Chess should be a sport.
But why? I mean, it's not like it deserves respect more or less than a sport (more than Chess Boxing), but it's really more of a board game. I'm all for mental abilities, but I think a sport should be tied largely with physical abilities that one has cultivated over time. Also, if a computer can replace a human as an opponent, then I think it's safe to say that it's more mental.
I guess it's mainly a question of how you define a "sport". You mentioned abilities one has cultivated over time. But when it comes to things like strength, or speed, that's more a matter of genetics than it is anything they actually did.
(warning, I overdo it with the sarcasm here)
Yep, an athlete work don't hard to get where he or she is. They in no way cultivate their bodies for a specific sport which requires specific muscles and training, they were just blessed by the magical genetics fairy from the moment of birth. And no sport requires strategy.
OK, sorry about that. I'm not mad, I just think it's a really flawed argument.
Chess should be a sport.
But why? I mean, it's not like it deserves respect more or less than a sport (more than Chess Boxing), but it's really more of a board game. I'm all for mental abilities, but I think a sport should be tied largely with physical abilities that one has cultivated over time. Also, if a computer can replace a human as an opponent, then I think it's safe to say that it's more mental.
It's the knowledge and understanding of how to play the game that should warrant the merit, not anything they were lucky enough to be born with.
"It's a game played by the dexterous, but only understood by the pointdexterous."

And that alone? My sister is very athletic and she worked damned hard to get to her level (she went to the Canada games for rowing and her rowing partner eventually went to Beijing for the summer Olympics) and she also cultivated her body strategically to do it. Maybe genetics give someone an edge, but there's a LOT going on in sports beyond that. Some great athletes with great genes burn out psychologically or physically. Oh, and there is definitely an understanding of athletes about their sports. They can understand it more an insane degree of intimacy.
Again I'm not ragging on Chess or saying one thing is superior to another, but the physical element of chess (moving pieces) is small enough that I really can't see it as a sport. Yes, it's deserving of respect as a sport and more awesome super-villains play chess rather than squash, but it's not a sport.
BTW, definition a la dictionary:
Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
Which is not really the thrust of chess.