Mind sport
Encyclopedia
A Mind Sport is a sport
or a game of skill
where the mental
component is much more significant than the physical
. The official bodies that use the term have over 500 million registered users.
in 1996,. Bodies such as the memory council use the term retrospectively.
It is a term that became fixed from games trying to obtain equal status to sports. For example from 2002 British Minister for Sport, Richard Caborn
said:
Many of the games official bodies which had come together for the Mind Sports Olympiad, formed larger organisations such as the Mind Sports Council and International Mind Sports Association
(IMSA). With IMSA organising the World Mind Sports Games
in Beijing 2008 for Contract bridge
, Chess
, Go, Draughts
and Xiangqi
many other bodies have lobbied for inclusion such as the International Federation of Poker
The term also includes mental calculation
or memory
disciplines as presented in International competitions such as the Mental Calculation World Cup
(held bi-annually since 2004) and the World Memory Championships
(held annually since 1991)
and Computer programming
Events that have also been included where the physical element is comparable to the mental component such as when the official South African Mind Sports body accepted Texting as a mind sport.
Sport
A Sport is all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim to use, maintain or improve physical fitness and provide entertainment to participants. Sport may be competitive, where a winner or winners can be identified by objective means, and may require a degree...
or a game of skill
Game of skill
A game of skill is a game where the outcome is determined mainly by mental and/or physical skill, rather than by pure chance.One benefit of games of skill is that they are a means of exploring one's own capabilities. Games encourage the player to look at, understand, and experience things...
where the mental
Mind
The concept of mind is understood in many different ways by many different traditions, ranging from panpsychism and animism to traditional and organized religious views, as well as secular and materialist philosophies. Most agree that minds are constituted by conscious experience and intelligent...
component is much more significant than the physical
Body
With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death...
. The official bodies that use the term have over 500 million registered users.
History of the term
The first major use of the term was as a result of the Mind Sports Olympiad in 1997 described as the Olympics of the mind.The Mind Sports Olympiad Supplements, The Times, July - August 1997 The phrase had been used prior to this event such as backgammon being described as a mind sport by Tony BuzanTony Buzan
Anthony "Tony" Peter Buzan is an author and educational consultant. He is a proponent of the techniques of Mind Mapping and mental literacy. He claims to have worked with "corporate entities and businesses all over the world; academics; Olympic athletes; children of all ages; governments; and...
in 1996,. Bodies such as the memory council use the term retrospectively.
It is a term that became fixed from games trying to obtain equal status to sports. For example from 2002 British Minister for Sport, Richard Caborn
Richard Caborn
Richard George Caborn PC is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Central from 1983 to 2010...
said:
"...I believe we should have the same obligation to mental agility as we do to physical agility. Mind sports have to form UK national bodies and get together with the government to devise an acceptable amendment to the 1937 Act that clearly differentiates mind sports from parlour board games."
Many of the games official bodies which had come together for the Mind Sports Olympiad, formed larger organisations such as the Mind Sports Council and International Mind Sports Association
International Mind Sports Association
The International Mind Sports Association is an institution of the world governing bodies for contract bridge, chess, draughts , and go, namely the World Bridge Federation , World Chess Federation , World Draughts Federation , and International Go Federation...
(IMSA). With IMSA organising the World Mind Sports Games
World Mind Sports Games
The first World Mind Sports Games were held in Beijing, China from October 3 to 18, 2008, about two months after the Olympic Games. They were sponsored and organised by the International Mind Sports Association with the General Administration of Sport of China and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of...
in Beijing 2008 for Contract bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
, Chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, Go, Draughts
Draughts
Draughts is a group of abstract strategy board games between two players which involve diagonal moves of uniform pieces and mandatory captures by jumping over the enemy's pieces. Draughts developed from alquerque...
and Xiangqi
Xiangqi
Xiangqi is a two-player Chinese board game in the same family as Western chess, chaturanga, shogi, Indian chess and janggi. The present-day form of Xiangqi originated in China and is therefore commonly called Chinese chess in English. Xiangqi is one of the most popular board games in China...
many other bodies have lobbied for inclusion such as the International Federation of Poker
International Federation of Poker
The International Federation of Poker is a non-profit organization incorporated as a legal entity pursuant to articles 60 to 79 of the Swiss Civil Code and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. IFP's stated purpose is to "serve as the global governing body for poker".-History:IFP was founded...
The term also includes mental calculation
Mental calculation
Mental calculation comprises arithmetical calculations using only the human brain, with no help from calculators, computers, or pen and paper. People use mental calculation when computing tools are not available, when it is faster than other means of calculation , or in a competition context...
or memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
disciplines as presented in International competitions such as the Mental Calculation World Cup
Mental Calculation World Cup
-Mental Calculation World Cup 2004:The first Mental Calculation World Cup was held in Annaberg-Buchholz, Germany on 30 October 2004. There were 17 participants from 10 countries.The World Cup involved the following contests :...
(held bi-annually since 2004) and the World Memory Championships
World Memory Championships
The World Memory Championships is an organized competition of mental sports in which competitors memorize as much information as possible within a given period of time. The Championship has taken place annually since 1991 and has been staged by various organisations...
(held annually since 1991)
Games called Mind Sports
As well as many Board games and Card games, other purer mental disciplines have been described as mind sports such as speed readingSpeed reading
Speed reading is a collection of reading methods which attempt to increase rates of reading without greatly reducing comprehension or retention. Methods include chunking and eliminating subvocalization...
and Computer programming
Computer programming
Computer programming is the process of designing, writing, testing, debugging, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in one or more programming languages. The purpose of programming is to create a program that performs specific operations or exhibits a...
Events that have also been included where the physical element is comparable to the mental component such as when the official South African Mind Sports body accepted Texting as a mind sport.
See also
- Mental Calculation World CupMental Calculation World Cup-Mental Calculation World Cup 2004:The first Mental Calculation World Cup was held in Annaberg-Buchholz, Germany on 30 October 2004. There were 17 participants from 10 countries.The World Cup involved the following contests :...
(bi-annually since 2004) - World Memory ChampionshipsWorld Memory ChampionshipsThe World Memory Championships is an organized competition of mental sports in which competitors memorize as much information as possible within a given period of time. The Championship has taken place annually since 1991 and has been staged by various organisations...
(annually since 1991) - Mind Sports Olympiad (annually since 1997)
- World Mind Sports GamesWorld Mind Sports GamesThe first World Mind Sports Games were held in Beijing, China from October 3 to 18, 2008, about two months after the Olympic Games. They were sponsored and organised by the International Mind Sports Association with the General Administration of Sport of China and the Beijing Municipal Bureau of...
(held once in 2008)
External links
- Mind Sports Olympiad games A-Z
- Who Is the all-time greatest Mind Sports Champion?, Raymond KeeneRaymond KeeneRaymond Dennis Keene OBE is an English chess Grandmaster, a FIDE International Arbiter, a chess organiser, and a journalist and author.p196 He won the British Chess Championship in 1971, and was the first player from England to earn a Grandmaster norm, in 1974. In 1976 he became the second...
, 7 September 2008