Chess Forum
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| ddrfreak101 8/31/2003 20:34:52 [ report this post ] |
 Subject: is chess sport Message: A lot of my friends say chess is not a sport, I think it is. I would like to know what other people a gameknot think. What do you think? |
| olympio 8/31/2003 20:54:09 [ report this post ] | fdassjkfljds;aklf;djklafjeiwofjfj Message: according to dictionary.com a sport is a physical activity.. by that definition, no. the way i see sports, yes. though top players claim to spend much time with physical exercise as well as mental i don't really believe that plays a major factor. however the mental preparation required is intense. there are champions and championships.. competition.. controversy.. stars, sad failures who never reached their potential. what's missing are 10 million dollar contracts and strikes because 10 million isn't enough. also, americans are interested in games where a clear winner emerges victorious.. draws don't make sense to the general public. |
| kai_sim 9/01/2003 06:31:30 [ report this post ] | we had this before... Message: and i thought it was very funny here some highlights: (this one is dedicated to olympio - thx for reminding me on it): silverwolfwsc posted: According to American Heritage 1-Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. -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. answer from buddy2 (thx for this one again): "Under this definition picking up girls is a sport." and from mattafort: "hmm ... physical activity how about chess played using chess pieces that weigh 100 kilo! (200 pounds) that would do it - it is a SPORT" the old post you can find here: gameknot.com/fmsg/chess/2355.shtml maybe this time some one will be able to answer my old question: "i think to remember that there where studies with kasparov about physical exhaustion during important games - does anyone know what came out of it?" best regards kai |
| invincible1 9/01/2003 08:24:52 [ report this post ] | go look Message: I had conducted a very interesting poll on ragsman's forum with various options on what chess means to each.... Very curious and varied response! Worth going and looking!! |
| anaxagoras 9/01/2003 20:24:28 [ report this post ] | Message: Ok, please raise your hand if you think the above dictionary definitions pick out all sports and only sports. War is at least one glaring counterexample, and there are many more. Which is why a dictionary is useless for a serious discussion about symantics... Here's a good one for the people who won't give up on defining everything: Are all sports games? Certainly not all games are sports (we all agree here). But what makes some sports games and some games sports? Go ahead, knock yourself out. |
| dervish 9/01/2003 20:55:42 [ report this post ] | seems like Message: chess is pretty physical to me,.. This story I read at www.chess-knights.com MOSCOW -- Doctors are blaming a rare electrical imbalance in the brain for the bizarre death of a chess player whose head literally exploded in the middle of a championship game! No one else was hurt in the fatal explosion but four players and three officials at the Moscow Candidate Masters' Chess Championships were sprayed with blood and brain matter when Nikolai Titov's head suddenly blew apart. Experts say he suffered from a condition called Hyper-Cerebral Electrosis or HCE. "He was deep in concentration with his eyes focused on the board," says Titov's opponent, Vladimir Dobrynin. "All of a sudden his hands flew to his temples and he screamed in pain. Everyone looked up from their games, startled by the noise. Then, as if someone had put a bomb in his cranium, his head popped like a firecracker." Incredibly, Titiov's is not the first case in which a person's head has spontaneously exploded. Five people are known to have died of HCE in the last 25 years. The most recent death occurred just three years ago in 1991, when European psychic Barbara Nicole's skull burst. Miss Nicole's story was reported by newspapers worldwide, including WWN. "HCE is an extremely rare physical imbalance," said Dr. Anatoly Martinenko, famed neurologist and expert on the human brain who did the autopsy on the brilliant chess expert. "It is a condition in which the circuits of the brain become overloaded by the body's own electricity. The explosions happen during periods of intense mental activity when lots of current is surging through the brain. Victims are highly intelligent people with great powers of concentration. Both Miss Nicole and Mr. Titov were intense people who tended to keep those cerebral circuits overloaded. In a way it could be said they were literally too smart for their own good." Although Dr. Martinenko says there are probably many undiagnosed cases, he hastens to add that very few people will die from HCE. "Most people who have it will never know. At this point, medical science still doesn't know much about HCE. And since fatalities are so rare it will probably be years before research money becomes available." In the meantime, the doctor urges people to take it easy and not think too hard for long periods of time. "Take frequent relaxation breaks when you're doing things that take lots of mental focus," he recommends. ----------------------------------------------- Although HCE is very rare, it can kill. Dr. Martinenko says knowing you have the