chess boxing

An earlier version of combining chess and boxing took place in a boxing club outside London in the late 1970s. The Robinson brothers were in the habit of playing a round of chess against one another after a training session at their boxing club.Mark Chandler: [http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/9933055.Chessboxing___the_bizarre_craze_that_started_in_a_Kidbrooke_youth_club/ Robinson Brothers]{{Cite web|last=Pathade|first=Mahesh|title=Chess Boxing : what is chessboxing- Part- 1|url=https://www.kheliyad.com/2019/10/how-to-play-chess-boxing.html|access-date=10 March 2020|website=Kheliyad|archive-date=23 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023043906/https://kheliyad.com/2019/10/how-to-play-chess-boxing.html|url-status=dead}} The concept of chessboxing was first coined in the 1979 kung fu film Mystery of Chessboxing made by Joseph Kuo, where it referred to the Chinese variant of chess, xiangqi. In homage to the film of the same name, the band Wu-Tang Clan brought chessboxing into popular consciousness for the first time in 1993, when they released the song "Da Mystery of Chessboxin{{' "}}.

The first chessboxing event was put on by Dutch performance artist Iepe Rubingh. Rubingh's idea to create a new sport fusing the two disciplines, chess and boxing,{{Cite web|url=https://www.kheliyad.com/2019/10/chess-boxing-india-part-2.html|title=Chess Boxing : Who brought chess boxing to India?|last=Pathade|first=Mahesh|website=Kheliyad|access-date=10 March 2020|archive-date=19 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211219234441/https://kheliyad.com/2019/10/chess-boxing-india-part-2.html|url-status=dead}} originates from the 1992 comic Froid Équateur, written by French comic book artist Enki Bilal, that portrays a chessboxing world championship. In the comic book version, however, the opponents fight an entire boxing match before they face each other in a game of chess. Finding this to be impractical, Rubingh developed the idea further until it turned into the competitive sport that chessboxing is today, with alternating rounds of chess and boxing and a detailed set of rules and regulations.Ada Calhoun: [http://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1821639,00.html Chess-Boxing Hits It Big], Time, 13 July 2008

The first chessboxing competition took place in Berlin in 2003.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=UCOLOURS. (2021). Supporting and Promoting Every Sport Worldwide. WORLD CHESS BOXING ORGANIZATION.|url=https://ucolours.com/pages/sports-chessboxing|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126180211/https://ucolours.com/pages/sports-chessboxing |archive-date=26 November 2020 |access-date=|website=}} That same year, the first world championship fight was held in Amsterdam,{{Cite web|title=Chess-Boxing: un connubio speciale|url=http://soldoutjournal.it/chess-boxing-un-connubio-speciale/|access-date=27 August 2020|archive-date=25 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201025005342/http://soldoutjournal.it/chess-boxing-un-connubio-speciale/|url-status=dead}} in cooperation with the Dutch Boxing Association as well as the Dutch Chess Federation and under the auspices of the World Chess Boxing Organization (WCBO) that had been founded in Berlin shortly before.{{Cite news|title=BBC. Reportage: Knocking out knights with chessboxing|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-19927902}} Dutch middleweight fighters Iepe Rubingh and Jean Louis Veenstra faced each other in the ring. After his opponent exceeded the chess time limit, Rubingh won the fight in the eleventh round, going down in the history books as the first-ever World Chess Boxing Champion.{{Cite web|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-chess-boxing-world-champion|title=First Chess Boxing World Champion|website=Guinness World Records|accessdate=12 June 2023}}

By 2012, Rubingh in Berlin and Tim Woolgar in London had become the two shining lights of the chessboxing scene. Rubingh's events tended to have a more serious tone, while Woolgar's brought a party atmosphere and larger crowds. These two champions of the new sport were unable to agree on forming a unified style, which eventually left the sport with two governing bodies: the World Chessboxing Association (WCBA) and the WCBO. This period in chessboxing history was immortalised in the film By Rook or Left Hook – The Story of Chessboxing.{{Cite web|url=https://www.wearemovingstories.com/we-are-moving-stories-films/2021/7/16/mdff-2021-|title = MDFF 2021 – by Rook or Left Hook – the Story of Chessboxing| date=24 July 2021 }}

