Expert: Tony D'Aloisio - 4/23/2008

Question
is chess a sport


Answer
Played informally, as a leisure-time activity, no, it isn't.  But many have regarded serious competitive chess as a sport, particularly in Eastern Europe and Russia.  The reason for this is the chess clock.

The fact that each player has to make a given number of moves in a certain time allotment (if they don't, they forfeit the game--i.e., lose) means that you have to bring to bear an athlete's outlook to the game.  You must use your time efficiently, and if you run short of time (called "time pressure" or "time trouble") you may find yourself having to make a series of high-pressure moves almost instantly.  In addition (speaking of pressure), the tension of playing for stakes as high as the world championship (and knowing that any blunder you might make can toss away years of effort by a moment's lapse) also requires the steely resolve of an athlete going for the gold.

A tremendous amount of energy is used up by chess masters in a single session of play.  It is indeed axiomatic that players as they get into their forties and beyond are no longer able to cope with this output; fatigue often takes its toll on the older player, particularly in the final hour of play.  This is also why most top players maintain a strenuous physical regimen.  Korchnoi for example (one of the rare players who continued to be among the world's best past the age of 50) used to run 8 miles a day.  Fischer swam daily and played tennis regularly.  If you are not fit physically, you can hardly hope to compete successfully with the world's top players.