10/19/2005: Chess boxing

xoB sends this from a German images site. The image isn't the mind-boggling thing this time, it's the very notion of what they are doing. The official cap:

Tihomir "Tigertad" Titschko of Bulgaria (l.) and Andreas "D" Schneider of Germany fought to become the first European champion in chess-boxing on Saturday in Berlin. The new sports discipline, which was developed from an art project, requires competitors to alternately play chess for four minutes at a time, then throw punches for two minutes. The first player to knockout his opponent or checkmate him wins. Titschko was declared European champion after beating Schneider in chess.

It's a bizarre and lovely idea, and I hope it catches on. What I wonder is whether the strategy includes a lot of head shots during the boxing section, to befuddle your opponent by bashing his brain around a little. That would be similar to strategy for various drinking games where part of the object is to get your opponent blotto drunk so s/he can't strategize against you.

Most of the guys I remember from chess club didn't have a right hook at all. I could take 'em, no sweat.

Too wierd, I imagine this will be followed by the French inventing Cheese boxing. Particpants box a round then sit down and sample some brie then box another round.

Found this website with better pictures!
http://me.in-berlin.de:8080/iepe/wcb.../index_en.html

hell..... we've been doing that for years around here. We have at least one boxing match per tournament, depending on the amount of sauce administered.
Guess to top the Germans we'll have to break out the weapons.

Running Chess

Alan Turing used to play running chess where you would make a move and then run around the house.

If you got back before the other person you got to move twice. If you think too long you lose.

Isn't it hard to move the pieces with the gloves on?

Just asking...

Exactly what kind of an 'art project' did this devlove from?

Sounds like something those giant stuffed rabbit fallen from the sky people would have concocted to me.

Let's see if the giant pink bunny guys didn't think this up . . . hmmm. I wonder . . .
Do you think it was guys who did?
Maybe it was women who used to date them?
Maybe it was the kid who lived next door to me. He got kicked out of high school for breaking a bottle over his own head. True story.

ME-Liz
http://lettingmebe.blogspot.com

In a couple of the pictures they are wearing headphones. Why? Relaxing music?

Oh wow... I can see it now...

Chess round:
"Dammit! I had big plans for that bishop!" *punches opponent in head across board*

Boxing round:
"This one's for those three pawns!" *uppercut*

Anybody else old enough to have the urge to shout "Body blow! Body blow!!"?

Here's a site with <a href="http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=1348">more pictures</a>, and here <a href="http://me.in-berlin.de:8080/iepe/wcbo/content/e18/e158/e160/e287/index_en.html">A VIDEO!</a> You have to watch the video.

Why they wear the headphones...

"The headphones are to keep out the noise of an unruly crowd that is screaming for piece sacrifices."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vegeta Er... Ring King? I know it sounds familiar...