Is chess a sport or not?

[ddevans96]

Okay, in the other thread I put up in this section about sports people like to play and watch, a dispute arose on whether chess is a sport or not. Post your opinion here on that subject here, and vote on the poll.

[MrBlonde]

Not a sport. It is a competition though and i do know the arguments used that define it as a sport. But lets get realistic. If chess is a sport then so are video games, texas-hold em, and board games. For those that want to label it a sport i honestly would like to know WHY you want it labeled so.

[implosion]

I said somewhere in between. It lacks the physical element of sports - but it contains both the competitive element and a large number of organized leagues.

If I were pressed to say either yes or no, with no gray area, I would say it isn't.

[linkcat]

Chess is a sport. So says the Oxford dictionary.

[BluePriest]

 Dictionary.com
–noun
1.
an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.---According to this it isnt

3.
diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime.----According to this it is
Answers.com
Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.---According to this it is
A particular form of this activity.---According to this it is
An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
An active pastime; recreation.---According to this it isntSo it ultimately boils down to if you think a sport requires physical activity or not.

In order to define whether or not chess is a sport, we must first determine what makes something a sport.
So is physical activity required for something to be a sport? That is ultimate question here.

[MrBlonde]

My question is why do people want to recognize it as a sport?  It really is just a board game.

[twinsbuster]

I'll say no, too.
Otherwise all video games, gambling games, card games, elementsthegame…can be sport.

[Helios]

Experienced players know that the endurance required to last through a good chess game or games can be very much incredible. If Fischer or Capablanca were not in a healthy physical state, it is doubtful that they would have performed nearly as well as they did.

Though it is a board game, it is not one to be underestimated at all which sets it drastically apart from most other games. Playing 10 hours of good chess usually cannot be compared with playing 10 hours of Call of Duty/Halo/Elements/card games/etc.

[Scaredgirl]

I'll say no, too.
Otherwise all video games, gambling games, card games, elementsthegame…can be sport.

I agree with this one. Chess is definitely NOT a sport. If it was, we might as well have Monopoly in the Olympics.

[MrBlonde]

Experienced players know that the endurance required to last through a good chess game or games can be very much incredible. If Fischer or Capablanca were not in a healthy physical state, it is doubtful that they would have performed nearly as well as they did.

Though it is a board game, it is not one to be underestimated at all.

I've heard that same argument for hold-em as well especially for tournaments. I understand it's mentally draining and sitting in a seat for hours on end can be taxing. I just want to know why people want it to be a sport. Does that legitimize it? Does it make people feel better about it? What's wrong with it just being a game?

ETA - since Helios added to his post. So it just has to do with being mentally taxing then for long periods of time? So using that argument can i loosely say that if i'm in an accelerated class that uses a curve (competition) and have to study 2-8 hours at a time that could be considered a sport? Yeah weak argument but it would fit the rules.

[Helios]

To be honest, I don't mind personally if we call it a sport or not; to me, that is only a semantics issue, and I perceive no problem with it being simply a game.

My aim is simply to highlight the difference between playing one of the most complex games ever created and having to choose between a near-infinite number of possibilities at every move, and playing a mindless shooter where all one has to do is ask, "Grenade, fire, retreat, or insult opponent?"

SG, as per my posts, the differences between chess and Monopoly are significant.

[MrBlonde]

I won't disagree with your reasoning there. I do know there is a difference between video games and chess. Although for most people chess probably is just slightly more taxing then most other strategy games.

I also know people who will fight to the end stating chess is a sport. But i never understand why and when i ask them they can't really give me a good reason.