Chess: More than a Sport

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Is chess considered a sport? Is it a hobby? What is the significance of the answers to such questions? The question of "is chess a sport?" has significant funding implications, apart from the pride of being an athlete. Several charitable foundations and government grant programs only provide funding to officially recognized "sports." If we recognized chess as a sport, it opens the door to much-needed outside funding for chess clubs and coaching programs. When it comes to money, the answer is crucial. Unfortunately, this argument falls flat. Many activities, such as Monopoly, Games of the General, and Draughts, can be competitive. Nobody is arguing that these are sports simply because they are competitive.

Chess has another thing in common with sports in that it requires skill. Just as a football player must learn to master running, passing, tackling, and positional game sense, a chess player must learn to memorize openings, read books, take lessons, and become familiar with the finer points of endgame play. However, further consideration reveals that, while chess requires skill (as do sports), it is insufficient. Many actions that are unquestionably not sports require skills, such as driving a tractor or painting a picture. Chess's official rules are recognized internationally, just as they are for sports such as tennis and cricket. Chess players must shake hands before the game, treat their opponent with respect by not overtly distracting them, and the losing player must not tip the board upside down.

However, as previously stated, a set of rules and etiquette is not the defining feature of a sport. There is a set of rules for putting together furniture. Etiquette is required when dining at a fine restaurant. Being competitive, requiring skill, and having rules and etiquette, do not automatically qualify an activity as a sport. So, what exactly is the litmus test? Is chess considered a sport? Those who argue that chess is not sport regard this definition as the decisive blow.

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Chess necessitates physical exertion because mental exertion manifests physically. Chess has rules and etiquette that the international community recognized. Chess is a competitive game because the players are motivated to win. Chess requires skill and chess training to become a good chess player. As any chess player knows, players exert physical efforts in addition to the motor skills of picking up a piece and moving it to another square. The problem is that people cannot understand how physically demanding chess can be unless they have played it themselves.

The chess theory is complex, and many players memorize various opening variations. You will also learn to recognize different game patterns and recall lengthy variations. Chess helps with concentration. During the game, you are only concerned with one goal: to checkmate and win. Chess improves logical thinking. Chess necessitates an understanding of strategy. For example, we need to understand the importance of bringing your pieces into the game at the start, keeping your king safe at all times, not creating weaknesses in your position, and not blundering your pieces away for free. Although, you will find yourself doing this from time to time during your chess career. Mistakes are unavoidable, and chess, like life, is an ongoing learning experience.

Chess promotes imaginative and creative thinking. It inspires you to be creative. There is an infinite number of beautiful combinations that we can create. Chess teaches self-sufficiency. It forced us to make critical decisions based solely on our judgment. Chess improves one's ability to predict and foresee the consequences of one's actions. It instills in you the importance of looking both ways before crossing the street. Chess motivates people to be more self-motivated. It encourages the pursuit of the best move, the best plan, and the most beautiful continuation from an infinite number of options. It promotes an unwavering pursuit of progress, always aiming to fan the flames of victory.

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Chess demonstrates that hard work pays off. The more you practice, the better you will become. You must be willing to lose and learn from your mistakes. Capablanca, one of the greatest players of all time, said we learned more from a game we lose than from a game we win. Before chess masters become great players, they lose hundreds of games. Chess enables us to development of critical thinking. We generate numerous variations in our minds while playing, which allowed us to investigate new ideas and predict their outcomes. It may bring unexpected revelations. We decide on a hypothesis, then act on it and test it.

Chess and technology go hand in hand. What do chess players do while playing? They, like computers, search for the best move in a limited amount of time. What exactly are you doing right now? You are learning with the aid of a computer. We can relate chess and mathematics. You don't need to be a genius to figure out this one. Chess involves an infinite number of calculations, ranging from counting the number of attackers and defenders in a simple exchange to calculating lengthy continuations. It allowed us to calculate with our brain, not a machine.

There are millions of chess resources available online covering every aspect of the game. You can even acquire your chess collection. It is essential to know how to find, organize, and use vast amounts of information in life. Chess provides you with an excellent example and opportunity to do so. Chess disproves your notion that you could never be an artist. Chess allows the artist within you to emerge. On the 64 squares, your imagination will run wild with endless possibilities. We create mental images for the ideal positions and outposts for our soldiers. It encourages us to have a distinct style and personality as chess artists. Chess is a game that requires patience, nerves, willpower, and concentration. It improves your ability to interact with others. It puts your sportsmanship to the test in a competitive setting.

