The concepts of chess and boxing are so diametrically opposed, you wouldn’t expect to see the terms in the same sentence, let alone combined as a sport. The former is utterly cerebral and the latter extremely physical … and yet they’re played together in a competition known as chessboxing.

Joseph Kuothe, director of the martial arts film The Mystery of Chess Boxing, coined the term in 1979. Later, French artist Enki Bilal used it in his comic books, and Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh adapted it into performance art, from where it grew into a sport.

In a chessboxing match, two opponents battle each other in the alternating rounds of chess and boxing. Typically, the boxing rounds last three minutes, with a one-minute break. The chess rounds can take four to 12 minutes, or players can be given a certain amount of time until either one runs out. Players play speed chess with only a few seconds to decide their moves rather than taking time to analyze positions. The match continues until one either checkmates or knocks out the other or runs out of time. Draws are also possible.

“The challenge is to see how well you can play such a cerebral game while getting punched in the face with your adrenaline and heart rate spiking,” said chess influencer Levy Rozman, a.k.a. GothamChess. “You have to get your heart rate down with various techniques athletes use and get your brain working again.” As rounds progress, that gets harder.

Passionate fans can alter the game’s course. When players, discombobulated after punches, return to the board, they may make careless moves, endangering a piece or risking a checkmate. It’s not uncommon for live spectators, who watch the progress on big
screens, to let out a loud communal gasp, inadvertently alerting the other player of a sudden advantage. Chessboxers wear noise-cancelling headphones at the board, but an excited crowd can overpower them.

That’s why many chessboxing tournaments are streamed rather than played before live audiences. However, chessboxing organizations periodically announce live events in England, Germany and the United States. Visit chessboxingnation.com and cavsoc.com for announcements.