File:Schachboxen2.jpg

The first European Chess Boxing Championship took place in Berlin on 1 October 2005.{{Cite web|title=Chess boxing – Netherlands. a. History/origin of the Chess Boxing; b. Weapon used in Chess Boxing; c. Technique involved in Chess Boxing and training availability.|date=23 December 2017 |url=https://martialask.com/chess-boxing-netherlands/}}{{Cite web|title=RPP Noticias. Boxeo y ajedrez se unen en el Chess boxing|date = 4 May 2011|url=https://rpp.pe/multideportes/mas-deportes/boxeo-y-ajedrez-se-unen-en-el-chess-boxing-noticia-362268?ref=rpp}} Present-day chessboxing commentator Andreas Dilschneider was defeated by Tihomir Dovramadjiev (FIDE Master{{Cite book|title=Di Felice, Gino (2017). "Chess International Titleholders, 1950–2016,". Amazon. ISBN 978-1476671321.|isbn=978-1476671321|last1=Felice|first1=Gino Di|date=22 November 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://players.chessbase.com/en/player/Dovramadjiev_Tihomir/64260|title=Tihomir Dovramadjiev player profile|first=ChessBase|last=GmbH|website=ChessBase Players|accessdate=12 June 2023}}) when he resigned in the ninth round of chess,Andreas Dilschneider: [http://magazin.spiegel.de/EpubDelivery/spiegel/pdf/42736496 "Was war da Los Herr Dilschneider?"], In Der Spiegel, 42/2005 crowning the latter by being the first European Chess Boxing Champion.{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2005/12/01/Chessboxing-requires-brain-and-brawn/72711133462776/|title=Chessboxing requires brain and brawn – UPI.com|website=UPI|accessdate=12 June 2023}}{{Cite web|title=Caanhub. Sports Social Network for Athletes, Teams, Coaches & Competitions.|url=https://caanhub.com/site/public-gallery/5/3210|access-date=25 August 2020|archive-date=27 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201027170500/https://caanhub.com/site/public-gallery/5/3210|url-status=dead}} A video report by German television channel RBB presented the event in detail.{{Cite web|title=RBB TV Berlin, Germany (Reportage 1.October.2005). 1st European Chess Boxing Championship.| website=YouTube | date=20 August 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZV3XNMz1CTc&feature=youtu.be |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/ZV3XNMz1CTc |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}{{Cite web|title=RBB Fernsehen|date=12 June 2023 |url=https://www.rbb-online.de/fernsehen/}} In 2006, more than 800 spectators filled the Gloria Theatre in Cologne for the world championship qualification fight between Zoran Mijatovic and Frank Stoldt. The 36-year-old Frank Stoldt, who was a former UN peacekeeper in Kosovo and Afghanistan, won when his opponent resigned in chess in the seventh round. After qualifying to fight for the title in 2006, Frank Stoldt went up against American David Depto in November 2007 in Berlin to fight for the first world championship title in the light heavyweight division. More than 800 tickets were sold for the event at the Tape Club in Berlin, making it the biggest chessboxing title fight to that date. Frank Stoldt defeated Depto in the seventh round and thereby cemented Berlin's status as the leading city in the chessboxing world and becoming the first German world champion.Berliner Morgenpost: [http://www.morgenpost.de/berlin-aktuell/ich-bin-ein-berliner/article106615642/Frank-Stoldt-Weltmeister-im-Schachboxen.html Frank Stoldt – Weltmeister in Schachboxen]

Chessboxing first received credit from the International Chess Federation FIDE, in April 2008; its president, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, took part in a chessboxing demo fight in Elista.FIDE: [http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/2-articles/1327-fide-videos Kirsan as a Chessboxer] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028212335/https://www.fide.com/component/content/article/2-articles/1327-fide-videos |date=28 October 2020 }} In 2008, chessboxing clubs were founded in London and Krasnoyarsk.{{Cite news|title=THE IRISH TIME about Chessboxing|newspaper=The Irish Times |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/hold-the-back-page-1.789055}} Created in 2009, the Los Angeles Chessboxing Club was the first of its kind in the United States and was directly followed by the New York Chessboxing Club in 2010. The Boxer in Munich also opened in 2010 and offers chessboxing training. In addition to the WCBO's initially European and later world championships taking place, the scene at the London Chessboxing Club grew as well. In 2011, the first international club matchup took place, with Berlin and London in the ring.Arno Nickel: [http://de.chessbase.com/post/schachboxen-berlin-london-1-2 London schlägt Berlin]

