Fisticuffs and Flanking Manouevres

December 9, 2003 8:37 PM

Chess Boxing. "The basic idea in chessboxing is to combine the #1 thinking sport and the #1 fighting sport into a hybrid that demands the most of its competitors – both mentally and physically, yet which can be performed by easiest means. In a chessboxing fight two opponents play alternating rounds of chess and boxing. The contest starts with a round of chess, followed by a boxing round, followed by another round of chess and so on." Radio Netherlands recently did a show about it. (RealAudio, 29m30s)
posted by tpoh.org (15 comments total)

Well, I think if that came to the US, the sitcom industry would run out of business. The distinction between nerd and jock that makes up every other tv-show would be irrelevant.
posted by gregb1007 at 8:57 PM on December 9, 2003

An article with some pictures
posted by gyc at 8:59 PM on December 9, 2003

When I saw the words "Chess Boxing" my first visual picture was that of getting hit in the face by a fist with chess pieces lodged between the fingers (kind of intellectual brass knuckles).
posted by wendell at 9:08 PM on December 9, 2003

Reminds me a lot of the "do a lap on the tricycle, then chug a beer" event in Revenge of the Nerds.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 9:09 PM on December 9, 2003

Dude, I want Go boxing.
posted by jearbear at 9:10 PM on December 9, 2003

So that explains da mystery.
posted by arto at 9:35 PM on December 9, 2003

I happen to participate in both of these sports. Man, I really wish there was a US event for them.

Looking through their weight classes for boxing they don't match up with the normal accepted boxing classes. They have a super heavyweight class 200 pounds and up and the heavyweight division is mostly what is called cruiserweight in regular boxing
posted by BackwardsHatClub at 10:19 PM on December 9, 2003

Searching For Jake Lamotta?
posted by Dreamghost at 12:07 AM on December 10, 2003

As insane as this looks, it does have some appeal to it ...

Great chess masters (notably Kasparov) go to great lengths to intimidate their rivals within the rather tight confines of top competition. I've heard about Kasparov's "killer" look. I wonder if alternating boxing and chess would put an end to that ...
posted by magullo at 6:09 AM on December 10, 2003

I really wish I could have kicked the crap out of the eight year old kid who mated me in about ten minutes last night.
posted by bondcliff at 8:06 AM on December 10, 2003

Do you get to take your boxing gloves off during the chess rounds?
posted by Icky at 8:33 AM on December 10, 2003

arto beat me to it...

posted by badstone at 10:33 AM on December 10, 2003

Why don't they throw in a competitive Japanese Tea Ceremony round, to liven things up a little?

Or maybe they could take turns catching a greased pig?

And what about a poetry slam?
posted by troutfishing at 11:58 AM on December 10, 2003

This seems a little unbalanced to me.

For instance, Mike Tyson could reduce Gary Kasparov to his level of chess-playing intellect with one or two punches to the head, but I can't think of anything Kasparov could do in return to reduce Ear-Chewin' Mike's boxing ability in a similar way.
posted by eyebeam at 1:33 PM on December 10, 2003

Furthermore, looking at the rules, a competitor who is good at boxing but not so good at chess can always force at least three rounds of boxing, simply by not moving. (Or, if he's made his earlier moves quickly enough, not making the move that will allow checkmate.) Each player has 12 minutes on his clock for all six rounds of chess. He can eat up three full chess rounds--four minutes each--on his own time. If you can KO your opponent within three rounds of boxing, you can win no matter how bad at chess you are.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:55 AM on December 11, 2003