FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions- So how does chessboxing work?
Chessboxers go through alternating four-minute long rounds of chess and three-minute boxing rounds with a one-minute break in between. A maximum total of 11 rounds are fought out—six rounds of chess and five rounds of boxing. The fight begins with a round of chess. Each player has a respite of 12 minutes during the game of chess, which means the maximum duration of the whole chess game is 24 minutes. A K.O. or checkmate can lead to an early win, and the fight can also be cut short if a player exceeds the chess time limit or the referee decides the fight has to be aborted. If the game of chess ends with a tie, it is settled with the points earned in the boxing rounds. If the boxing fight ends with a tie, the player who had black on the chessboard wins.
- Chess and boxing… how does that go together?
Chessboxing is the ultimate challenge for both the body and the mind. More and more contemporary athletic disciplines are characterised by multifaceted challenges. It’s comparable to a biathlon, as one example. Extreme physical stress is combined with a huge mental challenge. Chessboxing is a bit more radical than a biathlon, but through targeted training, the body can be prepared for matches just as well as it can for a biathlon. The alteration between boxing and playing chess represents the biggest challenge.
- When was the first-ever chessboxing fight and when was the WCBO founded?
The first official chessboxing fight ever to be held was the Middleweight World Championship between Iepe the Joker and Luis the Lawyer on the 14th of November 2003 at the Paradiso in Amsterdam. Iepe the Joker won the match after a dramatic fight in the 11th and last round when Luis the Lawyer exceeded his time limit in chess. Shortly before this championship, the WCBO was founded.
- What is the goal of the WCBO?
Our primary objective is the official dissemination of chessboxing as a self-contained, internationally recognised athletic discipline. The cornerstone for out goal has been laid with the founding of the first Chess Boxing Club of Berlin. In addition, we also support initiatives for starting chessboxing clubs nationwide and abroad. Of course, we ultimately hope that chessboxing will one day become the supreme discipline of the Olympic games…
- What does the WCBO’s slogan mean—“Fighting is done in the ring and wars are waged on the board”?
With this slogan, we’re trying to promote aggression management. Fighting is simply done in the ring where certain fairness rules apply and where there’s a referee. Wars should be waged on the board, not in reality.
- How did the idea of chessboxing come about?
The idea originates from the comic Le froid eqateur (literally ‘cold equator’) by Enki Bilal. Chessboxing was initially conceived by the Dutch artist IEPE as an artistic performance in which the themes of a healthy spirit in a healthy body and aggression management played a role. After just a short period of time, an opportunity arose to further develop the chessboxing concept into a serious sport in collaboration with experts from Berlin and the Dutch chess and boxing federation.
- What would the ultimate chessboxing fight be like?
Vitali Klitschko vs. Lennox Lewis. In an ESPN interview, Lennox Lewis already expressed some interest and prior to the legendary Heavyweight World Championship in Los Angeles in 2005, Vitali Klitschko offered to play a game of chess with Lennox Lewis before they entered the ring.
- How many fights does the WCBO hold each year?
The WCBO aims at holding three to four championship fights each year. In addition, there are local events and numerous show events.
- How can I apply for participation in championship fights?
Championship fights require fulfilment of the following:
You must be younger than 35, be in an exceptionally good state of physical fitness, have experience in a minimum number of 20 boxing matches and your ELO rating must not be lower than 1800. If you don’t have an ELO rating yet or any comparable ranking from a national chess organisation in your country, our chess trainer will test your skills online.
Download the application form from the WCBO website, fill it out, and send it along with a picture of yourself to: fighters(at)wcbo.org
- How do you train to become a champion?
To become a champion in chessboxing, you’ve already got to be very good in both disciplines. The recommended training programme entails chessboxing sparring as well as 400-metre chess (a fast-paced lap around the running track alternated with a three-minute “blitz” match of chess, 11 rounds long) and gong chess (three minutes at the sandbag followed by four minutes of chess). Basically forms of training that combine extreme physical strain for three minutes, alternating between four-minute rounds of chess.