In 2011, the WCBO and with it, the global chessboxing community, made the biggest leap forward in its development to date with the foundation of the Chessboxing Organisation of India and its expansion in Asia, including Chessboxing China and the Chessboxing Organisation of Iran, which was founded in 2012. Furthermore, the third chessboxing organization in the United States, USA Chessboxing, was founded in 2011 and the European movement was being reinforced by the foundation of the Italian Chessboxing Federation in 2012. In addition to the WCBO becoming a registered association under German law in 2014, the Chess Boxing Global Marketing CBGM GmbH – called Chess Boxing Global (CBG) – was founded; it {{as of|2013|May|lc=y}} is responsible for organizing all professional chessboxing fights worldwide and above all, for the organization of the Chess Boxing World Championships.

The Chess Boxing Organisation India was founded in 2011 by kickboxing official and former Indian kickboxing and karate champion Montu Das. With this, the growth of chessboxing in Asia gained momentum, with the first Chess Boxing Organisation in Western Asia already being built in the following year by another experienced official in the kickboxing world, Fereydoun Pouya, who started the Chess Boxing Organisation Iran.

At the same time, the process of making chessboxing a professional discipline reached a milestone: The 2013 World Championship in Moscow was the first chessboxing event organized and marketed by Chess Boxing Global. With three world championship fights in one night, more than 1,200 spectators, and a standard of fighting never seen before, the first CBG event set new standards in the history of chessboxing, with Leonid Chernobaev leading the way. He has been able to make a name for himself with more than fifteen years of chess-playing experience, and in the boxing world as Marco Huck's and Yoan Pablo Hernández's sparring partner, and having fought over 200 amateur bouts. He won the light heavyweight title against Indian fighter Shailesh Tripathi after a technical knockout in the eighth round (boxing). Sven Rooch secured his title in the middleweight class division—winning against Jonatan Rodriguez Vega after the Spaniard resigned in the seventh round (chess), and Russian Nikolay Sazhin won the heavyweight title against Gianluca Sirci by checkmate. Thus, Sazhin (heavyweight), Chernobaev (light heavyweight), and Rooch (middleweight) would all go down in chessboxing history as the first Chess Boxing Global World Champions.Nik Afanasjew: [http://www.tagesspiegel.de/sport/schachboxen-knockout-oder-matt/9160876.html Knockout odor Matt]

In terms of its development into a mass sport, there was much success in 2013 and early 2014 for the chessboxing world. There were more competitors in the second and third Indian Championships in the summer of 2013 and early 2014 than in any chessboxing events ever before, with more than 245 fighters of varying age and weight class, taking place in Salem and Jodhpur, respectively.Shamik Bag: [https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-25099024 Chess boxing catching on in India] Furthermore, the chessboxing community in London—under the command of London Chessboxing and the WCBA—has continued to grow constantly since 2011 and by now stages chessboxing events for 800 or more spectators regularly four to five times a year at the Scala, King's Cross.

Late 2014 also saw the Finnish Chessboxing Club being founded in Helsinki by five members. Since 2013, there has also been a Moscow Chess Boxing club.

Chessboxing events in 2015 were produced by London Chessboxing under the WCBA—two events at Scala, Kings Cross. The second event, in June 2015, The Grandmaster Bash!, saw the British, European, and IBF light-welterweight world champion Terry Marsh fight and defeat Dymer Agasaryan. Terry Marsh is the first professional boxer to compete in chessboxing{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxing/2367974/Marsh-happy-to-roll-with-the-punches.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxing/2367974/Marsh-happy-to-roll-with-the-punches.html |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|website=The Telegraph

|title=Marsh happy to roll with the punches|date=9 November 2005 |access-date=19 June 2015}}{{cbignore}}{{cite web|title=Ex-world champ boxer is back in the ring for new sport of chessboxing|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/exworld-champ-boxer-is-back-in-the-ring-for-new-sport-of-chessboxing-10103059.html|website=The Standard|date=12 March 2015|access-date=19 June 2015}} and has competed in three fights since June 2014 in London and still remains unbeaten in his career.

