Why is chess so popular in the Eastern European countries?

I have noticed that chess is extremely popular in Eastern Europe, much more so

than it seems in the rest of Europe. I was wondering if anyone has any opinions as

to why this is so.

...

More traditional cultures; less cable TV and fewer videogameaholics?

In western Europe and the US chess is for nerds.

In eastern Europe and India chess is for everyone.

Here in Denmark, in by far most schools, you are considered a nerd if you play chess. I have known alot of kids enjoying playing chess, but stopped playing because the other kids called him a nerd. Its sad but true.

The biggest reason has to do with political history and literacy campaigns. 

Chess was pushed by the communist party in Soviet Russia for several reasons. It served to help a literacy campaign in some respects as the ability to read and write chess moves was motivation to learn at least the basics of written language. It was an inexpensive poliitical tool that served a propaganda campaign to internally demonstrate to the citizens of the USSR the intellectual superiority of Soviets over the rest of the world. It also served as inexpensive entertainment to a nation with few resources to spend on diversionary endeavors. As communism spread acrossed Eastern Europe the political tools of communism, including Chess, spread with it. 

How intresting that even a positive and healthy activity, when promoted by a communist regime (admitantly a deformed one), is viewed cynically as a propaganda tool.

But aside from that Kingpatzer's explination seems pretty sound.

I think it is more popular in Eastern Europe because of politics in the early 20th century. Because so many Eastern European countries were influenced and/or controlled by Russia,( who viewed Chess as a occupation like any other) who taught the game starting in elementary school up through adulthood it carried over to today where the incentive is money; In those countries Chess is as ingrained as Soccer, Cricket, Basketball and anyother Sport.

I think they are just smarter people and used chess to release all that mental energy.

Of course chess was big in the Soviet Union and politics is a central part of the explanation, but at the same time chess was big in non-Soviet Eastern Europe also long before World War II. Czech Flohr and Estonian Keres were seen as the most likely challengers to Alekhine at the end of the 1930s, and Poland and Hungary were the teams to win by far most medals in the first dozen Chess Olympiads. Poland had long been a great chess country, with Zukertort, Winawer, Rubinstein and Janowski, and later top players like Najdorf and Reshevsky spent their first years in Poland.

What else do they have to do during those long cold winters?

no college football

In my country there is even no word with exact meaning like "nerd" in Ukrainian/Russian language. Of course, we have some words for guys who like science and don't like society activities, we even understand what "nerd" means but technical people are more welcomed here. And playing chess is not a shame. Sometimes I really don't understansd western culture.

Lol.

Chess are not included in a must-have school program.

And cricket and baseball are not popular in former USSR countries. We like football, less basketball and hockey, less boxing and less chess. It's if speaking in common.

here is a little secret.women are attracted to strong chess players

It was promoted by the Soviet Government, and also chess tends to be respected more in Eastern Europe than Western Europe.

Also to a far lesser extent Eastern Europe tends to have long and extrendly harsh winters, leading to indoor activities such as chess becoming very neccesary

"We had nothing else to do" - Kasparov

Russia literally promotes it