....think about it....keeps you honest huh?

I'm fine with having chess our little secret

you are really going to take that seriously from someone named "cry wolf".  oh know, a wolf is going to eat the chess players, everyone save them!

...well, the definition of what constitutes a "sport" has changed in the last 100 years...and continues to change..."a rose by any other name, is just as sweet"...there really is no consequence to chess being defined as a sport or a flower...it changes nothing...

...3.5 million members on chess.com?...don't believe everything you read...a "man" has written it...inactive accounts, same players different names, banned players opens another account under a different name etc. etc...

...is chess dead?...clearly not...else we are all ghosts or angels...it however may be suffering a little, and in need of some strong medicine to make it feel better...of course unfortunately Thor, Hercules, and Jesus are too busy doing whatever the Gods do...so it is left to man to effect any changes that will revive the suffering patient...who will step up is the issue at hand...

Like music, chess is only dead

If pieces won't play in your head.

The king stands a corpse,

The bishop, the horse,

Bang keys as responsive as lead.

The black knight was anxious to ride,

Black bishop and pawns at his side.

In the air angry birds

Crowed ridiculous words.

For centuries chess will abide.

 what happened is the younger generation is not intelligent enough to play a game that is complexed as chess requires carefull thought and stratigy with every move

 awsome pic

Two comments...

1. Played everywhere here in America? Maybe in Cleveland, but people sure look at you funny when you play chess at a restaurant here in Nashville (trust me, I've tried it) and the REALLY look at you funny when you bust out a chess set and play through master games by yourself at a restaurant (done that too.)

2. I love chess. That said, i've seen it on t.v. once, on espn at some weird time of day during the deep offseason. I have to say, it does not translate to t.v. well.

 ummm... no.  

Definition of a sport: you get tired doing it and you could hurt yourself. Not sure that chess or golf qualify.

Not sure that is the correct definition...

A fair point: who indeed is the ultimate arbiter? Not me.

 I think sometime is it a sport.  You don't speak for me.

ESPN covered the last game of the Kasparov-Deep Junior match.  I believe they covered some other games (like from Kasparov-Karpov V), but since I didn't see those games, I can't say for sure which one/ones they broadcast.  Maybe someone else here can fill in the gaps, but other than Fischer-Spassky, K-DJ is the only other game I have seen that was televised here in the states.