Chessboxing has also become more popular among young, poor women in India, where the sport has been seen as an alternative to traditional roles.{{cite news|last1=Tarafdar|first1=Swati|title=Chess Boxing Offers a Way Out of Poverty for Young Women in India|url=https://www.newsdeeply.com/womensadvancement/articles/2018/05/10/chess-boxing-offers-a-way-out-of-poverty-for-young-women-in-india|access-date=11 May 2018|publisher=News Deeply: Women's Advancement Deeply|date=10 May 2018}}

Actual numbers of local federations are officially registered in some countries, such as: China,{{Cite web|title=China Chess Boxing|date=15 September 2018|url=http://sports.sina.com.cn/go/2018-09-15/doc-ihkahyhx1419318.shtml}} Costa Rica,{{Cite web|title=Costa Rica Chessboxing|website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/Costa-Rica-Chessboxing-281476991922918/}} Czech Republic,{{Cite web|title=Šachbox Česká republika / Chessboxing Czech Republic|website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/sachbox/}} Finland,{{Cite web|title=Finland Chess Boxing|url=https://www.chessboxingfinland.com/|access-date=25 August 2020|archive-date=12 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812212508/https://www.chessboxingfinland.com/|url-status=dead}} France,{{Cite web|title=ChessBoxing Federation of France|url=https://chessboxing.io/chessboxing-federation-of-france}} Germany,{{Cite web|url=https://www.chessboxingberlin.de/|title=Chess Boxing Club Berlin|website=www.chessboxingberlin.de|accessdate=12 June 2023}} United Kingdom,{{Cite web|title=LONDON CHESSBOXING|url=https://londonchessboxing.com/|access-date=25 August 2020|archive-date=1 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801145647/http://londonchessboxing.com/|url-status=dead}} India,{{Cite web|url=https://chessboxingindia.org/|title=Chess Boxing Organisation of India – Chess Boxing – hybrid sport of mind & physic|website=chessboxingindia.org|accessdate=12 June 2023}} Iran,{{Cite web|title=Iran Chessboxing|website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/iranchessboxing}} Italy,{{Cite web|title=Italy Chess Boxing Federation. Federazione Italiana ScacchiPugilato|url=http://www.scacchipugilato.it/contatti/}}{{Cite web|title=Milan ChessBoxing|website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/MilanChessBoxing/}} Madagascar,{{Cite web|title=Madagascar Chess Boxing Association MCBA|website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/madcba/}} Mexico, Netherlands, Philippines,{{Cite web|title=Philippine ChessBoxing Institute|website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/pcbipsalm128/}} Russia,{{Cite web|title=МОСКОВСКАЯ ФЕДЕРАЦИЯ ШАХБОКСА|url=http://mcbf.ru/|access-date=4 August 2016|archive-date=5 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805010712/http://mcbf.ru/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|title=Moscow ChessBoxing Federation – Team Russia| website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/russianchessboxing/?__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARBqQ0pwQfmmt2buWApdurChClc6Ej5nQDtQ2cSKSUh2vcSToPeCofW3QARcja-I-Dr8nm6G9K-MM7MB}} South Africa,{{Cite web|title=Chess Boxing South Africa|website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/Chessboxingsa/}} Spain, Turkey,{{Cite web|title=Türkiye Chessboxing Federasyonu|website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/trchessboxing/}}{{Cite web|title=Satranç Boksu Federasyonu|website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Sports/Satran%C3%A7-Boksu-Federasyonu-2177945902266086/}} Ukraine,{{Cite web|url=https://www.chess-english.com/chessboxing/|title=Федерація шахбоксу України|website=Chess-English|accessdate=12 June 2023|archive-date=21 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921004413/https://www.chess-english.com/chessboxing/|url-status=dead}} United States,{{Cite web|title=Chess Boxing USA| website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/chessboxingusa/?ref=br_rs}}{{Cite web|title=Los Angeles Chessboxing Club| website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/LAChessboxing/?ref=br_rs}}{{Cite web|title=NYC ChessBoxing| website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/NYCChessBoxing/?ref=br_rs}}{{Cite web|url=https://lachessboxing.com/|title=LA Chessboxing – Win by Checkmate or Knockout!|accessdate=12 June 2023}}{{Cite web|title=Team USA Chessboxing|website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/TeamUSAChessBoxing/}} and others.