condition can greatly improve your odds of surviving it. A "yes" answer to any three of the following seven questions could mean that you have HCE: Does your head sometimes ache when you think too hard? (Head pain can indicate overloaded brain circuits.) Do you ever hear a faint ringing or humming sound in your ears? (It could be the sound of electricity in the skull cavity.) Do you sometimes find yourself unable to get a thought out of your head? (This is a possible sign of too much electrical activity in the cerebral cortex.) Do you spend more than five hours a day reading, balancing your checkbook, or other thoughtful activity? (A common symptom of HCE is a tendency to over-use the brain.) When you get angry or frustrated do you feel pressure in your temples? (Friends of people who died of HCE say the victims often complained of head pressure in times of strong emotion.) Do you ever overeat on ice cream, doughnuts and other sweets? (A craving for sugar is typical of people with too much electrical pressure in the cranium.) Do you tend to analyze yourself too much? (HCE sufferers are often introspective, "over-thinking" their lives.) |
| wreimann 9/02/2003 13:39:32 [ report this post ] | Study about GM's Message: Chess players often loose several kilograms during matches or tournaments. In Munich they studied the physical reactions in a human body during serious master games. The results were stuning. For example, the adrenalin level during a game is the same that Formula 1 drivers experience during a race. A F1 race only last round about 1 1/2 hours which is short distance in master level chess. If a normal person would suddenly experience this adrenalin level it would die immediatly. Also they tested the photographic memory of the (at that time) young Kasparow to see how long it stores. They let him read books (several hundred pages) to see how long he can recall them word by word. They found out it lasts 2-3 weeks, what a good preparation for a match!! I look if all this is posted in the internet if yes i state the site later. |
| divine_sun_cat 9/02/2003 13:47:06 [ report this post ] | dervish Message: you do realise that story is a wind-up don't you? |
| coyotefan 9/02/2003 22:05:02 [ report this post ] | Chess is not a sport Message: It is a mental activity, not a physical activity. |
| tonlesu 9/02/2003 22:42:34 [ report this post ] | sports Message: Back in the last century, I think it was 1999, ESPN ran a segment called great sports highlights of the 20th century. They did this everynight for the entire year. One night their segment was Fischer v Spassky 1972. I guess ESPN believes it was a sporting event. |
| bigkev 9/03/2003 05:59:17 [ report this post ] | What qualifies as a sport? Message: Is darts or snooker or pool (9 ball) sport or are they games. They have a physical component. I notice that shooting is a sport. What level of physical activity separates a sport from a game or does the level of physical activity not define a sport and therefore the dictionary is inaccurate. More conundrums and brain power that would be better served over a chess board. BTW I believe chess is a sport but because it is not visually appealing there is no interest from TV networks. |
| anaxagoras 9/03/2003 14:14:36 [ report this post ] | coyotefan Message: "It is a mental activity, not a physical activity." Are you a mind-body dualist? I am sincerely curious! Suppose that we translated chess moves into physical motions, e.g. to play e4 you have to jump twice and clap once. What would chess be then? A "mental" or "physical" activity? |
| anaxagoras 9/03/2003 14:16:06 [ report this post ] | Message: Of course, we are all running in circles here. This thread is nonsense. |
| error 9/04/2003 20:27:39 [ report this post ] | No Message: Is Monopoly a sport? No. Chess is simply a board game that has became very popular. Sure it takes much more work and dedication then any other, but that doesnt change if it qualifys or not. Just my opinion. |
| ddrfreak101 9/04/2003 21:07:11 [ report this post ] | come on Message: its a sport |
| olympio 9/04/2003 21:24:37 [ report this post ] | monopoly? Message: what are we comparing here? game with championships.. international tournaments.. gladiators who take the game to new levels.. thousands of books written on the subject.. careers.. to a game where you roll dice and buy imaginary properties and steal money from the bank when no one is looking? what a bad comparison. |
| error 9/05/2003 16:49:07 [ report this post ] | Message: It's not my fault no one writes books on monopoly. it could have championships. The fact that no one wants them, doesnt matter, if it was played more seriously, it would be just as much a sport as chess is. |
| olympio 9/05/2003 19:20:29 [ report this post ] | error Message: you're in "error" you were using the fact that monopoly is a board game to as an argument for why chess isn't a sport. but that fails because monopoly as you said is not taken as seriously as chess like you said "it could have championships" then it would be just as much a sport as chess is the point is, it doesn't have championships, so unlike chess, it is not a sport. and if it did have championships, i would argue for it being a sport just as much as i argue for chess being a sport |
| anaxagoras 9/05/2003 20:36:26 [ report this post ] | Message: Ok then. Argue for me why having a championship makes a game a sport. |
