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There was another big time championship event this weekend outside of the epic Wimbledon Final between Federer and Nadal. The World Chess Boxing Championship were held this weekend in Berlin.What is Chess-Boxing you say? Well chess boxing is a sport, if you will, that combines the skillful game of chess with the sweet science of boxing. There are 11 alternating rounds of chess and boxing, starting with a 4 minutes chess round followed by a 3 minute boxing round. You win if you knock your opponent out or put them in checkmate. You can also win on points if the 12 minutes of chess you are allowed expires.
In the Championship this past weekend, 19 year old student Nikolai Sazhin, competing under the name "The President'', knocked out Frank Stoldt, a 37-year-old German policeman.
Stoldt had this to say after the Championship bout:
"I took a lot of body-blows in the fourth round and that affected my concentration. That's why I made a big mistake in the fifth round: I did not see him coming for my king."
Damn, I always hate when that happens. Something tells me Mike Tyson won't be trying his hand at Chess Boxing anytime soon. Though that might be the only fight he could win if he makes out it of the first round.
Get this, there are actually Chess Boxing instructors. Take David Steppeler for instance who drops some serious Chess Boxing knowledge on us:
"This is the hard part, you are out of breath but you have to keep your wits about you. It is especially hard for the one who has to play first. He can easily make a false move, and in chess this is fatal. So in training we toughen people by making them do push-ups between every two chess moves."
For those of you still trying to grasp this interesting new sport, here is some footage from last year's Championship:
Chess Boxers Slug It Out [news.com.au]
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