In 2016, then-FIDE president, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov, publicly announced to Top Sport his desire to include chessboxing in the Olympic games.{{Cite web|url=http://www.elista.org/sport/prezident_fide_dopuskaet_obedinenie_shahmat_i_boksa/|title=Президент ФИДЕ допускает объединение шахмат и бокса|website=www.elista.org|accessdate=12 June 2023}}

On 11 December 2022, content creator and YouTuber Ludwig Ahgren held a chess boxing event, called the Mogul Chessboxing Championship, at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. The competition's bouts featured other content creators.{{cite web |title=Mogul Chessboxing Championship |url=https://www.galencenter.org/events/detail/mogul_chessboxing_championship |url-status=dead |access-date=12 December 2022 |website=Galen Center |archive-date=11 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221211230112/https://www.galencenter.org/events/detail/mogul_chessboxing_championship }} The event's live viewership peaked at over 315,000 viewers on YouTube.{{cite web |title=Ludwig's Mogul Chessboxing Championship breaks all-time viewership record on his channel |url=https://esports.gg/news/streamers/ludwig-mogul-chessboxing-championship-views/ |website=EsportsGG |date=11 December 2022 |access-date=11 December 2022}}

A match consists of eleven alternating rounds of chess and boxing, starting and ending with chess (therefore, six chess rounds and five boxing rounds). The same game of chess is continued across rounds. Each round of chess or boxing lasts three minutes and is typically followed by a one-minute break. The chess rounds are played under time control, with a total of nine minutes allotted to each player and no increment added to either player's clock after a move is made.{{cite web |last1=Linville (raync910) |first1=Ray |title=Are You Ready For Chess Boxing? |url=https://www.chess.com/blog/raync910/are-you-ready-for-chess-boxing |website=Chess.com|date=28 October 2020 }}

A chessboxing match can end by any of the following:

• Victory by knockout or technical knockout in boxing
• Victory by checkmate in chess
• Loss due to exceeding the chess game's time control; see fast chess
• Loss by resignation in either discipline
• Disqualification of one fighter by the referee in either discipline following multiple warnings (for extended inactivity, overextended playing time, rule infractions, etc.)
• This rule prevents a fighter who is in an unwinnable position in one discipline from stalling to attempt to win in the other.

If the chess game ends in a draw before the final round, one more round of boxing is held. If this round also ends without a clear victory, the fighter who is ahead on boxing points wins the overall bout. If the chess draw occurs in the final round, the fighter ahead on points is immediately declared the winner. In either case, if the bout ends with both fighters tied on points, the one playing the black chess pieces wins the bout, due to not having the first-move advantage in chess. This scenario has not yet occurred in practice as of February 2025.

Like boxing, chessboxers are divided into weight classes. Currently, the following apply to professional chessboxing events of Chess Boxing Global ({{as of|2014|October|lc=y}}):

• Lightweight: max. 70 kg (154.3 lbs)
• Middleweight: max. 80 kg (176.4 lbs)
• Light heavyweight: max. 90 kg (198.4 lbs)
• Heavyweight: over 90 kg (198.4 lbs)Chess Boxing Global: [http://www.chessboxing-global.com/about/ CBG Rules] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160905052145/http://www.chessboxing-global.com/about/ |date=5 September 2016 }}

• Lightweight: max. 55 kg (121.3 lbs)
• Middleweight: max. 65 kg (143.3 lbs)
• Light heavyweight: max. 75 kg (165.3 lbs)
• Heavyweight: over 75 kg (165.3 lbs)

For amateur and youth chessboxing bouts under the flag of the WCBO, weight classes are graduated in 6-kilo steps. Exceptionally, event hosts can classify into 10-kilo steps.

A chessboxer must have strong skills in both chess and boxing to be permitted to compete in a professional chessboxing fight. The current minimum requirements to fight in a Chess Boxing Global event include an Elo rating of 1,600 and a record of at least fifty amateur bouts fought in boxing or another similar martial art. One deciding factor in chessboxing is that the fighters have to mainly train in speed chess; the skills required by speed chess are different from those for chess using classical time controls. However, chessboxing is not only the ability to master both sports but above all, to be able to withstand the constant switch from a full-contact sport to a thinking game, round after round. After three minutes of boxing, opponents have to face each other at the chessboard barely having taken a break, and have to then perform calmly and think tactically. This switch becomes increasingly hard for the athletes as the contest progresses.