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Numerous studies have shown that playing chess helps children improve their reading, math, and overall learning abilities. For all of the reasons stated above and more, children who play chess perform better in school and thus have a better chance of success in life. Chess broadens your horizons. You don't have to be a high-ranking player to compete in major tournaments like the US Open and the World Open welcome players of all skill levels. Chess is a universal language, allowing you to communicate with anyone across the checkered board. Chess enables us to meet a lot of interesting people. People you meet through chess will become lifelong friends.

Chess is inexpensive, which does not require the use of expensive equipment. We can even design your chessboard and chess pieces. To get everyone interested in the game, it is also a good idea to practice with family members, take to a friend's house, or even to your local neighborhood park. Chess is a lot of fun. It isn't another of those board games. Because no chess game ever repeats itself, each game generates an increasing number of new ideas. It never gets old. We can look forward to something new in every game. In the game, we become commanders of an army, and we alone decide the fate of our soldiers. You can sacrifice, trade, pin, fork, lose, defend, or command them to break through any barriers and surround the enemy king. We have the authority!

Going back to the question, Is chess considered a sport? Chess is a sport and accepted by International Olympic Committee since 2000. Regardless if chess is a sport or not, chess influences a lot from developing critical thinking and artistic acumens in playing it. To sum it up, chess gives us a little of everything.


Note: The cover image is created by the author using Canva.



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12 comments
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My father taught me how to play chess when I was young. It does help in improving a person's way of thinking. It teaches us to anticipate the results and consequences of each action we do. My favorite rule: touch move. Once you've touched the piece, you need to move it and you need to stand by your decision. That's why my husband and I are also teaching chess to our daughter now. Isinama na namin sa homeschooling curriculum niya. Hehe

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I can assume you really had a great relation with your father. I did not learn chess from my father, but I learn from him about DIY/home repairs and several engineering concept that I can only learn in the field. For chess, I learned it from my older cousin. I may not be great at it, but It surely help a lot with decision making.

sinama na namin sa homeschooling curriculum niya.

That is great. I will help your kids develop critical thinking in a fun way rather than a bookish way. It is also a good bonding activity for your family.

Thank you for your engagement!

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I used to play chess when I was a kid. Almost everyday with my chess buddy, who passed away a few years ago. It is a very tough and mentally draining exercise that keeps the mind awake, even when I am sleeping. It's a beautiful game. 😁😁😁

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I couldn't agree more that it is a beautiful game. It is good to know you have a beautiful memories of the game. Your buddy has a great time playing it with you.

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Yes @juecoree. I have only happy memories of playing Ruy Lopez, Sicilian Defence, and Caro-Kann. Classics but still effective in friendly games. 👍👍👍

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we learned more from a game we lose than from a game we win

I think this is true. We tend to remember more about the mistakes we made compared to the achievements. This is because it hurts to see us make a mistake.

It sure is an interesting sport. I use to watch a few animes that had go, shogi and chess. They tend to be fairly interesting because it required a lot of hard work for them to succeed. They are always looking and studying the past games to brush up on different strategies. During each match, they overwork their brain to win even if its by a single point. I just find it fairly appealing and great at keeping my attention.

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During each match, they overwork their brain to win even if its by a single point. I just find it fairly appealing and great at keeping my attention.

I agree to this. Sometimes playing the game can overwork our brain, but i think it is in a good way.

This is because it hurts to see us make a mistake.

Although, our mistakes hurts. We can still find joy with the lessons we learned from those mistakes. Thank you for your continuous engagement, @jfang003!

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I am still not sure and I personally wouldn't call it a sport yet some do.

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Nice post. You posed a good question and provided loads of info. Having ingested the info though, I still would not consider chess to be a sport.

It is all about grey matter and physicality counts for nothing, so for me that makes it not a sport. To be classed a sport, you need to physically move in my opinion or throw something or hit something.

I do enjoy playing chess and have showed my 4 year old and 7 year old sons how to play. There is a crisp €20 in the chess box for the first of them to beat me! They both love to play now.

I recently watched the Queen's Gambit which was the catalyst to get the boys into chess. That's a cracking show in case any of you have not seen it yet.

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I am happy to hear that you are teaching your son to play the game. I agree that sports are closely related to physical activities rather than the mental one, but I am still in the in between., Whether chess is a sport or not, nothing will change that we love the game.

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Yes, no doubt it is a great game and excellent for strategy and thinking ahead.

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