Is chess racist?

 I was just trying to suggest a reason for the "White moves first rule".  I may be entirely offbase---the creators of chess might have just flipped a coin for all I know as to which side moves first.  I wasn't there!  :-)

As for bias, if a person looked 'deep enough', couldn't they find a bias, one way or another, for almost everything or anything in life?

This cannot be serious. Sure, white goes first by old convention in chess. BUT, a coin is flipped (or the equivalent) about who plays white! So where is the racism????

i think the white first is a couinsidence because india made it not america

Wikipedia also has a nice bit on the history of white or black having the first move:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_and_Black_in_chess

I love how people respond with: "this question doesn't even deserve a response."

Irony kills.

 Learned something new today.  I went to the above web reference and read it.  I have always thought that the White pieces made the first move since the beginning of the game.  Interesting to know that at one time either side could go first.

http://www.teachnet-lab.org/ps101/chornik/chess/chesshistory.htm

According to that page...

In medieval times black was thought to be a lucky color. The white player was allowed to go first since the black player already had the advantage of the lucky color.

Personally, I think it's a silly question.  Games are not racist.  Some people are, but a game is just a game.

For those of you who believe the answser is "OMG IT'S RACIST!", I suggest you don't play.

Actually this is a very interesting and well put historical related answer.  The light side of man equalling good, dark side of man equalling evil.  Exact opposites.  As for my understanding this kind of thinking isn't just historical either.  Just think of "Star Wars", or "Superman IV".  Man does have a dark side and dark thoughts, just as he has positive ones.  Probably everyone who's picked up a chessman has thought of that at some point.  It's really not about race in any way. But if it makes the game more interesting, you can always think of Michael Caine in "Zulu", and hoards of primative dark skinned men with spears attacking the garrison.  If that imagery doesn't work for you then pick something else which does.

D.J.

chess was invented in china. so i doubt they were being racist, they are just the two most common shades of marble, the substance that pieces were most likely originally made of...

some people

it depends on who you ask but to me it is not racist . 

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/is-chess-a-racist-game

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/is-chess-racist

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/fun-with-chess/chess-is-racist-and-should-be-banned

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/chess-described-as-racist-and-sexist

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/is-chess-racist2

That is to say, you're going to have to get up a little earlier in the morning and work a little harder if you want to be creative around these parts.

It's too bad people respond every time... such a worthless topic.

I guess back to that theory that these regurgitations are proof of new members and a healthy site, so you can think of it in a positive way.  Still, anyway you look at it barf is barf

 clever

yeah, because the white man is always the one attacking the black man first,and black has to retaliate in defense.. so it isn't racist, it is a representation of what happens in history. lol jk jk jk

no, I don't think chess is racist because the two colors that are used are white and black and white goes first.  I can understand why the question is posed, but I wouldn't spend much time on it.  Should you flip a coin? sure, maybe to decide who gets to play white.

There was a black comedian a number of years ago who had a routine about his uncle who saw racism in everything. Why is it when you go to the grocery store the green olives are in a jar but the black olives are locked up in a can? Why is it that white rice is just rice, but Uncle Ben's brown rice is wild rice? How come Lucky Charms are magically delicious, but you have to be coo coo to like Cocoa Cocoa Puffs?

you missed one, Plain bread or brown bread

 those were just a few. he had more examples. it was very funny.

 Uncle Ben's brown rice isn't wild. It's Uncle Ben's brown AND wild rice.

I've heard that a drawing of lots (or something to that effect) used to determine who went first, and the player who didn't get to go first had the privilege of choosing his color as compensation.  It is said that the black pieces were considered "lucky" (a superstition that my brother reinvented without prior knowledge of the original--he still sticks by it), so of course the player who got to choose his color would generally choose Black.  This became so commonplace that it is now part of the rules.

I think you're mistaking race for species.