To practice these skills, specialized chessboxing training is used, in which physical interval training forms are combined with blitz or speed chess games. Thereby, the fighters adopt the rhythm of a chessboxing bout. They will use exercises like "track chess" and "stair chess", in which training partners will play an 18-minute game of speed chess over six rounds, with intensive running exercises in between, such as 400-meter sprints or stair sprints. Other common methods of training combine speed chess games with strength exercises such as push-ups. The classic chessboxing training is box sparring combined with a game of speed chess.

Below is a partial list of chess boxing tournaments held in recent years:{{Cite web |title=Chessboxing Database – Events |url=https://www.chessboxing.info/events/ |access-date=29 May 2023 |website=www.chessboxing.info}}

{{further|List of Chess boxing champions}}

Between 2003 and 2013, the chessboxing world championships were organized by the WCBO. {{as of|2013}}, they take the form of professional events under the auspices of Chess Boxing Global.

• 2003: Iepe Rubingh {{NLD}} – middleweight, in Amsterdam against Jean Louis Veenstra {{NLD}}Chessbase: [http://en.chessbase.com/post/you-thought-we-were-making-it-up- Chessboxing Amsterdam]
• 2007: Frank Stoldt {{DEU}} – light heavyweight, in Berlin against David Depto {{USA}}Chessbase: [http://en.chessbase.com/post/cheboxing-world-championship-2008-in-berlin Stoldt vs. Depto]
• 2008: Nikolay Sazhin {{RUS}} – light heavyweight, in Berlin against Frank Stoldt {{DEU}}Chessbase: [http://en.chessbase.com/post/the-ruians-are-coming-in-cheboxing Stoldt vs. Sazhin]
• 2009: Leo Kraft {{DEU}} – light heavyweight, in Krasnoyarsk against Nikolay Sazhin {{RUS}}{{cite web |title=Leo "Granit" Kraft is the youngest World Champion in Chessboxing history! |url=http://www.iepe.net/dada/mail.cgi/archive/WCBO/20091203163513/ |website=IEPE |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021115054/http://www.iepe.net/dada/mail.cgi/archive/WCBO/20091203163513/ |archive-date=21 October 2014 |date=3 December 2009 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |title=Chessboxing Krasnoyarsk November 2009 |url=http://wcbo.org/content/e18/e1370/index_en.html |publisher=World Chess Boxing Organisation |access-date=9 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101018034523/http://wcbo.org/content/e18/e1370/index_en.html |archive-date=18 October 2010 |url-status=dead}}
• 2012: Morgan Rose {{USA}} – lightweight, in Amsterdam against Río Cuomo {{DEU}}

• 2005: Tihomir Dovramadjiev {{BGR}} – light heavyweight, in Berlin against Andreas Dilschneider {{DEU}}Spiegel: [http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-42736496.html Dilschneider Teasertext]
• 2010: Gianluca Sirci {{ITA}} – heavyweight, in London against Andrew Costello {{GBR}}
• 2015: Sergio Leveque {{ITA}} – heavyweight, in London against Darius Rolkis {{LTU}}
• 2015: Sergio Leveque {{ITA}} – heavyweight, in London against Dmitri Pechurin {{RUS}}
• 2016: Sergio Leveque {{ITA}} – heavyweight, in London against Daniel Wakeham {{GBR}}

{{update section|date=May 2017}}

• 2013: Nikolay Sazhin {{RUS}} – heavyweight, in Moscow against Gianluca Sirci {{ITA}}
• 2013: Leonid Chernobaev {{BLR}} – light heavyweight, in Moscow against Shaliesh Tripathi {{IND}}
• 2013: Sven Rooch {{DEU}} – middleweight, in Moscow against Jonathan Rodriguez Vega {{ESP}}

The World Chessboxing Association (WCBA) is a legally recognized umbrella organization for chessboxing. It was founded in 2013 and is based in London, England. English heavyweight chessboxing champion Tim Woolgar is its current president. The WCBA originated from the London Chessboxing Club after having separated from the WCBO. It was founded by Woolgar in 2013 to accelerate the development of chessboxing. WCBO champions are also managed and recognized by the WCBA.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

The World Chess Boxing Organisation (WCBO) is the leading umbrella organization for international amateur chessboxing. It is based in Berlin, Germany, and legally recognized as a nonprofit organization by the German government. Iepe Rubingh founded the WCBO directly after the first chessboxing fight in 2003. Its goal is to establish the WCBO as the worldwide organization for the sport of chessboxing. The WCBO aims to collect and link all active chessboxing clubs worldwide under one roof. It was legally recognized as a registered association by Berlin's district court in 2014. The WCBO was the official organizer of the chessboxing world championships until it recognized Chess Boxing Global, following its statute, as the exclusive marketing agent for professional chessboxing fights, in 2013. Chessboxing inventor and WCBO founder Iepe Rubingh is also the current chairman. The first honorary member is comic book artist Enki Bilal, whose comic inspired the invention of chessboxing.

