Chess Boxing

Chess Boxing is a popular underground combat sport that is getting more eyes on it. If you’ve never heard of this sport, get ready to learn about something brilliant and insane.

Here’s what you need to know about the combat sport of chess boxing. Read below to learn everything about chess boxing, from its history, rules and how you can participate.

What is Chess Boxing? 

Chess boxing, or “chessboxing,” is exactly what it sounds like. It is the combination of chess and boxing put together into one sport. The hybrid fight sport was created in Europe, with a popular underground scene.

Chess boxers compete to either checkmate their opponent or KO them in a boxing round.

The History of Chess Boxing

There’s a bit of a funny story behind the creation of chess boxing. It started out as a bit of a choke and evolved into a serious sport.

The term chess boxing or chessboxing was coined in a 1979 kung fu movie called “Mystery of Chessboxing.” This film actually depicted the Chinese version of chess called “xiangqi” and not traditional chess.

French comic artist Enki Bilal created the actual sport of chess boxing. Bilal depicted the art in his 1992 comic “Froid Equateur.”

In Enki’s version of chess boxing, fighters compete in a full boxing match before having a chess game.

A Dutch athlete and performance artist named Iepe Rubingh loved the concept and wanted to adapt it into a sport. Rubingh created the rules of chess boxing and put on the very first events.

The First Chess Boxing Event

The first official chess boxing event took place in 2003. Rubingh cooperated with the Dutch Boxing and Chess federations to make the event happen.

Iepe himself fought in the event and took on Jean Louis Veenstra. The Dutch performance artist would win the fight in the last boxing round.

From that point on, the sport of chess boxing would steadily grow throughout Europe and the world.

The Rules of Chess 

Before we can go over the rules of chess boxing, we should start by going over the rules of chess.

• Chess Consists of 32 Pieces
• 16 White Pieces
• 16 Black Pieces
• Each Person Gets 1 Turn
• Each Piece Makes Pacific Movements
• King Moves To Neighboring Square
• Rooks Move In Lines & Rows
• Bishops Move Crossways
• Queens Can Move Every Direction
• Pawns Move Forward & Backward
• Win By Checkmate: Taking Opponent’s King

The Rules of Chess Boxing

The Rules of chess boxing combine timed and amateur boxing rules. Read the full explanation of the sport’s rules below.

• 11 Combined Rounds
• 6 Chess Rounds/5 Boxing Rounds
• Chess Rounds: 4 Minutes
• Boxing Rounds: 3 Minutes
• Fighters Must Have An 1800 Chess Rating
• Chess Boxers Must Be 17+

Ways to Win In Chess Boxing

• Checkmate 
• KO/TKO 
• Referee Stoppage
• Boxing Points if a Draw in Chess

Chess Boxing Fight Areas

Chess boxing is divided into two areas. The table that the game of chess is played on and an official boxing ring. Both the chess board and boxing ring must be the specifications of the sanctioning body overseeing the event.

Chess Boxing Uniform

Chess boxers wear standard boxing shorts shoes, with tapped hands and boxing gloves. During chess rounds, the fighters will remove the gloves and put them back on during boxing rounds.

Chess Boxing Weight Classes

Chess boxers are split into different weight classes, just like normal boxing.

Men’s Weight Divisions 

• Lightweight: 154.3 lbs(70 kg)
• Middleweight: 176.4 lbs(80 kg)
• Light Heavyweight: 198.4 lbs(90 kg)
• Heavyweight: Over 198.4 lbs(Over 90 kg)

Women’s Weight Divisions

• Lightweight: 121.3 lbs(55 kg)
• Middleweight: 143.3 lbs(65 kg)
• Light Heavyweight: 165.3 lbs(75 kg)
• Heavyweight: Over 165.3 lbs(Over 75 kg)

What are Major Chess Boxing Organizations? 

Two major chess boxing organizations oversee the majority of chess boxing events.

• World Chessboxing Association
• World Chess Boxing Organization

These chess boxing organizations work with major chess federations and boxing commissions when organizing events.

How to Participate in Chess Boxing

In order to be allowed to participate in chess boxing, you must be good at both boxing and chess. 

To qualify for the chess aspect of chess boxing, participants must have a minimum chess rating of 1800 or higher. Additionally, fighters must be well-versed in speed chess to succeed at chessboxing.

For the boxing aspect of chess boxing, participants must have a minimum of 50 amateur fights. An equal amount in another striking art, like amateur kickboxing or MMA, may also qualify. 

Training For Chess Boxing

Chess boxing requires a dedication to both boxing and speed chess. A chess boxer will divide their daily training into chess and boxing.

They’ll do countless rounds of speed chess and boxing work to prepare for matches.

Where is Chess Boxing Generally Played?

Chess boxing is predominantly plated within the UK and parts of Europe but continues expanding globally. Dozens of nations are now members of the major chess-boxing organizations.

Is Chess Boxing Like Those Dumb Hybrid-Combat Sports?

Chess boxing may seem like a ridiculous new hybrid fight sport like Slap League, but it takes actual skill to play. You must be skilled at speed chess while possessing good boxing abilities.

It may seem silly, but it does take skill to be good at this sport.

The Global Expansion of Chess Boxing

What started as an underground combat sport quickly became an internationally practiced event. The sport of chess boxing has rapidly expanded since official events began running in the early 2000s.

There are now hundreds of chess boxing competitors from all over the world who are competing in sanctioned events. A concept that started as a joke grew into a legitimate hybrid combat sport.