Chess Boxing might just be the next big thing we have been waiting for to revolutionizing modern sports as we know it. China, India, Iran, Russia, Italy Germany, UK and America have organisations for this glorious sport. Chess Boxing was invented by Dutchman Iepe Rubingh in 2003 and it seems to be growing. Any chance that we will see dart boxing or maybe soccer boxing in the near future? That would be something to watch!

Picture courtesy of chessmaniac.com

Picture courtesy of chessmaniac.com

Structure and rules – courtesy of wikipedia

“A full match consists of eleven rounds: six rounds of chess, each three minutes long, and five rounds of boxing, each three minutes long (four minutes under amateur rules). The match begins with a chess round which is followed by a boxing round. Rounds of chess and boxing alternate until the end of the match. There is a one-minute break between each round, during which competitors cool out and change gear. Rules of fast chess are used, and a competitor only has a total of twelve minutes to use for all his chess moves. Player’s chess time is measured using a chess clock.

A competitor may win the match during a boxing round by knockout or a technical stoppage by the referee, by achieving a checkmate or if the opponent’s twelve minutes run out during a chess round, or by the opponent’s resignation at any point.If the chess game is drawn, the scores from the boxing rounds are used to determine the winner. If the boxing score (calculated on a round-by-round basis) is also a draw, the outcome is declared as a tie.

If a competitor fails to make a move during the chess round, he can be issued a warning after which he must make a legal move within the next 10 seconds or become disqualified. Repeated warnings may also result in a disqualification. The warnings are in use to avoid situations where a competitor would stall a losing chess game and focus his activity only on boxing.

The players wear closed-back headphones during the chess rounds to avoid being distracted by the live chess commentary, or hearing advice shouted from the audience.”

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