Sport -v- Game

Garthy

It's an odd one, much like my wife's instrument boxes contain things like a hammer, pliers, grips, file etc, my tool box has a hammer, pliers, grips a file etc... she goes to her practice, I go to my work...

lloyd

Grunfeld said:

Chess seem borderline.  It has elements which seem characteristic of sport:
-- like sport, at élite level you have to train for it; practice alone is not sufficient.
-- there is no element of chance in it; it's all skill.  Whereas games often include chance and randomness to add interest.

But....
It looks like a game because of the lack of physical activity.

If physical activity and mental activity were seen as equal then chess seems to be a sport.  If sweat and a jock strap and a Welsh PE master are necessary then chess probably doesn't cut it.

Does being the Whites not massively increase your chances of winning in Chess? 

Edit: since 1851 it (amongst elite players) has between 52-56% win rate apparently, so while not massive, certainly a decent advantage, how that plays against home/away football/rugby games I'm not sure.

Clarky

so what about full contact dominos? 

Sporky

paul_c2 said:

Parachuting? Its obviously a physical skill (of some kind), but I'm not sure it meets the "betterment" criteria so its marginal. 

Having done seven jumps back at Uni, I can confirm that betterment does occur.

It didn't to me - I fell out of the plane flailing like a fish out of water, but most of the people I jumped with got the hang of falling the right way up. Apparently it then hurts much less when the chute inflates.

Myranda

If you perspire purely from concentration or because it's hot out... Game. 

If you perspire because your running/jumping/lifting etc  to the limit of your ability... Sport (or you need to lose weight)