Chess Boxing World Championships

Chess Boxing

Article by: © Michael J. Rosen 2012

"The Thinking Man's Contact Sport"

- motto of the World Chess Boxing Organization

Did you ever imagine that a comic book could inspire an international sport? (Don't pretend that you never read comic books and can't answer the question.) Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh brought to flesh-and-blood a game featured in a 1992 French graphic novel, and held the first Chess Boxing match in 2003, helping to legitimize the new sport, as well as his own reputation by fighting under the nickname "The Joker." Wham! Kapow! Checkmate!

What's not exactly comical is falling victim to a knockout, or, just as potent, the loss of your king in the sport where, according to the World Chess Boxing Organization, "fighting is done in the ring, and wars are waged on the board."

Chess Boxing matches begin with a four-minute round of what's known as "speed chess": Each competitor is allotted 12 total minutes in the match to move his pieces. After the chess, comes three minutes of boxing, after which there is a one-minute break for athletes to trade gloves and mouthpiece for a towel and headphones, which block out crowd noise and the arena's PA system, where a commentator is explaining to the crowd that "the little horsy piece" is actually called a "knight." Then, trying to avoid mistakes caused by pumping adrenaline or a hook to the jaw, it's back to the board. The match can take up to 11 rounds (six of chess; five of boxing) to decide a winner, either by knockout, points, checkmate, or disqualification for exceeding the 12-minute chess time limit.

The official WCBO rules also stipulate that, "If a game of chess ends in a tie, it is settled with the points earned in a boxing round. If the boxing fight ends in a tie, the player who had black on the chessboard wins."

While the WCBO recommends contenders be proficient in both disciplines, they also suggest a training regimen that includes Chess Boxing sparring; 400-meter chess (11 rounds of a lap around a track alternating with three-minute "blitz" chess matches); and gong chess (sandbag for three minutes; chess for four).

Think these guys can't be serious? Not just any "Joker" can step into the ring. To qualify as a Chess Boxing fighter, a competitor must have a minimum of 20 boxing matches under his belt, plus an ELO (the international boxing rating system, named after its creator, Arpad Elo) of at least 1800, which places a chess player in Class A, one level beneath Expert status. Speaking of classes, some German elementary schools are even teaching the sport these days. No joke.

Want to become a right-roundhousing, bishop-blitzing champion? Utilize both brains and brawn at www.wcbo.org.

No Dribbling the Squid

Chess Boxing World Championships Dates, Location and Further Information

For an up-to-date calendar of upcoming Chess Boxing events head on over to the World Chess Boxing Organisation website.

More Chess Boxing World Championships