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Is Chess a real sport?

Debate Information

Chess is not nearly as popular as baseball or football and not what most people think as a sport.   
Is chess a sport?
felkrpour_wiretappingLukeQLD
  1. Live Poll

    is Chess a real sport?

    41 votes
    1. Yes
      58.54%
    2. No
      41.46%
Live Long and Prosper
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    Arguments


  • juretsearchjuretsearch 24 Pts   -  
    Yes, it is a sport for the mind. I'm not aware of chess is currently in the olympics or ever was, but it should be placed there due to its status of being a sport. I would emphasize it as a more mental than physical sport unlike conventional sports such as Soccer, Cricket.
    EmeryPearsonHaydn_E_SheldonScienceRulesLukeQLD
  • islander507islander507 194 Pts   -  
    It's a real sport, there is world championship, ranking system, etc.
    SlanderIsNotDebate1995JGXdebatePROLukeQLD
  • spandamspandam 43 Pts   -  
    I agree with @islander507 .
    foundue_47
  • PinoPino 85 Pts   -  
    Well, I'm not sure about that but I know a girl who's a real sport and if you wire me a few hundred bucks I'll let you have her telephone number, ha.
    Seriously though, I'm of the opinion that as chess is a competition which requires great skill and practice it is indeed a real aggressive,'vying of the minds ' sport.
    Personally speaking I prefer participating in the more rugged outdoor sports, such as playing dominos at pavement cafes, ha. 
    foundue_47islander507agsranonymousdebaterBaconToesPolaris95xlJ_dolphin_473LukeQLD
  • foundue_47foundue_47 9 Pts   -  
    I agree with @pino , it's a real sport.
    agsrJGXdebatePROLukeQLD
  • EmperorAZEmperorAZ 23 Pts   -  
    I play chess and it is a very difficult game. It requires high mental concentration and makes me sweat even more than when I play soccer and baseball. So, yes I think its a sport m8
    agsrSlanderIsNotDebate1995EmeryPearsonLukeQLD
  • pour_wiretappingpour_wiretapping 4 Pts   -  
    Chess is a sport for the brain/ mental sport.
    agsrSlanderIsNotDebate1995EmeryPearson
  • agsragsr 881 Pts   -  
    @EmperorAZ, I play chess as well and know that it requires high degree of concentration and intelligence. It has a ranking system, Chess Federation, World Championship and many followers. chess.com for example is extremely popular with people playing on stop around the world and millions subscribers.  
    In many aspects, chess is more real if a sport than football or baseball. So I agree with your position completely.
    EmeryPearson
    Live Long and Prosper
  • agsragsr 881 Pts   -  
    @anonymousdebater, I have to disagree on your definition. Sport challenges your abilities, and it doesn’t have to be just physical. There are competitions and a chess federation.  Other sports like soccer, baseball, etc also challenge mental abilities in addition to physical
    RS_master
    Live Long and Prosper
  • FredsnephewFredsnephew 361 Pts   -  
    Football is a sport.

    Chess is a board game.
    Polaris95JGXdebatePROxlJ_dolphin_473K_MichaelRS_master
  • agsragsr 881 Pts   -  
    @Fredsnephew,
    http://londonchessconference.com/a-question-of-sport/

    Ten Reasons why Chess is a Sport


    @anonymousdebater
    your argument of lack of physical activity regarding chess:
    1. Physical fitness. Peak mental condition requires being in good physical condition. Players need to concentrate totally for up to seven hours. As the stress and tension builds up, blood pressure, pulse and respiration rates all increase. Contenders for the world championships have nutritionists and fitness coaches.
    Live Long and Prosper
  • FredsnephewFredsnephew 361 Pts   -  
    @agsr ;

    You won't convince me.

    Chess may be very competitive and lucrative.

    But it's still a board game.
    EmeryPearsonJGXdebatePROK_MichaelRS_master
  • someone234someone234 647 Pts   -  
    When you are good at a sport, you tend to get laid easier.

    When you are good at chess... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
    SlanderIsNotDebate1995EmeryPearsonxlJ_dolphin_473RS_master
  • WilliamSchulzWilliamSchulz 255 Pts   -  
    I play chess myself and have a USCF rating of 1651, but I would have to disagree that it is a sport. Yes, one needs incredible amounts of training (board-wise) and preparation (for whatever the opponent plays), but this does not set it apart as a board game. Sports can be mental, but most sports are physical and require some sort of bodily function in order to perform well. Speed stacking is a sport because although the person stands in one spot, their hands move at lightning fast speeds. Chess, I feel, is a challenge for one's intellect and reasoning capabilities, but for most people, it is not a sport. It only would ever be a sport if we considered World Championships, but I would argue the concept of chess makes it not a sport, though preparation and training is required for it. 
    BaconToesSlanderIsNotDebate1995
    A good debate is not judged by bias, but in the context of the debate, where objectivity is key and rationale prevalent. 


