Chess, Is it a sport?

If one goes by the dictionary, sport means a competitive activity involving physical effort and skill. Now if you try to apply this definition to cricket or football, they can be defined as a sport. But with chess, one cannot see much happening, which can be termed physical effort. One cannot see the person engaging in crazy tackles like in football or hitting every ball for a boundary like in cricket, so it is tough for us to call chess a sport because it has only minimal physical exertion.

From this definition we can say that a sport has three essentials: -

1. Competition

2. Physical Exertion

3. Skill

Physical exertion in chess

Physical exertion is limited to moving pieces around the board. It sounds funny that we call this ‘exertion’ but even in dictionaries, there is no lower limit specified for this term. Even if it is minimal, it is exertion.

But one thing that is specified in the dictionary for the word ‘exertion’ is that it can be both physical and mental. When we talk about mental exertion, there is no other sport which requires more mental effort than chess.

Chess is not limited to certain movements and tactics; it requires the use of one’s analytical skills and visualization. Every move can have a consequence. If you move your knight to threaten the opponent’s rook, you must be sure that your Queen is not under threat. One must stay ahead of the curve to get the opponent's better.

Such visualizations are a part of every sport, but in maximum sports, they are done before the game and sometimes in the dugout by the coach. In chess, many decisions must be made in seconds and by the player, not anyone else.

Competition

If we talk about competition, chess is as competitive as any other sport. Like any other sport, even chess has a G.O.A.T debate and there are a lot of players who are part of this debate. Every match is played with a competitive spirit and rivalries are common.

Be it on the domestic or international level, every player has a rival, and their games are no smaller than a derby in football. Each player has the will to become better every day and evolve strategies to beat his opponent. If one loses a match to a rival, it is as disheartening as it is for Mikel Arteta to lose to Erik Ten Hag. One cannot argue against the fact that Chess is a competitive sport.

Skills

Chess requires all kinds of skills that every person might need in tasks we do in daily life. It requires the skills of: -

1. Visualization

2. Analysis

3. Tactics

4. Awareness

5. Problem-solving

6. Patience

7. Pattern Recognition

We need all such skills to lead a good life. Every person needs to solve problems and be patient. It is not a skill which only some people need. If we compare this to other sports, how useful is the skill of dribbling for an ordinary businessperson? Skills one requires to be good at chess are normal skills which everyone needs to possess.

CONCLUSION

Chess meets all requirements to be defined as a sport, but the debate will continue because we can only explore the physical aspect of the game while watching. Everyone wants to base their argument on the physical aspect while ignoring the other requirements but perhaps that is our tendency. We would always want to trust our eyes and general perception more than the details of the case.

Article By: Yash Saxena TAO Chief Sports Correspondant