Recognition for Chess in Scotland

[StevieHilton]

I must disagree with Andrew Greet and Keith Ruxton.

Chess is a sport let me be clear at the start. Even within the current definition of a sport that is being used, Chess can be classified as a sport, because it uses the mind and the mind is the most important part of the body, because without it other sports could not be played.

I do not accept the argument that if chess were classified as a sport, then it would lose its educational funding, Other sports such as football, Rugby, athletics, swimming are funded through the educational budget as well as through sports Scotland so why not chess?
What Alex McFarlane says about the sports council being reluctant to fund chess through them if it were a sport, could in my view put that council on tricky legal grounds with the IOC & with discrimination laws.

We are already at a disadvantage because chess is not regarded as highly in a cultural sense as it is in Eastern Europe where Chess for the blind, is funded by the country's paralympic committee. and we have moved our olympiad to an odd numbered year to avoid clashes with the paralympics.

I have also been been told by MSP'S that a sport has to be recognised by all four sports councils and parliaments. What is the point of sport being devolved then?
Shinty is not played anywhere in the uk apart from here but is funded by sports Scotland

Classification as a sport is vital if our players are to be able to compete on level terms with other nations
There is one final point that we can use is that there is great integrational value in chess ie, the ablebodied and disabled can play together on level terms

Best Wishes
Steve Hilton
Secretary General
IBCA

[Andrew McHarg]

...because it uses the mind and the mind is the most important part of the body, because without it other sports could not be played.

I don't see how "the mind" could possibly be considered the most important part of the body. I'm not even sure it would be defined as being part of the body at all, but that's perhaps a little pedantic. Without the heart or brain other sports couldn't be played either; so I would suggest that many parts of the body are as important as each other, because without them life would cease to function.

[StevieHilton]

Andrew,
You have to use the mind to decide where you want pass the ball or whatever. It is called speed of thought.
Without it you have no sport!! Why do many sports use psychologists then? That emphasise the importance of the mind in Sport

[Andrew McHarg]

Andrew,
You have to use the mind to decide where you want pass the ball or whatever. It is called speed of thought.
Without it you have no sport!! Why do many sports use psychologists then? That emphasise the importance of the mind in Sport

I'm not disputing the importance of the mind in sport. I was disputing the claim that it's somehow more important than other parts of the body.

[HLang]

I've just been reading about how in 1998 Graeme Obree, double world champion and multiple world record breaking cyclist, was waiting to hear what grant he would get to help him prepare for the Commonwealth Games. He had recently got very close to his own Scottish 10 mile record - in the off season. But 10 years before the Beijing Olympics, cycling in Britain didn't have anything like the profile that is has now:

The total living expenditure of my grant for Commonwealth Games living expenses was £460. I was pretty dumped to say the least, to think that over the year I was worth less than £10 per week... I could not help thinking about those with a good salary who would be soaking up the praise for good management of their funds if I won the medals I hoped to.

-- "The Flying Scotsman", Graeme Obree

[StevieHilton]

Andrew,
The fact is clear field sports would be impossible without the mind. That makes it the most important part of the body

[Hugh Brechin]

Nice to see is-chess-a-sport rearing its ugly head again. I believe I expressed my views on the matter on the old board at tedious length (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://scotchess.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopic.php?p=13231&highlight=&mforum=scotchess#13231">http://scotchess.s4.bizhat.com/viewtopi ... hess#13231</a><!-- m --> might or might not be a link to the key post there), but basically I think chess isn't a sport because there's no gap between conception and execution. That's by the by though - I'd be happy to agree with chess being classed as a form of interpretive dance if I thought it would get us more funding. I've long been concerned that classing chess as a sport would not achieve this, and I think Keith's post (and Andrew's interview) should be heeded.

[Mike Scott]

Steve said:-

Andrew,
The fact is clear field sports would be impossible without the mind. That makes it the most important part of the body

Sorry Steve but that is a pointless statement. Very few things in life are possible with out the active involvement of the mind. The mind plays a vital role in almost all human activities: at one level it may be simply to control the body is reaction to exercise to maximise one's performance or it may be in anticipating where the ball is going next or working out the weakness in your opponent.

To me the difference is the degree the thinking mind is involved: in chess it is 100%: there are no physical skills required. In sports the mind clearly has a role but in most sports it is second to some physical skill. Mind you, one could argue that the physical skill is just another aspect of the mind at play.

This is essentially the point Hugh is making. So does that make snooker or darts a sport?

I do not see darts as a sport yet I think archery is!

[StevieHilton]

Mike,
I must strongly disagree with your comment that my statement is pointless, just as I would disagree with your comment that there is no physical involvement in chess. That is a rediculous statement. Are you saying that a chess player is as fresh in the fifth hour of a match as they are in the first? There is no way that they are.
There is a certain degree of physicality involved in chess and even within the narrow definition of what is a sport in this country, that to me classifies chess as a sport. The point you make about the the thinking mind's involvement is irrelevant because to play a sport and to play it well you need your mind focused 100% whatever the sport.

[Calum MacQueen]

There is a certain degree of physicality involved in chess

Really? I understand that being physically fit helps but that seems a little much. Being fit probably helps you concentrate at work, is that a sport? There is plenty of examples, totally agree with Mike that your mind argument is pretty weak.

Chess just isn't a sport but that doesn't make it less worthy of funding or recognition, of course. Effort just needs to be focused in different areas. Drop out rates is probably something to look at. I've worked in a few primary schools and the uptake for chess has been really high yet there are very few high school clubs. Jonny runs the university club and he's had a decent few people who used to play in primary school but gave it up. Dare I say this is due to the image that chess has and the fact that teenagers don't fancy spending their weekends sitting down. Just a quick idea, tournaments like Dalguise aimed at slightly older ages might work?