  • As much as I respect Chess, the definition of sports, https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/sport, requires for both skill AND physical exertion. Chess no doubt requires skill, but in terms of physical exertion? I would have to say it's quite low on that end. Therefore, I would not see it as a sport. Arguably, I'd say marching band is closer to the definition of "sport" because it does in fact compete, require physical exertion, AND skill. 
    LukeQLD
  • @islander507 League of Legends and World of Warcraft I am pretty sure have the same. Is that sport?
  • @someone234 Sorry . I can prove you wrong through real live experience both with me ;) and one of my profs, who, while a huge history nerd in general and a chess historian, has kids..... so.... yah....
  • FascismFascism 344 Pts   -  
    I used to be a chess player and I don't think chess is a sport. It does require mental prowess, but it has no physical prowess. 
    K_MichaelLukeQLD
  • mstoks18mstoks18 14 Pts   -  
    In the way it has been described above as a 'mental competition', I have to say I agree. Through my eyes, sports are a test of the overall strength mentally, physically, and together as a team of yourself / or your teammates combined. I think that it is a skill to compete in chess, but it doesnt seem like a sport. More of a competition like Debate or Speech. 
  • drodgersdrodgers 35 Pts   -  
    Simple test for whether something is a sport vs a competition. 

    Does the other player(s) physically try to counteract you while interacting with a shared mechanism?

    Example, golf is not a sport, no one is trying to stop you from hitting that ball.

    Tennis is a sport.

    Bowling is not a sport, baseball is a sport.

    Darts, not a sport, football is a sport.

    Nascar is not a sport, badminton is a sport.

    Chess is a board game.

    Are you seriously going to call backgammon a sport?  Yahtzee?  Checkers?  Tic-Tac-Toe?  Chutes and ladders?

    Anything can be a competition, including spitting for distance but that doesn't make it a sport.
    Polaris95RS_master
  • RS_masterRS_master 400 Pts   -  
    I play lots of chess. It is a sport because in sports you move a muscle. In chess you use your brain muscle.
  • It's a gentlemen sport.
    LukeQLD



  • agsr said:
    Chess is not nearly as popular as baseball or football and not what most people think as a sport.   
    Is chess a sport?
    Chess in not a sport it is a game. It was one of the earlier video games as well. No Chess is not a sport.
    K_MichaelRS_master
  • John_C_87 said:
    agsr said:
    Chess is not nearly as popular as baseball or football and not what most people think as a sport.   
    Is chess a sport?
    Chess in not a sport it is a game. It was one of the earlier video games as well. No Chess is not a sport.
    Hmm, interesting. I didn't realize there were such a thing as ancient video games.



  • John_C_87 said:
    agsr said:
    Chess is not nearly as popular as baseball or football and not what most people think as a sport.   
    Is chess a sport?
    Chess in not a sport it is a game. It was one of the earlier video games as well. No Chess is not a sport.
    Hmm, interesting. I didn't realize there were such a thing as ancient video games.

    Or...…….. Chess is in no way a sport, it was one of the oldest games to be created into a more modern computer video game. See what I did? I made a Game Sandwich, two pieces of not sport holding a portion of modern game play as a quick delicacy.


  • No, it's not a sport because sports include physical activity. But, we can call it a "board game" where mental involvement is required. 
    RS_master
  • MayCaesarMayCaesar 5967 Pts   -  
    There is a lot of widely recognised sports that do not require much physical fitness or activity, for example: golf, pool, cricket, racing, and recently even e-sports have been making a march.

    Now, you can say, "But the top individuals in these sports are all physically fit!" Yes, indeed: to be on top of any sports, you do have to be in a good physical shape. To be on top of any field period, you have to be in a good physical shape. But it is not the requirement to do a lot of sports recreationally.

    If you look at top chess players, they are all, no exceptions, in good physical shape. Chess is an extremely demanding sport, and some professional players sometimes even commit suicide due to the psychological and intellectual strain the game puts on them. You have to exercise regularly, maintain a healthy diet and watch your physical condition in general to persevere in such conditions.

