Chessboxing
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Chessboxing is a recently invented competition in which two participants alternate rounds of speed chess and boxing. The first annual World Chess Boxing Championship was held on May 12 2003 in Amsterdam between "Lepe" of Germany and "Luis" of Holland. Lepe was the winner in the 11th round. The event was attended by 100s of spectators as well as media coverage and had the official endorsement of the Royal Dutch Chess Association as well as the Dutch Boxing Organisation. The first formal Chessboxing club has been founded in Berlin and its promoters hope to have another event as a side show at the next Olympic games.
Chessboxing matches feature four minutes of chess playing (inside a boxing ring) and two minutes of boxing for each round. Fights are held to a maximum of eleven rounds.
Chessboxing's Latin motto is: "mens sana in corpore sano" (a healthy mind in a healthy body).
Courtesy of Bakersfield High School Blue & White
- http://www.wcbo.org/
- http://www.chessboxing.com/
- http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1348
Chess boxing was envisioned by the Dutch conceptual artist Iepe B.T. Rubingh, 30, known as "Iepe the Joker" after his barrier tape performances in Berlin and Tokyo. Combining art, science, and sports creates true contemporary art as characters such as the joker and the lawyer push themselves to their physical limits, especially considering the tedious transition from combat to mental strategy. The Chess Boxing Club Berlin (CBCB) is scheduled to open this summer; 40 people will begin training there as well. According to Rubingh, the sport of chess boxing was actually insired by Enki Bilal's comic, where he indeed found the idea of chess boxing. In spring 2003, the rules were officially formulated together with a team of boxing and chess experts. In Germany, chess boxing is known as schachboxen, whereas in Holland, chess boxing is referred to as schakenboksen.
Rubingh is currently the World Champion. The World Chess Boxing Organisation (WCBO) is still looking for new talented chess boxers, so "feel free" to contact them at contact@wcbo.org.
--Bakersfield, CA.