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Journalism of Courage
Nikolay Sazhin almost knocked out his opponent with a blow to the chin in the second round, but he had to take the queen to win the match. As Sazhin moved a bishop to go in for the kill in front of 1,000 cheering fans one recent Saturday night, he took the title of world champion of chess boxing, a hybrid sport that combines five rounds of pugilism with a 24-minute game of chess.
“It’s the No. 1 thinking game and the No. 1 fighting game,” said Lepe Rubingh, the sport’s 32-year-old founder. Rubingh’s inspiration was “Cold Equator,” a 1992 French comic book in which two heavyweight boxers fight for 12 rounds and then play a 45-hour game of chess. His version comes complete with a custom-made electronic chessboard that lets spectators watch the action projected onto a pair of large ringside screens. In 2003, some 800 people turned out in Amsterdam to watch an exhibition match between Rubingh and a friend. “It was a catastrophe. I lost my queen in the second round of chess,” he said.
But the loss didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream. The Dutchman returned to Berlin and set out to find tough fighters who could also play a good game of chess. Germany has emerged as a major boxing centre attracting top talent from Eastern Europe. Most of the world’s top heavyweight fighters are natives of Russia and Ukraine, and many train in Hamburg. Rubingh hopes that will create room for variants like chess boxing or ultimate fighting, a more punishing combat sport seeking a foothold in Europe. “With practice, people can play chess during a chess boxing match almost at their normal level,” Rubingh said. One of his first prospects was Frank Stoldt, a 37-year-old Berlin riot policeman and amateur kick boxer. Stoldt was also an obsessive chess player, who often lost himself in late night online matches.
Rules of the game
•A chess boxing match starts at the chessboard. In this version of speed chess, each player has 12 minutes to beat his opponent
•After four minutes of chess have been played, the boxing begins, in three-minute rounds. After each round there is a one-minute rest before returning to the chessboard.
•There are several ways to win. By boxing, a contestant can knock his opponent out or win by a referee decision. In chess, a player can win through check mate, by forcing his opponent to forfeit, or if his opponent’s 12-minute chess clock runs out
