Chessboxing

[londoner]

Chessboxing: A sport mixing brains and brawn

 

Lennox Lewis and the Klitschko brothers are very good chess players by all accounts, Lewis has a 2000 rating in the game which I'm told is a high standard and he always did compare the tactics of boxing to that of a good game of chess. I wonder if either have any designs then on entering the world of Chessboxing?

 

On Saturday night, London played host to a rather unusual new combined sporting event, that mixes brains with brawn. Saturdays showdown saw Dutchman Hubert "The Wardrobe" Van Melick beat challenger Patrick Teehan.

 

The rules are this - the contest sees alternating rounds of chess and boxing. After the boxing round is over, the chess board is carried into the ring and the fighters sit down for four minutes of chess moves before the next round of boxing!

 

The winner of a contest is the first one to either knockout their opponent during the boxing or a checkmate them in the chess round.

 

Although the extremists of both sports might take some persuading to take on board game that originated in Berlin, it is something that as been gaining momentum and a large following.

 

The sport traces its origins to a 1992 comic book by French artist Enki Bilal, "Froid Equateur". The comic, which depicted the hybrid sport, inspired Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh to make it happen for real.

 

Rubingh said the contest favours the athlete who is clever and strong.

 

"There is no sport that combines mental and physical aspects, so when I came up with the idea I was immediately intrigued because it combines mental abilities and physical capabilities," he said.

 

Lennox Lewis, (right) Britain's former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world once said that chess was one of his preparations for boxing and helped him think more in the ring and work to a strategy.

 

"It's like boxing - there's a strategy, you have to decide what move to use, or what combination of moves, Lewis said.

 

"I'm thinking less when I'm boxing, because the reaction time is a lot quicker, but some people call me the chess boxer because they say I think too much when I'm in the ring.

 

"I am taking my time about it and they are not seeing the action they want. Well, that is because I am thinking of the proper strategy to defeat this man. I am thinking and boxing at the same time. Some boxers just go in there and just throw punches and hope to win." added Lewis.

 

The basic idea in chessboxing is to combine the No1 thinking sport and the No1 fighting sport into a hybrid that demands the most of its competitors – both mentally and physically.

 

In a chessboxing fight two opponents play alternating rounds of chess and boxing. The contest starts with a round of chess, followed by a boxing round, followed by another round of chess and so on.

 

A contest consists of 11 rounds, 6 rounds of chess, 5 rounds of boxing. A round of chess takes 4 minutes. Each competitor has 12 minutes on the chess timer.

 

A round of boxing takes 3 minutes. Between the rounds there is a 1 minute pause, during which competitors change their gear. The contest is decided by: checkmate (chess round), exceeding the time limit (chess round), retirement of an opponent (chess or boxing round), KO (boxing round), or referee decision (boxing round).

 

If the chess game ends in a stalemate, the opponent with the higher score in boxing wins. If there is an equal score, the opponent with the black pieces wins. visit for more information http://www.wcbo.org

 

http://www.britishboxers.co.uk/

[londoner]

What an absolute farce.

 

They say boxing is like a game of chess. Yeah, except that chess players are usually gawky looking men with no muscle who aren't being punched in the face.

 

I just went to Britishboxers website and saw this on the front page so i googled it. Turns out it has its own Wikipedia page, has an Org in charge and can also be watched on Youtube.

 

It makes a mockery of the sport suggesting that it is sensible for 2 people to fight a round, then sit down, lose adrenaline and concentration while having a game of chess, then go back and fight a round, then back to chess....

[edsel77x]

mlol/

[gavpowell]

It's my understanding that a high-level knowledge of chess can allow you to see all kinds of opportunities where strategy and tactics are concerned.

 

Similarly, a mediocre chess game can bring disadvantages, as while you're standing there racking your brains about the implications of queen to bishop's knight 4, the other guy has come charging across the ring and chinned you.

[iamasadlittleboy]

This has been around for a while now.

[davemurphy]

I recall on some broadcast quite a few years ago, I don't think it was HBO but was either a ESPN or even a USA Network TNF, they did a little feature on the possiblity of Chess Boxing. Thought it was stupid then, think it's stupid now, and in the future will continue to think it stupid. My biggest argument against it is that it bastardizes both sports. As an competitive chess player knows, your Clock is key (lots of games have been won simply because a player let his time drain and put himself at a disadvantage), when you take time out to box, you lose that. As a Boxing fan, ALL of us here know the importance of Stamina inside the Ring. Breaking between Rounds for four mins turns that into a joke. So it's a bad idea on BOTH levels.

[londoner]

I recall on some broadcast quite a few years ago, I don't think it was HBO but was either a ESPN or even a USA Network TNF, they did a little feature on the possiblity of Chess Boxing. Thought it was stupid then, think it's stupid now, and in the future will continue to think it stupid. My biggest argument against it is that it bastardizes both sports. As an competitive chess player knows, your Clock is key (lots of games have been won simply because a player let his time drain and put himself at a disadvantage), when you take time out to box, you lose that. As a Boxing fan, ALL of us here know the importance of Stamina inside the Ring. Breaking between Rounds for four mins turns that into a joke. So it's a bad idea on BOTH levels.

 

Absolutely, Dave. The last bit you wrote sums it up for me. How can a fighter be expected to go out and fight for 3 minutes then go and sit down for a bit and try to concentrate on playing chess while his ears are ringing, his head is swelling up, his eyes could well be blurry...

 

Put simply, the LAST thing you want to be doing after a bout of boxing (aside from maybe listen to some heavy metal) is try to concentrate on playing a game of chess.

 

What a complete joke.

[londoner]

This has been around for a while now.

 

I'd never heard of it until today. I think i MIGHT have heard the word "chessboxing" once or twice before but just took it to mean the same as the expression "boxing is like a game of chess". I didn't think anyone would ever be stupid enough to actually combine the two.

[davemurphy]

What a complete joke.

 

Yeah, and I can't even wait to hear the analysis, "I think he really needs to Castle, that cut on his left eye and the giant pool of blood accumulating on the board makes keeping an eye on his Rook next to impossible". grin//

[grapevine241]

alternating rounds of boxing and chess? thats about the dumbest idea for a sport ive ever heard (including all euro sports)