Chess boxing is a hybrid sport which combines the sports of chess and boxing. Da Mystery Of Chessboxin is a song by Wu-Tang Clan. ... Chess is a recreational and competitive game for two players. ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left, throwing a left uppercut) versus Rafael Ortiz Boxing, also referred to as pugilism and The Sweet Science, is a combat sport of English origin in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with their fists in a series of one...

The concept was envisioned in 1992 by cartoonist Enki Bilal, and a match of chess boxing was a major plot point of his graphic novel Froid-Équateur. Iepe "The Joker" Rubingh, a Dutch artist, inspired by Bilal's book, brought the concept to life in the spring of 2003. Year 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar). ... Cartoonist Jack Elrod at work. ... Enki Bilal (born Enes Bilalović on October 7, 1951) is a French comic book artist and film director. ... Trade paperback of Will Eisners A Contract with God (1978), often mistakenly cited as the first graphic novel. ... Equator Cold Original Title Froid-Équateur Series Title Nikopol Trilogy Writer(s) Enki Bilal Artist(s) Enki Bilal Publisher Les Humanoïdes Associés Humanoids Publishing First published 1992 Pages 56 ISBN 2 7316 0791 Equator Cold (or Froid-Équateur in French is a science-fiction comic book from 1992... Iepe B. T. Rubingh is a Dutch artist who founded chess boxing in 2003 after drawing inspiration from Enki Bilals comic book Froid-Équateur. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

History

Chess boxing was featured in the 1991 Finnish movie Uuno Turhapuro - herra Helsingin herra, where Uuno plays blindfold chess against one person using a hands-free telephone headset while boxing another person. It is not known whether Bilal or Rubingh were aware of the movie. In addition, there is a 1979 movie by director Joseph Kuo called "Ninja Checkmate" whose USA dubbed version was known as "Mystery of Chess Boxing". It does not feature chessboxing as understood in this article. The "Mystery of Chess Boxing" is likely an inspiration for the Wu-Tang Clan song of the same name, from their first album "Enter the Wu-Tang". In America, Hardcore Chess, is a firm that is operated by Charles McCoy. Since January, 2005, they have been researching ways to incorporate Chess Boxing into the North American mainstream. This year, they formally structured their strategy, and have now organized various Chess Boxing events on the East Coast, to coincide with several Chess Boxing products including t-shirts, caps, etc. Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Uuno Turhapuro (Uuno meaning roughly Dimwit, whereas Turhapuro could be Idlecreek) is a Finnish comedy character created by Spede Pasanen and played by Vesa-Matti Loiri. ... Blindfold Chess is a way to play chess, whereby play is conducted without the players having sight of the positions of the pieces, or any physical contact with them. ... The Wu-Tang Clan is a New York-based rap group, consisting of nine American rappers. ...

Recently, about 400 people gathered in Gloria, Cologne, to see two chessboxing fights. Zoran 'the Priest' Mijatovic played the Queen's Gambit, but 'Anti Terror' Frank Stoldt was very well prepared. In the seventh chess round Mijatovic was three moves away from being checkmated, so he resigned. Stoldt also controlled the boxing rounds.^[1] Gloria may be: Gloria (song), any one of several songs from the history of popular music Gloria in Excelsis Deo, the main doxology of the Roman Catholic Mass Vivaldis Gloria, a musical setting of the doxology Gloria Patri, a relatively short, common doxology Gloria, Oriental Mindoro, a municipality in... , For other uses, see Cologne (disambiguation). ... The Queens Gambit is a chess opening that starts with the moves 1. ...

Structure and rules

A match between two opponents consists of up to eleven alternating rounds of boxing and chess sessions, starting with a four-minute chess round followed by two minutes of boxing and so on. Between rounds there is a 1 minute pause, during which competitors change their gear. The form of chess played is "blitz chess" in which competitors have a total of twelve minutes. Competitors may win by knockout, checkmate, a judge's decision or if their opponent's twelve minutes of chess time elapses. Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left, throwing a left uppercut) versus Rafael Ortiz Boxing, also referred to as pugilism and The Sweet Science, is a combat sport of English origin in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with their fists in a series of one... Chess is a recreational and competitive game for two players. ... Blitz chess (also known as speed chess or blitzkrieg chess) is a game of chess where each side is given very little time to make all of their moves. ... A boxer is knocked down and receives the 10-count. ... Checkmate (frequently shortened to mate) is a situation in chess (and in other boardgames of the chaturanga family) in which one players king is under attack and there is no way to meet that threat; it is a check from which there is no escape. ...

The sport is governed by the World Chess Boxing Organisation (WCBO), whose motto is "Fighting is done in the ring and wars are waged on the board." The first world championship was held in Amsterdam in 2003 and was won by Iepe Rubingh himself. The 1st European Chess Boxing Championship took place in Berlin on 1 October 2005 when Tihomir Titschko of Bulgaria defeated Andreas Schneider of Germany after the latter conceded defeat in the seventh round. The World Chess Boxing Organisation (WCBO) is the governing body of the new sport chess boxing. ... Nickname: Motto: Heldhaftig, Vastberaden, Barmhartig (Valiant, Determined, Compassionate) Location of Amsterdam Coordinates: , Country Province Government  - Mayor Job Cohen (PvdA)  - Aldermen Lodewijk Asscher Hennah Buyne Carolien Gehrels Tjeerd Herrema Maarten van Poelgeest Marijke Vos  - Secretary Erik Gerritsen Area [1][2]  - City 219 km²  (84. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the capital of Germany. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Chess Boxing Tihomir Titschko was the winner of the first World Chess Boxing Organisation (WCBO) Championship which took place in 2003. ...

Rule concerns

There are long-term concerns over the possibility that in the future, the game could be dominated by boxers with little or no chess skills. This is because under the current rules it is impossible for a chess player to lose or draw with only one move taken (unless that player resigns or both players agree to a draw). All a player has to do to win without any chess skill is to take only one chess move in the first chess round, thus that player only consumes four of her/his allocated 12 minutes. Then in the first round of boxing, knock out her/his opponent to win overall. Thus, it is possible for a chessboxer with virtually no chess skills, but phenomenal boxing skills, to dominate the game.

References

External links

• The official WCBO site
• The official rules
• Chessboxing site
• A report on the 2003 World Championship match
• An article about the European Championship bout
• Account of the City of Cologne chessboxing championship fight
• Interview with chessboxing pioneer
• Interview in The Guardian
• ESPN chessboxing article
• A chessboxing's photo story by french photo reporter Cyril Cavalié
• Un article en français sur la box d'échecs