| kai_sim 9/05/2003 22:06:06 [ report this post ] | time out and start thinking, review the past posts Message: ... now my thoughts: monopoly can't become a sport neither poker or skat and so on. simply because there is also luck involved (dices, random cards, etc) in chess you don't have that. thank you wreimann i was waiting for that answer a long time i heard when they started the studdy, but never heard results. fact is: chess after that studdy can have all points to be considdered as a sport. my lucky guess is, that chess is not olympic because there is a chance that the entire event will end as a tie. shooting for example you'll get a limited count of shots on the target, most rings wins. why is shooting considdered as a sport and even olympic but chess not? (don't want to even think about horse riding and curling) so when you ask me, i would say it's a sport and it would even be olympic if there wouldn't be the chance that the entire event ends remis. greetings to all kai |
| anaxagoras 9/06/2003 13:43:45 [ report this post ] | Message: Good grief. When will one of you admit that *there is no criterion* for saying what's a sport and what is not a sport. Ask the general public: chess is not a sport. End of story. |
| thumper 9/06/2003 20:36:27 [ report this post ] | hehe Message: Chess is not a sport..........it's a way of life. :-) |
| olympio 9/06/2003 21:35:42 [ report this post ] | anaxagoras Message: how about right now? i think no one admitted it till this point because it wasn't relevant. of course the general public is going to not consider chess a sport. the question is.. is it a sport? is there some definition of a sport that we can consider definitive and that applies to chess. it's a philosophical discussion not a new rule we're trying to impose on the general public. |
| bigkev 9/07/2003 03:46:11 [ report this post ] | General Public? Message: The same general public that says chess is not a sport would probably also say synchronised swimming is not a sport. But synchronised swimming is an olympic event. Go figure. Ice dancing is a sport but other forms of dancing such as ballroom, modern, tap, etc isn't. Methinks there is some other agenda that classifies an activity as a sport other than the dictionary and the general public |
| wizard_of_odd 9/10/2003 22:39:16 [ report this post ] | In my book... Message: ...a sport is something competetive that you do for recreation. What I consider recreation, however, might not be the same as what others enjoy. Muscle-building, for instance, is too much like work for me to consider recreation. But I do believe it's considered a sport. Or running. Why would I do that fo *fun*? Just a few thoughts from a woodpusher. *Wiz* |
| olympio 9/10/2003 23:21:14 [ report this post ] | maybe Message: In order to be a sport you have to be entertaining to audiences. Probably Russians consider chess a sport, true? |
| anaxagoras 9/11/2003 09:42:51 [ report this post ] | olympio wrote: Message: "is there some definition of a sport that we can consider definitive and that applies to chess. it's a philosophical discussion not a new rule we're trying to impose on the general public." A definitive definition of sport is precisely what I deny exists. In so far as this discussion is a piece of philosophy it's a piece of confusion. Go ahead and call chess a sport if you like. I couldn't say you were wrong, just that I wasn't familiar with that use of 'sport.' (perhaps I could get used to it) But whether or not chess is a sport is immaterial: the game remains the same. p.s. olympio, I find it so charming that you and I always end up on opposite sides! ;-) |
| olympio 9/11/2003 10:50:35 [ report this post ] | it's Message: It's much more educational for everyone that way. Wouldn't you say? Maybe the concept of a sport is more emotional than intellectual. Chess simply "feels" sporty to me. And maybe the problem is that most people don't feel the same way. |
| anaxagoras 9/11/2003 12:25:18 [ report this post ] | Message: Well, it is funny that professional chess players do so much of what athletes do for training. Both have a regulated diet, exercise, and benefit from relaxation techniques that a Buddhist might call 'clearing your mind.' Then again, you can be severely out of shape and still excel at chess, and save for the position of relief pitcher in baseball, physical excellence is necessary in sports. |
| wizard_of_odd 9/11/2003 19:36:54 [ report this post ] | Maybe not... Message: "In order to be a sport you have to be entertaining to audiences." Nah. How would you explain golf, then? *rofl* Besides, I've seen lots of people entertaining themselves with spirited debates about their favorite chess champ's latest conquests... or more usually, speculation about the same. Chess is definitely a spectator sport. Seriously, though... hunting is considered a sport, right? It's certainly not a spectator sport (that I know of). Also, if I recall correctly, the original phrasing "for sport" used to mean something you do "for play". I don't know about you, but when I play chess, I'm playing, or "sporting". *Wiz* |
| olympio 9/11/2003 19:56:20 [ report this post ] | wizard_of_odd Message: the golf point is well taken. i'd also add baseball as one of those sports that is unbearable to watch. |
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