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gwern comments on February 2013 Media Thread - Less Wrong Discussion
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You're far from the first person I've seen recommend Chihayafuru, and I even downloaded the OST (liked several tracks a lot) - but I still can't get over the premise. Playing karuta? Really? I read up on it long ago while researching Fujiwara no Teika (who happens to be the compiler of the anthology used), and it sounds dull as heck.
My experience with creative works about sports is that they don't need to depend on the excitement generated by the sport so much as the excitement that the players have.
One of the things that's fascinating about Chihayafuru is that it's totally self-conscious that karuta is totally uninteresting to the general public. I would describe the show's content as being roughly one third the excitement of karuta matches, one third the interpersonal drama of the three protagonists, and one third the protagonist's interactions with society at large, which thinks her interest in karuta is silly.
The last two often combine, and I can't decide if the show is saying "Chihaya's situation is sad because society doesn't understand her" or "Chihaya's situation is sad because she doesn't understand society," or both. (Also, maybe her situation gets less sad, I don't know yet.)
Sounds like a lot of otaku-centric anime, actually - Oreimo, Genshiken, Welcome to the NHK!, Otaku no Video, etc. Sometimes they swing from one extreme to another over an episode (although I think ONV is probably the most extreme due to its negative live-action segments interspersed in the positive anime).
Get over the premise. I'm sure karuta is a pretty terrible game, but Chihayafuru makes it really easy to suspend disbelief there.
Fine, I'll try it.
The biggest appeal of the show is the charming and well-developed characters, but a very common reaction among those who watch it is "wow, I can't believe that they made something so seemingly lame so exciting". Chihayafuru is proof that execution is everything. Also, it helps that the game is a bit more vigorous/physical than it might sound from reading the rules (eg: http://mizunoyukino.tumblr.com/post/42129944787), and that the show isn't afraid to have the protagonists actually lose important matches sometimes.
There's also a character who uses detailed statistics on the team and their opponents' play to improve their strategy, which may be up your alley :).