    Chess is my favorite way to spend my spare time, and although I no longer try to play competitively, as I did in my teenage years, I still manage to play on the level of a solid Master Candidate. Chess is no joke, and the higher up the ladder you go, the more challenging it gets. At a level serious enough, losing a long and tedious game can effectively disable you for the rest of the day; it is that intense.
  • Chess is like a sport in the way that it's competitive. But it's really more of a game, given that sport is more about athletic activity.
    RS_masterLukeQLD



  • John_C_87 said:
    John_C_87 said:
    agsr said:
    Chess is not nearly as popular as baseball or football and not what most people think as a sport.   
    Is chess a sport?
    Chess in not a sport it is a game. It was one of the earlier video games as well. No Chess is not a sport.
    Hmm, interesting. I didn't realize there were such a thing as ancient video games.

    Or...…….. Chess is in no way a sport, it was one of the oldest games to be created into a more modern computer video game. See what I did? I made a Game Sandwich, two pieces of not sport holding a portion of modern game play as a quick delicacy.


    It looks like I misread what you said. My bad. I actually thought you said Chess was a video game before it became a board game.



  • smoothiesmoothie 434 Pts   -  
    No, it's not a sport because sports include physical activity. But, we can call it a "board game" where mental involvement is required. 
    when somebody loses hard there can be table flipping, the ultimate physical activity. also you are moving your arms and grabbing things which is physical activity
    LukeQLD
    why so serious?
  • I would classify Chess as being a competitive game that engages the mind to think in ways that promotes ones ability to use pr determined tactics in order to win.

    It is not a conventional sport, in the sense of physical actions being required, but more so a sport that creates a thinking environment of actions that can still be graded on a level of how the game is played.

    So what makes Chess a real sport?

    Well in short, the very concept of taking a game that requires a high level of thought process then turning that process into a contest makes Chess a sport by default.

    So I say to you Checkmate

    Cheers from Haydn.E.Sheldon

  • RS_masterRS_master 400 Pts   -  
    Football is a sport.

    Chess is a board game.
    why?

  • RS_masterRS_master 400 Pts   -  
    I define a sport by stating that a sport requires thorough thinking to continue. It is obvious that football or cricket is a sport. In football you will plan your strategy and plan what to do if your opponent tackles you or something. Cricket? You see how the field is set up and hit the ball into the gap. You see the batsmen`s weakness and bowl the ball there. In chess you plan your opponents next move and plan how to respond to that. Also in a sport you require the use of muscle. The brain is a muscle. Chess follows all these definitions thus chess is a sport.
  • xlJ_dolphin_473xlJ_dolphin_473 1712 Pts   -  
    It is considered a sport by the International Olympic Committee and some chess fans hope for it to be included in 2024 Paris Olympics.
    I conclude that it is a sport.
    RS_masterlj123
  • xlJ_dolphin_473xlJ_dolphin_473 1712 Pts   -  
    It is considered a sport by the International Olympic Committee and some chess fans hope for it to be included in 2024 Paris Olympics.
    I conclude that it is a sport.
    RS_master
  • RS_masterRS_master 400 Pts   -  
    @xlJ_dolphin_473 ; You repeated the same thing twice.
  • xlJ_dolphin_473xlJ_dolphin_473 1712 Pts   -  
    @RS_master
    Sorry. I might have pressed the Post button twice.
  • lj123lj123 157 Pts   -  
    Chess is considered a sport by the global Olympic committee and it will be in the 2024 Olympics therefore it is a sport. I am sure more arguments for me are unnecessary because you can't argue with facts so don't even try.
    JGXdebatePROxlJ_dolphin_473Mrlj123
    Whatever it is, if you don't agree with me then your wrong.
  • JGXdebatePROJGXdebatePRO 408 Pts   -  
    I believe chess is a sport and the skill required surpasses that of football, basketball, etc etc. It is taxing on the brain and puts large quantities of pressure on the player.Also, chess is physically taxing. Chess players have sport coaches to withstand the massive blood and mental pressure of the game.
    lj123xlJ_dolphin_473
    “The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.” – Marcus Aurelius
  • lj123lj123 157 Pts   -  
    Also if you took a survey of how many people know how to play chess and a survey of how many people play other sports I think that you will find that chess is more popular than any of them and can surpass any difficulty in the sports you survey. Chess is as physicaly difficult if not more difficult than swimming, psychologically more difficult than any other sport and most competitions are longer than those of any other sport. There is also the additional the fact that is older than any sport you need a prop for and has leagues and the players have to train to stay physically and mentally fit chess also has different titles that you can achieve just like many other sports.
    LukeQLDMrlj123
    Whatever it is, if you don't agree with me then your wrong.
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