- Do you have to be a better chess player or a better boxer to be a good chessboxer?
You have to be proficient in both disciplines. You can’t rely on your strengths in just one discipline during a fight. The WCBO’s body of rules stipulates that both disciplines can equally lead to the outcome of a fight.
- But then couldn’t a boxer like Mike Tyson immediately win the world champion title in the second round of the fight?
No, the WCBO’s statutes foresee a minimum ELO ranking of 1800 in chess. Each competitor has to fulfil this minimum standard in order to participate in an official chessboxing fight. Someone like Mike Tyson would need years of training to reach this standard…
In addition, there’s also the zugzwang rule. When a chessboxer doesn’t make a move and the referee has good reason to believe that he or she is doing this deliberately, a warning is issued. When the chessboxer still fails to make a move, a second warning is issued whereupon he or she is forced to make a move. If no move is made upon the second warning, the player is immediately disqualified.
- How can I become a chessboxer?
If you’re still young (under the age of 16), you should begin by separately training your boxing and chess skills. Joining a club is the best way to train. If you’re older, it would be advantageous if you have already pursued chess or boxing training as a sport and at a club. It doesn’t matter which one of the two disciplines you have experience in. What counts is your motivation to be as good as you can in both disciplines so that you can combine them.
If you’re already a member of a boxing club, you can begin by trying out a sparring match in chessboxing. Get yourself a chess set with a timer, ask a friend, partner, etc. who can also box and play chess, and you’re ready to go. If you don’t have any sparring partner who can do both, you can also split your partners and box with one opponent while playing the rounds of chess with a different opponent.
If you’re a chess player on the other hand, simply start off with some boxing training and proceed as described above.
- What does a typical chessboxer look like?
The typical chessboxer usually lands in the chessboxing arena as a boxer or a chess player. Applications are split up into about 60% from the boxing world and 40% from the chess world. But there are also some chessboxers who have been pursuing both sports as a hobby for quite a long time, and it’s precisely the combination of the two which fascinates them so much.
Chessboxers come from all walks of life. From bankers to artists, from goldsmiths to workmen, everybody is represented. They’re open people all looking for new impulses and ideas.
- Where can people interested in chessboxing get acquainted with the sport and take part in training sessions?
Berlin has been home to the world’s first chessboxing club since 2005, the Chess Boxing Club Berlin. Training takes place twice a week. General information as well as details on upcoming events and the club’s location can be found on its website: www.cbcberlin.de
Since 2006, two schools in the Berlin district of Hohenschönhausen have also been offering chessboxing as a sport workshop for kids.
- What can you do if you want to offer chessboxing training or start a chessboxing club yourself?
One of the WCBO’s most important aims is to spread and facilitate chessboxing around the world. We support fans and friends of chessboxing who want to start a club, offer chessboxing training or even establish a national chessboxing association in their country.
In the near future, WCBO will be providing a manual on everything from chessboxing training methods and questions regarding starting a club, to equipment and organisational setup. In addition, there will also be a hardware packet on offer, which contains the basic equipment for boxing and chess.
If you’re interested, you can get in touch with Marc Wohlrabe for advance details: marc_wohlrabe(at)wcbo.org
- Is chessboxing also for women?
Yes, and women think chessboxing is sexy. They love the combination of the two disciplines and more and more women have started training themselves. We’re looking forward to the first fight. And there are also a lot of women in the audience at the chessboxing events.
- How many chessboxers are there worldwide?
The CBCB has 40 members. At the two schools in Berlin, 20 kids are in training. There are 20 active fighters around the world who have all been in at least one fight. The number of worldwide applicants for the championship fights is 150. And according to estimates from the WCBO, there are 150,000 potential chessboxers around the globe.
The WCBO is currently intensifying its focus on Russia and the Ukraine, because these countries have a large number of potential chessboxers.