It’s been described as the ultimate battle of brains versus brawn.
They are among the world’s oldest games and combined they create chessboxing, a sport that mixes boxing and chess to become one of the more unusual sports around.
Chessboxing was the brainchild of Dutch performance artist Iepe Rubingh 17-years-ago, who died suddenly in May from cardiac arrest at only 45.
Initially, the sport was a niche event performed in front of small crowds, now it takes place in a dozen countries and attracts hundreds of spectators.
Each round on the chessboard is followed by a showdown in the ring. A match consists of 11 alternating three-minute rounds of chess and boxing, starting with chess. A victory is achieved by a knockout or checkmate. Like boxing, if neither occurs, the winner will be determined by the points scored.
Fighters are divided by the same weight divisions as boxing but with more ways to win via the chessboard, it’s advantageous to be an intellectual heavyweight.
‘It deserves to become an Olympic sport’
The sport is typically organised in front of hardcore fans in the UK. However, due to COVID-19 London Chessboxing decided to offer a historic first-ever worldwide pay-per-view event for chessboxing and sports fans.
The event has sparked tension between the chess and chessboxing community, as reported by the UK’s The Telegraph, with life-long chessplayer Justin Horton describing the sport as a “freakshow.”
“It's not any kind of a sport: sports normally have clubs, professional performers, proper organising bodies, that sort of thing,” he said.
Gavin Paterson, the Chief Financial Officer of London Chessboxing, defended the sport, going as far to say it should be part of the Olympics.
“The chess games are real, the boxing is real, there is no staging, we don’t prepare the fighters, there is no scripting so it is a genuine sport,” he said.
“Frankly, I think that is all that matters. It deserves to become an Olympic sport, the sport itself is good enough.”
The chessboxing event on Sunday will feature headline acts Daniel “The Tax Man” Mayfield fight Richard “Razor” Frazer while Gearoid “Sex Appeal” Veale will take on Jon “The Brick” Wood.
