Is Chess a sport?

[Perfect7]

Have your say. Do you think Chess is a sport or not? If so, why?

 

[Starshine]

IMHO, I believe it to be a type of sport. This isn't a physical sport, but a mental one.
It takes training, dedication and skill to advance through the ranks as a professional player.

 

[hopper]

the dictionary.com definitions of sport

–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.
2. a particular form of this, esp. in the out of doors.
3. diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime.
4. jest; fun; mirth; pleasantry: What he said in sport was taken seriously.
5. mockery; ridicule; derision: They made sport of him.
6. an object of derision; laughingstock.
7. something treated lightly or tossed about like a plaything.
8. something or someone subject to the whims or vicissitudes of fate, circumstances, etc.
9. a sportsman.
10. Informal. a person who behaves in a sportsmanlike, fair, or admirable manner; an accommodating person: He was a sport and took his defeat well.
11. Informal. a person who is interested in sports as an occasion for gambling; gambler.
12. Informal. a flashy person; one who wears showy clothes, affects smart manners, pursues pleasurable pastimes, or the like; a bon vivant.
13. Biology. an organism or part that shows an unusual or singular deviation from the normal or parent type; mutation.
14. Obsolete. amorous dalliance.
–adjective
15. of, pertaining to, or used in sports or a particular sport.
16. suitable for outdoor or informal wear: sport clothes.
–verb (used without object)
17. to amuse oneself with some pleasant pastime or recreation.
18. to play, frolic, or gambol, as a child or an animal.
19. to engage in some open-air or athletic pastime or sport.
20. to trifle or treat lightly: to sport with another's emotions.
21. to mock, scoff, or tease: to sport at suburban life.
22. Botany. to mutate.
–verb (used with object)
23. to pass (time) in amusement or sport.
24. to spend or squander lightly or recklessly (often fol. by away).
25. Informal. to wear, display, carry, etc., esp. with ostentation; show off: to sport a new mink coat.
26. Archaic. to amuse (esp. oneself).
—Idiom
27. sport one's oak. oak (def. 5).

it would fall into some of the above definitions, particularly #3,17 and perhaps 18 and to some extent 23

 

[Starshine]

Just to add, I found this interesting article : http://chess.about.com/od/news/i/aa07d28.htm

 

[Perfect7]

Errrr... I meant a real sport. Not just sporting around...

Interesting article starshine

 

[hopper]

i guess it depends on how you define sport, as i mentioned it fits into some of the definitions of sport but it could also be argued to simply be a game of skill and strategy

 

[tektrnica]

yeah, i woudnt say it was a "sport" as such, but hoppers idea would fit better. That its a game of skill and strategy. You wouldnt call Command and Conquer a sport really,, roughly the same sort of thing....... in a way

 

[Zangetsu]

chess is a sport cause there are championships being held

 

[Smith6612]

I consider it more or less a board game than a sport, but it is competitive, but that doesn't make it a sport in my book.

 

[Sohail]

I don't think it is a sport, otherwise all board games, including games like Monopoly and stuff like that would be declared a sport too.

 

[Death Zone]

i think its a mental sport

 

[tektrnica]

chess is a sport cause there are championships being held

thats one of the most blind statements EVER. lol

theres a gaming championship for most online FPS games.... you gonna tell me Counter Strike is a "sport" ? :\ hahahahaa

 

[noerrorsfound]

you gonna tell me Counter Strike is a "sport" ? :\ hahahahaa

Yes. Why not? Professional gamers make money and have to train, just like a football player would.

1. What does Fatal1ty do in his free time and how does he get so good at gaming?
   Fatal1ty practices 8-10 hours a day when he is in training. In his free time he likes to hang out with friends and play outdoor sports such as basketball, golf, tennis and pool.

A sport doesn't have to involve lots of running. How about you say why gaming isn't a sport?

 

[tektrnica]

because the general definition of "sport" is...

"1.
a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
b. A particular form of this activity.
2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively."

Lets see... oooooooo counter strike, physical exertion of the fingers.... :\ no thank you. ill leaving the online gaming whether competativly or not to just that "gaming" i play in online gaming leagues, i have done for years, but at no point will i ever class sitting at a pc, playing a game (for any reason) as a sport.

 

[Spartan Erik]

Although it doesn't involve physical exertion, it requires mental exertion (if you're good at least). I wouldn't be able to call it a sport like football, but it could be in its own genre of sport.

 

[VPmase]

IMO, its not a sport. Its an activity that requires logic, critical thinking, and being able to predict your opponent.

 

[arsonistx]

I wouldn't consider chess to be a sport. There is no activity involved. It is a strategy game, no doubt.

 

[noerrorsfound]

because the general definition of "sport" is...

"1.
a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
b. A particular form of this activity.
2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively."

Lets see... oooooooo counter strike, physical exertion of the fingers.... :\ no thank you. ill leaving the online gaming whether competativly or not to just that "gaming" i play in online gaming leagues, i have done for years, but at no point will i ever class sitting at a pc, playing a game (for any reason) as a sport.

From the same list you took those from, you conveniently skipped over this:

3. An active pastime; recreation.

 

[TechAsh]

In my opinion it is not a sport but a game that involves thinking and strategy. I define a sport as 'a game/activity that involves physical activity', whereas I define a game as 'an activity that passes time'.

 

[Jesse]

For me chess is not a sport... i classify it as a Mind Game...