Because while chess vigorously trains your brain, so does playing solitaire, memory games, a history test, etc. Meanwhile, sports train non-mental abilities, such as strength, speed, endurance, and agility. Chess does not require that, as a piece of computer software the size of a potato chip can beat every human put together. Although some chess players train their bodies in order to train their minds, they aren't using their bodily strength in the game, only mental.
Why is chess not a sport
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A sport must meet these 3 criteria:
1) It must have a competitive element, and your competitor(s) must be human
2) Luck cannot be central to the sport
3) There must be muscle group training (excluding mental training) that will directly help you play better
Every sport played at the Olympics works here, and things that objectively aren’t sports don’t work
Mar 24, 2025
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#8
Pho_Lover wrote:
A sport must meet these 3 criteria:
1) it must have a competitive element, and your competitor(s) must be human
2) there must be no luck involved
3) There must be muscle group training (excluding mental training) that will directly help you play better
#2 wrong
all sports is kinda luck-involved.
Chess has very little luck (less than "real" sports, anyway). For example: In baseball, if the wind is blowing out just right, people hit way more home runs.
Ok good point Q, I'll edit #2 to be, Luck cannot be a central component, as while that could happen, it's not an intended part of the game
Mar 25, 2025
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#10
why must the competitors be human, I'm just thinking about how in the future there could be robots that are super good at like, baseball, would that make baseball no longer a sport?
Chess isn't a sport because you can play it without getting out of bed.
Qoiuoiuoiuoiu escribió:
Pho_Lover wrote:
A sport must meet these 3 criteria:
1) it must have a competitive element, and your competitor(s) must be human
2) there must be no luck involved
3) There must be muscle group training (excluding mental training) that will directly help you play better
#2 wrong
all sports is kinda luck-involved.
Chess has very little luck (less than "real" sports, anyway). For example: In baseball, if the wind is blowing out just right, people hit way more home runs.
Luck is 100% in all Sports and Chess too because free Will does not exist in universe
Mar 25, 2025
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#13
I say for it to be a sport, it needs to be competitive against humans and played professionally.
Mar 25, 2025
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#14
#8 wrong, chess doesn’t have “very like luck,” it has zero luck at all.
Mar 25, 2025
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#15
Pho_Lover wrote:
Because while chess vigorously trains your brain, so does playing solitaire, memory games, a history test, etc. Meanwhile, sports train non-mental abilities, such as strength, speed, endurance, and agility. Chess does not require that, as a piece of computer software the size of a potato chip can beat every human put together. Although some chess players train their bodies in order to train their minds, they aren't using their bodily strength in the game, only mental.
Mar 26, 2025
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#16
Kingsgambit_Unknowngamer3 wrote:
Pho_Lover wrote:
Because while chess vigorously trains your brain, so does playing solitaire, memory games, a history test, etc. Meanwhile, sports train non-mental abilities, such as strength, speed, endurance, and agility. Chess does not require that, as a piece of computer software the size of a potato chip can beat every human put together. Although some chess players train their bodies in order to train their minds, they aren't using their bodily strength in the game, only mental.
why did u just quote him with out saying anything
May 2, 2025
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#17
Chess is a game but not a sport. Some can be both (soccer for example is a game and a sport IMO) but not all.
May 2, 2025
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#19
Bris2315 wrote:
Physical exertion is often seen as a core component of sports. While chess requires intense mental stamina and can be physically draining over time (especially during long matches), it doesn't involve athleticism in the traditional sense—no running, jumping, or coordinated movement of the body. Because of that, people might classify it more as a game or a competitive activity rather than a sport.
#AI GENERATED
I genuinely want to know your opinions on why it is NOT a sport, I think it is a sport, but I want to listen and understand your ideas. This is not a place for debate, but a place to kindly and peacefully share ideas on this topic.