Wacky Sports :: Chessboxing

What happens when you mix brawn with brains? You get chessboxing, the sport where you combine chess and boxing. We got the 411 on this wacky sport!

The Basics

The basic concept of chessboxing is taking the top thinking game in chess and combining it with boxing, one of the top physical games. Technically, this odd sport was invented by a cartoonist named Enki Bilah, who featured the imaginary sport in his books. In the comic book, two competitors would have box then have a chess match immediately after the fight. In 2001, a Dutch artist named lepe Rubingh decided to take the idea to real life and fought in the first ever chessboxing showdown. Only in Rubingh's version, the fighters alternate rounds of chess and boxing. The sport is super popular in Europe, especially in countries like Germany and Croatia.

The Rules

A chessboxing match consists of 11 rounds of alternating chess and boxing sessions. The game starts out with a four-minute chess round followed by a two-minute round of throwing punches in the ring. In total, there are six rounds of chess and five rounds of boxing. A competitor can win by a knockout or checkmate or a judge's decision. You can also get disqualified for breaking rules like below the belt shots or taking more than 10 seconds to make a chess move.

Benefits

Obviously this is a very wacky sport and is not recommended for the average person or kid. But if you are a skilled boxer and chess player, this could be a good physical and mental challenge. You will be able to see how well you can think after taking a beating in the ring.

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