Chess box

Chessboxing is a hybrid sport that combines boxing and chess. Players compete in alternating rounds of chess and boxing. Chessboxing was invented in 1992 by French comic book artist Enki Bilal and adapted by Dutch artist Iepe Rubingem. It was originally an artistic performance but quickly evolved into a competitive sport. The games are currently coordinated by the World Chess and Boxing Organization (WCBO). Chess boxing is especially popular in Germany, Great Britain, India and Russia.

2. The Cold Equator is the third volume of a science fiction graphic novel written and illustrated by Enki Bilal.

The earliest records of chess box (1) hails from 1978 when they were two brothers Stuart i James Robinson thus they played duels at London's Samuel Montagu Youth Center boxing club.

It is officially believed that this sport was invented in 1992 by the French comic book creator Enki Bilal, author of the Cold Equator comic (2). The main characters fight world chess boxing championship competitors surrounded by creatures with human bodies and animal heads.

Enki Bilal - one of the most famous European comic book creators from the former Yugoslavia. Enki Bilal is also an illustrator, artist, screenwriter and film director (3). His family came to Paris from Belgrade in 1960. Bilal's most famous, legendary comic is the Nikopol Trilogy, whose albums were released in 1980 (Fair of the Immortals), 1986 (Trap Woman) and 1992 (Cold Equator). The trilogy shows the fate of the former adversary Alexander Nikopol, who, accidentally freed from an orbital prison, fights against totalitarian rule in a Europe of the future, where not only people dominate, but also who are threatened by gods who have come from space. .

3. Chess player, 2012, painting by Enki Bilal.

Too relevant Chess board considered a Dutch performer Iepe Rubingaliving in Berlin (4). chess box was originally an art show. The Dutchman organized his first public fight in 2003 at the Platoon contemporary art gallery in Berlin. He then won - under the pseudonym Iepe Joker - friend of Louis Veenstra.

4. Chess player and boxer Iepe Rubing. Photo: Benjamin Pritzkuleit

Two months later, the first fight for the world championship was organized in Amsterdam. Iepe "Joker" and Louis "Lavie" Veenstra met again in the ring and at the chessboard. He won again Iepe Rubing.

In 2003, the World Organization Chess box (WCBO), whose motto is: "Fights happen in the ring, wars happen on the board."

In 2005, the first European Championship was held, where he won Tihomir Tishko from Bulgaria. Two years later it was played again world Cup, which culminated in the victory of the Germans. Frank Stoldtwho checkmated his opponent (American David Depto) in the XNUMXth round.

In July 2008, Frank Stoldt lost the Russian Championship in Berlin. Nikolay Sazhina (five). 5-year-old Russian Nikolai Sazhin, a mathematics student, married a 19-year-old police officer from Germany, Frank Stoldtwho daily participates in the peacekeeping mission in Kosovo. The loser admitted that he had too many bruises to defend himself from a checkmate.

5. Fight for the title of world chess boxing champion, Berlin 2008, source: World Chess Boxing Organization

regulations

The fight lasts a total of 11 rounds - 6 chess and 5 boxing. It starts with a 4 minute period chess game, after a minute break there is a boxing match lasting 3 minutes. During breaks, the participants of the fight put on (or take off) boxing gloves, and a table with a chessboard is inserted (or removed) into the ring.

Participants have 12 minutes on their clock. play chess. After each chess round The exact position of the game of chess is recorded and played back before the next chess round, so that players play one game during a match divided into 6 rounds.

In another version of chess boxing duels, both chess and boxing rounds last 3 minutes each. Both players have 9 minutes of their time at their disposal. chess clock. In women's and youth fights, a boxing round lasts two minutes.

The player who runs out of time loses, submits, is knocked out, disqualified by the referee's decision, or is checkmated. if chess game ends in a draw (for example, a stalemate), the player who scored the most points in boxing wins, and if the judges state a draw in boxing, the player playing black chess becomes the winner.

If there are suspicions that one of the players is playing for time, he can be warned and even disqualified. After the referee gets his attention, he has 10 seconds to make his move. During the game of chess, players wear headphones that suppress all sounds coming from the stands.

Detailed rules of chess boxing can be found on the website.

Chessboxing in Germany

Germany, and especially Berlin, have played a special role in the history of chess boxing. It was based in Berlin the world's first chess boxing club - Chess Boxing Club BerlinThe World Chess Boxing Organization and a marketing agency for professional chess boxing, Chess Boxing Global Marketing GmbH, were founded here. The Berlin Chess Club was founded in 2004 by Iepe Rubingem.

In addition to Berlin, chess boxing could also settle in Germany in the Munich Boxwerk under the leadership of Nika Trachten. In addition, chess games were held in Cologne in 2006 and 2008, and in Kiel and Mannheim, players train at local boxing clubs.

The first professional chess boxer in the world was a German grandmaster. Arike Brown (6). Among other things, he won the title of world junior chess champion under 18 (Batumi, 2006) and the title of individual German chess champion (Saarbrücken, 2009).

6. The first chess grandmaster Arik Brown in the boxing ring, source: www.twitter.com/ChessBoxing/

The best Polish chess player is Pavel Dziubinski.who defeated Frank Stoldt in Nantes in 2006, but despite this was not invited to the 2007 World Cup.