• Chess Boxing Club Berlin (CBCB)
• Chess Boxing Organisation of India (CBOI)
• Chess Boxing Organisation of Iran (CBOIR)
• Italian Chess Boxing Federation (FISP)
• China Chessboxing (CBCN)
• Russian Chess Boxing Organisation

London Chessboxing is a brand under which the sport of chessboxing has been promoted since 2008{{cite web|title=Chessboxing at Bethnal Green Working Man's Club 2008|date=19 November 2008|url=http://en.chessbase.com/post/cheboxing-triumph-in-london|access-date=12 June 2015}} in London, England. Although the sport has been practised in London since 1978,{{cite web|title=The Guardian on London Chessboxing|website=TheGuardian.com |date=13 September 2014|url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2014/sep/13/chessboxing-brain-brawn-battle-it-out}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04p52p2|title=BBC Radio 4 – Saturday Live, Ade Adepitan|website=BBC|accessdate=12 June 2023}} the home of chessboxing in London today is Islington Boxing Club, where London Chessboxing hosts regular training sessions.{{cite news |date=17 September 2010 |title=Financial Times: Across ring and board with chessboxing |website=Financial Times |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/b7d67564-c069-11df-8a81-00144feab49a.html |access-date=22 June 2015}}{{cite web |title=Islington Boxing Club Host to Chessboxing |url=http://www.islingtonboxingclub.org/about/ |access-date=22 June 2015 |website=Islington Boxing Club}}

The first-ever chessboxing event hosted in the UK under the brand was at Bethnal Green Working Men's club in Hackney by Tim Woolgar on 15 August 2008. Other notable venues include Chelsea Old Town Hall,{{cite web|title=Chesboxing Charity Fundraiser at Chelsea Old Town Hall|url=http://www.yellobric.com/yellobric-chessboxing-ball/|website=Yellobric|date=29 August 2014|access-date=22 June 2015}}{{cite web|title=Yellobric Chessboxing Ball, Chelsea Old Town Hall|url=http://londonrandom.com/events/yellobric-chessboxing-ball/|website=London Randon|access-date=22 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150622200323/http://londonrandom.com/events/yellobric-chessboxing-ball/|archive-date=22 June 2015|url-status=dead}} The Grange Hotel in St Pauls,{{cite web|title=Oracle Cancer Trust Chessboxing Gala|url=http://www.squaremile.com/events/oracle-cancer-trust-chessboxing-gala/|website=Square Mile|access-date=22 June 2015}} and the Royal Albert Hall.{{cite web|title=Chess: boxing clever. From Prada to the Royal Albert Hall.|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/chess-boxing-clever-8083735.html|website=The Evening Standard|date=28 August 2012}}{{cite web|title=International Chessboxing at the Royal Albert Hall|url=http://thenudge.com/london-events/chessboxing-tournament/other|website=The Nudge|date=21 March 2019 }} Their events are hosted at Scala, King's Cross,{{cite web |url= http://www.viewlondon.co.uk/whatson/international-chessboxing-london-article-11452.html |title=International Chessboxing London – International Chessboxing at Scala |work=viewlondon.co.uk |year=2015|access-date=12 June 2015}} York Hall, and The Dome, in Tuffnell Park. The events are also broadcast on the livestreaming service Twitch.

