Chessboxing – my new sport?

Now, I’m going to guess there’s not that many boxers that are great at chess. I’m pretty good. I can also fight. And if you put me up against a chess geek, I’ll probably knock him out or hit him hard enough he’ll go to the chess board and move his queen out too early.

What am I talking about?

Chessboxing!

“BERLIN — Martin "Amok" Thomas is jabbing a right, but Frank "so-cool-he-doesn't-need-a-nickname" Stoldt is as elusive as a ribbon in the wind. He can't be hit.

Time.

The gloves come off, and the men hurry across the canvas to the chessboard. (You heard it right.) Amok took a couple of body shots, and he's breathing hard, but he'd better focus. That Stoldt, though, everyone in the gym knows he's this warrior-thinker, slamming the speed clock, cunningly moving his queen amid unraveling bandages and dripping sweat, daring Amok to leave him a sliver of opportunity.

Time.

Velcro rips. Amok slides back into his Everlast gloves, bites down on his mouthpiece, dances along the ropes. His king's in trouble, and his punches couldn't knock lint off a jacket. Stoldt floats toward him like a cloud of big hurt.

For more...

You’ll have to read it here: ”By Hook or by Rook”

But the basic concept is… You box for four minutes in a ring (DING) then run to the chessboard for four minutes of chess. (DING) And then you resume your boxing match till someone is KO’d or Checkmated.

Okay… maybe it’s not my next new sport. But I probably would have whooped every chess player in my high school in both boxing and chess! Too bad they didn’t have scholarships for this back then.