Ketho reckons chess is not a sport
Record five-time national chess champion, Phemelo Khetho had a go at his the sport on Facebook on Wednesday, dismissing it as unsuitable for the Olympics.
“If chess is to be considered as an Olympic sport, then knitting and maths should also follow suit,” said Khetho who in April blasted the Botswana Chess Federation (BCF) for low prize money immediately after he was crowned the national champion for the fifth time.
He said chess is no different from other many mind games like shogi, backgammon and checkers or card games like poker, bridge and old maid or problem solving in maths, general knowledge, not to mention dance sport.
“Should they also be allowed? Weightlifting, track and field, cycling all have a lot in common but what does chess have in common with the above?”
Interestingly Khetho was posting this from Norway where he is currently representing Botswana at the ongoing Chess Olympiad.
After posting such a controversial and seemingly negative comment about his sport, Khetho, a computer programmer got a bucketful of criticism from national team players. Tshepiso Lopang was lost for words while Moakofhi Notha, who won Botswana a medal at the All Africa Games in Nigeria, told Khetho blatantly that he must have been drunk when he posted the controversial message.
Another chess player, Vincent Masole regretted that Khetho’s comments had hurt the reputation of the game at a time chess had been busy fighting for recognition as a sport in Botswana.
“We have all fought too hard to get chess where it is now.
While we fight to get the same recognition as football or athletics, we not going to be compared le bo knitting… please,” he posted.
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Plain STUPIDITY by someone who is not getting much attention in chess world. By saying chess is not a sport though he actively plays chess, the entire world now knows who Khetho is. It is akin to Kasparov then accussing his opponents back then of corruption & mismanagement while his own party is full of corrupt & dirty candidates & he himself is proven to be an incompetent leader & manager when he established his breakaway PCA. Both are not only arrogant but stupid as well.
He has a point. Oxford Dictionary
defines “sport” as:
“An activity involving physical exertion and skill…”
I don’t see chess players in the same light as footballers or swimmers. Same as I don’t look at NASCAR drivers as athletes.
Is chess a sport? This is really just a matter of semantics. Inherent in the meaning of a sport, the activity must include some level of PHYSICAL expertise in some way. This is what distinguishes sports from games in general. So I do not consider chess to be a sport. Chess on some levels does have in common with sports the element of intense competition. But just because things of something in common that does not make them the same. And don’t give me the argument that you have to be in good physical shape to be great at chess. It helps to be in good physical shape for almost EVERYTHING one does in life. And there are also some extremely good chess players that are in terrible shape. There are, for example, no super good basketball players that are terribly out of shape physically.
I think the problem lies firstly in the terms ‘physical’ and ‘mental’. Why make a distinction? They are connected and disconnected, at least one of both is needed in sports. So why then is “sport” associated with ‘physical’? Our brain can get exhausted. Our muscles too. But when the brain gets exhausted, the whole body is disfunctional (sleep!). When the muscles get exhausted…sit back and enjoy your day.
To play a (physical) sport you not always need skills, or a high IQ (athletics running 1500m really can have an IQ of <60 and still win while their skills…? Which skills?! It’s all physical! Just move your legs. It’s moving your legs to advance the most distance in less seconds. Again, what skills?).
So why is athletic running more a sport then chess? The skills and IQ you need for winning a chess game on the highest level exceeds the athletic runner! While being out of physical shape (which also means: mental shape) will get you nowhere in the game.
But, alas, there is that mental/physical distinction they’ve made. It really is plain discrimination.
Another point, taking the abuse of the term ‘sports’ one step further, is the distinction between for example volleyball (olympic sport) and korfball, or snooker, lacrosse, cricket, golf? Or bowling? So to be Olympic it’s not only because of physical elements. I bet it’s all about the money!
But, returning to the case, firstly, it has to be a sport.
Let’s start by changing chess to a sport. I say yep!
The Olympic thing comes later, if at all. Cause, do we need it to be Olympic? I say nope!
It really shouldn’t matter whether chess is considered a sport, just semantics. The reason it does matter is that in most countries there is a certain amount of government financial support for ‘sports’, and chess wants its place at the table.