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Information about Chess Boxing

Published on : January 29, 2019 Published by : academicchess

Chess boxing is essentially the ultimate test for the body and mind. It artfully combines the mental demands of chess with the physical demands of boxing. Participants take part in alternate rounds that shift between chess and boxing. This sport that is becoming more and more popular but what exactly is it?

Chess boxing is precisely what it claims — an integration of the intellectual components of chess with the physical challenges of boxing. This sport uses the two endurance extremes and craftily blends them together to figure out which participant will prevail in a combat of the mind and the body. Credit for the initial development of the sport is given to Iepe Rubingh, who is a performance artist and painter.

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Though, unofficial reports have also stated that the sport was invented back in 1979 by brothers Stewart and James Robinson. Both of these brothers were avid players of chess and they were classed as amateur boxers as well. However, Rubingh has been credited by a number of individuals for the modern version of the sport, which was inspired by Froid Equateur, the 1992 comic that was penned by artist Enki Bilal. The first chess boxing competition took place in 2003 in Berlin.

Governing Body

The World Chess Boxing Organization (WCBO) was established a short time afterwards to help in the expansion of the sport and it has been gaining more and more popularity ever since. In essence, the WCBO governs amateur chess boxing and its main objective is to make sure the sport of chess boxing is established on all continents across the world. The governing body also has a goal of ensuring the official dissemination of chess boxing as an internationally-recognized, self-contained sport.

The organization works totally in line with the philosophy of old ‘mens sana in corpore sano;’ this basically means having a healthy mind and a healthy body. In addition, the Amateur World Championships is organized by the WCBO once per year. The organization is in full support of initiatives for establishing a national organization or chess boxing club all across the world.

What Constitutes a Win?

There are a number of different ways in which fighters can be victorious in a chess boxing battle. During the chess segment of the battle, a winner can be determined by a player exceeding the time limit or via a check mate. During the boxing stage, the winner can be decided by way of a referee decision or knockout. In addition, if the opponent retires, it is possible for a fighter to be victorious in both the chess and boxing segments of the sport.

If there is a situation in which the chess phase of the sport ends in a stalemate, the rival with the top score from the rounds of boxing will be confirmed as the champion. In a case where the points are level, the opponent who has the black pieces in the chess rounds in his or her possession will be declared the winner.

In Which Countries Is the Sport of Chess Boxing Most Popular?

Ever since its inception over the past 15 years, the popularity of chess boxing has rapidly increased. This upsurge in popularity has been especially prevalent across the continent of Europe. Germany, which is the birthplace of chess boxing, is among the countries that have experienced the flourishing of the sport the most in recent years.

In addition, the sport has been thriving in Russia, India and Great Britain. This growth can be attributed to a significant number of the biggest names in the sport hailing from those countries. Furthermore, chess and boxing boast wide levels of participation, in their own right, in these countries. As such, it makes a lot of sense that this hybrid sport merging the two disciplines would become popular there as well.

Training Requirement

Because chess boxing is a hybrid sport, it requires participants to master both of the sports involved. As such, it is required for participants to engage in intense practice for both sports. As a rule of the sport, participants are required to be accomplished to a particular standard in both sports, if they wish to take part in an official competition.

There is a minimum requirement that must be met by participants for both chess and boxing in order to participate in any Chess Boxing Global event. There has to be an Elo rating of a minimum of 1600 and a record of no less than 50 bouts in boxing or a comparable martial arts discipline.

During the competition, participants are required to alternate between the intricate mental demands of chess and the extreme physicality of boxing. This indicates that training must imitate the extreme pressure fighters undergo during these competitions.

Fighters have to train to become capable of focusing their thought process with the adrenaline pumping and with an amplified heart rate when sitting at the chess board. Additionally, they must practice to quickly change from a resting position into a bout of boxing.

Participants can also engage in specialized chess boxing training. Opponents widely rely on interval training and speed chess games are typically used during training to mimic the atmosphere of a chess boxing battle.

Rather than boxing between phases of speed chess, the participants are trained in a series of extreme physical exercises. However, there are competitors who stick to their old school training, with a simple arrangement of sparring combined with speed chess.

Famous Chess Boxing Players

Chess boxing players might not have household names like Usain Bolt, Pele, Michael Jordan or other sporting greats. However, there are some chess boxers who have achieved a new level of renown within the sport. Those who have even a passing interest in the sport will definitely have heard of a few of the fighters below.

These fighters are Nikolay “The Chairman” Sazhin, Russia’s past WBCO world champion, Tihomir “Tigertad” Titschko, Bulgaria’s existing WBCO European champion and Tim Woolgar, UK’s GBCBO UK champion. They have become sufficiently famous to have dedicated pages on Wikipedia.

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