Chess: Sport or not?

[roryfwestall]

No for me. I'd classify it as a mind game instead.

[Chemical]

I don't know. Maybe if the pieces were replaced by MMA fighters, and instead of a board it was a cage, and instead of boring people to death there were actually fights to the death. And hot dog vendors.

[Jinx]

Just because something competitive doesn't classify it as a sport.

Next thing you know, you're going to start saying video games are sports.

No, just no.

[Shauna]

Well, they are called eSports...

[kotora]

ITT: nerds being the authority on what constitute sports

[Slothy]

I want desperately to fall on the side of sports involving what is typically thought of as physical activity, but so long as things like Dressage and shooting are considered sports and even in the Olympics, anyone trying to use that argument to say Chess isn't a sport is probably wrong. Sure, you can argue that all of those things aren't sports and shouldn't be in the Olympics, but the governing body for the premier international sporting event still disagrees.

At best that tells us that while there is some disagreement on what constitutes a sport, physical exertion isn't a pre-requisite under all definitions so referring to Chess as a sport is at least not incorrect based on that criteria.

[Jinx]

ITT: nerds being the authority on what constitute sports

[Mirage]

Chess is a sport, but chess players aren't athletes.

To play devil's advocate. All mental exertions are physical exertions unless you subscribe to some theory of mind-body dualism. So given that mental activities and physical activities are to a large degree interrelated, quite possibly co-dependent if not co-terminus, then yes at any point you do a mental activity you are necessarily doing a physical activity. Moreover, all physical activity takes mental activity as it roots

That's not playing the devil's advocate, that's just being right.

I don't think it is a coincidence that many of the top "esports" (that's a dumb term!) players also make sure to stay in good physical health. Your brain is most definitely affected by your general physical health.

[Araciel]

As much as poker.

[Cuchulainn]

Course It's smurfing Not A Sport. What next? Bridge? Poker? Tiddly smurfing winks?

[Quindiana Jones]

A sport must be "in no way harmful to any living creature". I've seen Russians play chess. It cannot be a sport.

[Aulayna]

Judging by how a single stray shirt thread from an opposing players shirt can cause a career threatening injury I'd say that Premier League football isn't a sport anymore either.

[Cuchulainn]

Ah, you're being facetious. Point lost.

[Loony BoB]

Chess is not a sport. A much more interesting debate is whether shooting is a sport.

Also, mind sports? What the hell? Isn't that just called 'thinking'? Give me a minute, I need to mind sport about this for a while.

[Cuchulainn]

'Mind sports' LMAO,

Fair enough, next for debate: Monopoly & the popular TV Quiz, Wheel Of Fortune.