Iepe Rubing

Iepe B. T. Rubing, Born August 17, 1974 in Rotterdam, he was a Dutch performer. When creating a chess box, he took inspiration from Enki Bilal's comic book Froid Équateur (Cold Equator). He was the founder and longtime president of the World Chessboxing Organization and president of Chess Boxing Global Marketing GmbH.

They fought their first fight for the title of world chess boxing champion in December 2003 at the Amsterdam club Paradiso Iepe "Joker" Rubingh (age 29, weight 75 kilograms, height 180 centimeters) against Luis "The Lawyer" Venstra (30 , 75 years old). , 185). Defeated Iepe Rubing.

The new sport has become especially popular in Germany, Great Britain, India and Russia, but wrestling in chess box also played in the USA, the Netherlands, Lithuania, Belarus, Italy and Spain, among others.

Rubing died in his sleep on May 8, 2020 at his home in Berlin (7). The cause of death of 45-year-old Rubing, most likely, was sudden cardiac arrest.

7. Iepe Rubing (1974-2020), creator of chess boxing, source: https://en.chessbase.com/

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Leading players of professional chess boxing

Nikolai Sazhin, Russia - heavyweight

Nikolai Sergeevich Sazhin studied mathematics at the Siberian State Aerospace University in Krasnoyarsk (Russia). Since childhood, he has been playing chess in the Ladiya chess club. In 2008 in Berlin he won the light heavyweight world championship in chess boxing, defeating Frank Stoldt (8). In 2013 in Moscow, he won the world heavyweight title by defeating Gianluca Sirci, Italy.

Nikolai Sazhin performed under the pseudonyms "Chairman" and "Siberian Express".

8. Nikolai "Chairman" Sazhin (left) - Frank "Antiterror" Stoldt, Berlin 2008, source: World Chess and Boxing Organization

Leonid Chernobaev, Belarus, light heavyweight.

Leonid Chernobaev was born in Gomel, Belarus. With the support of his father, he began boxing at the age of 5. With over 200 fights under his belt, Leonid is currently one of the best amateur boxers in the world. He was the sparring partner of professional boxers Pablo Hernandez and Marco Hook in Germany.

When Leonid was 6 years old, his father was drafted into the Russian army fighting in Afghanistan. He was raised by his mother, who encouraged Leonid to play chess, not just boxing. Leonid went to chess school, played in tournaments and reached an ELO rating of 2155. In 2009, in Krasnoyarsk, Leonid Chernobaev he won the world chess titledefeating Nikolai Sazhin. In 2013, Tripathi Shalish from India won in Moscow.

Sven Ruh, Germany - Middleweight

Sven Ruč rising star and world chess champion (9). He won the World Chess title for the first time in 2013 in Moscow, defeating Jonathan Rodriguez Vega of Spain, and defended the title in November 2014. Sven Ruch comes from a sports family in Dresden. His brother was an established Radeberger Box Union player. As a child, following in his brother's footsteps, he took up boxing. Sven Ruch works as a firefighter in Berlin and trains at the Chess Boxing Club Berlin, the oldest chess boxing club in the world.

9. Sven Ruch, Middleweight World Chess and Boxing Champion, photo: Nick Afanasiev

In chess, you need to have excellent skills in both chess and boxing. Minimum requirements for players participating in Chess Boxing Global battles: min. Elo rating in chess. 1600 and participation in at least 50 amateur boxing or similar martial arts competitions.

Chess boxing organizations

10. Logo of the World Chessboxing Organization

The World Chess Boxing Organization (-WCBO) is the governing body of chess (10). WCBO was founded in 2003 by Iepe Rubing and is based in Berlin. After the death of Iepe Rubing, Shihan Montu Das of India was elected president. The main tasks of the JRC include, in particular, the training of chess and boxing players, the popularization of chess boxing, and the organization of competitions and promotional fights.

In London, the World Chess Boxing Association (-WCBA) (2003) split from the WCBO in '11. The WCBA comes from the London Chess Club. Its President Tim Vulgarwho was the British heavyweight chess champion. Both organizations work closely together.

11. WCBA Championship Belt, source: www.facebook.com/londonchessboxing/

12. Shihan Montu Das - President of the World Chess and Boxing Organization.

In 2003-2013, WCBO organized fights for the world chess-boxing championship, and since 2013, Chess Boxing Global GmbH has been organizing professional events.

After the death of Iepe Rubing, the Indian martial arts champion was elected president of the World Chess Organization. Sheehan Montu Das (Founder and President of the Chess and Boxing Organization of India) (12).

World Chess Boxing Champions (WCBO)

• 2003: Iepe Rubing, Netherlands - Won middleweight in Amsterdam against Jean-Louis Weenstra, Netherlands.
• 2007: Frank Stoldt, Germany - Defeated USA Light Heavyweight in Berlin.
• 2008: Nikolai Sazhin, Russia - Defeated Frank Stoldt at Light Heavyweight in Berlin, Germany.
• 2009: Leonid Chernobaev of Belarus defeated Nikolai Sazhin of Russia in the Light Heavyweight division of Russia.

World Chess Boxing Champions (CBG)

• 2013: Nikolai Sazhin, Russia - He won the Moscow heavyweight against Gianluca Sirci, Italy.
• 2013: Leonid Chernobaev Belarus - Won Light Heavyweight in Moscow against Tripat Shalish, India.
• 2013: Sven Ruch, Germany - Defeated Jonathan Rodriguez Vega at Moscow Middleweight, Spain.

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