In 2021 London Chessboxing rebranded as [https://www.ChessboxingNation.com Chessboxing Nation] in order to compete with Chessboxing Global; however, Chessboxing Global collapsed following the death of Iepe Rubingh.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

In July 2021, a documentary titled By Rook or Left Hook – The Story of Chessboxing premiered at the Doc Edge documentary festival in New Zealand, to positive reviews.{{cite web | url=https://moviebabble.com/2021/07/20/melbourne-documentary-film-festival-2021-review-by-rook-or-left-hook-the-story-of-chessboxing/ | title=Melbourne Documentary Film Festival 2021 Review: 'By Rook or Left Hook: The Story of Chessboxing' | date=20 July 2021 }} The film was produced and directed by Canadian filmmaker David Bitton and executive-produced by Ed Cunningham, producer of the gaming documentary The King of Kong. By Rook or Left Hook tracks the early years of chessboxing, primarily focusing on the tensions that formed between the sport's inventor, Iepe Rubingh, and London Chessboxing founder, Tim Woolgar, and the formation of the two rival governing bodies, the WCBO and the WCBA. Although the documentary was filmed over an eight-year period, (November 2010 to January 2018), the story spans over 21 years—from Rubingh's early years as an artist, all the way up to his death in May 2020.{{Citation needed|date=September 2021}}

In parallel with the development of chessboxing as a sport, the discipline has found an increasing place in several works by leading scientists who study the potential application of the concept in various fields.{{Cite web|date=2017|title=Associate Professor Ovchinnikov Yu.D., student Khorkova LV and teacher Sycheva NM Physical culture, sports, and health. Mental development of schoolchildren on the lessons of physical culture at comprehensive school. 2017. ISSN 2312-072X.|url=http://i.konferencia-virtual.ru/u/b8/dc8c64449211e7ba3e944f0497f2b6/-/virtual%202017-1.pdf|access-date=5 August 2020|archive-date=17 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017135056/http://i.konferencia-virtual.ru/u/b8/dc8c64449211e7ba3e944f0497f2b6/-/virtual%202017-1.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|date=2018|title=Tsaryova G.A., Scientific adviser – Voronin A.V., senior. teacher. FGBOU VO Ulyanovsk GAU, hybrid sports. Physical culture and sports, health improvement of students. UDC 796. 2018.|url=http://lib.ugsha.ru:8080/bitstream/123456789/15280/1/2018-11-214-216.pdf}}{{Cite journal|date=2016|title=Ovchinnikov Yuri Dmitrievich, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor; Khorkova Lyubov Vladimirovna, student. Chess plus boxing – resulting in Chessboxing, Kuban State University of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism. Preschool pedagogy issues. 2016. ISSN 2410-7344.|journal=Вопросы Дошкольной Педагогики |issue=1 |pages=46–50 |url=https://moluch.ru/th/1/archive/24/763/}}

• The concept of chessboxing is of great interest to science seeking to optimize and increase the physical and psychological characteristics of athletes through the application of new methods and approaches, in order to increase human strength, biomechanical and intellectual abilities, and others.{{Cite journal|date=2016|title=Associate Professor Ovchinnikov Jurij Dmitrievich and student Horkova Ljubov Vladimirovna. Biomechanics on project technologies – popularization of new sports. Pedagogical sciences. Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of the Higher Education Kuban State University of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism, Krasnodar city. MODERN INNOVATION No. 3 (5). 2016.|journal=Современные Инновации |volume=3 |issue=5 |pages=47–49 |url=https://cyberleninka.ru/article/n/biomehanika-v-proektnyh-tehnologiyah-populyarizatsiya-novyh-vidov-sporta}}
• The concept of the sport of chessboxing occupies a leading place in the research of scientists looking for new integrated methods and approaches applicable in the educational process to improve the general condition of adolescents, young people, and disadvantaged individuals.{{Cite web|title=O. G. Lazar. Candidate of Pedagogy Science, Associate Professor, Dean of the Faculty of Adaptive and Health-Improving Physical Culture, Kuban State University of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism, Krasnodar, Russia. Pedagogical direction of the course "Biomechanics of Motor Activities" in the educational institutions of the sports profile. Scientific-methodological and social aspects of psychology and pedagogy. Digest of articles. International Scientific and Practical Conference on April 10, 2016, Part 2. UDC37, ISBN 978-5-906869-06-7 Part 2, ISBN 978-5-906869-07-4, p. 25-26..|url=https://www.aeterna-ufa.ru/sbornik/PP-50-2.pdf|access-date=24 August 2020|archive-date=13 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013173932/https://www.aeterna-ufa.ru/sbornik/PP-50-2.pdf|url-status=dead}}
• In general, the main conclusions show the positive impact of the diversity of the sport of chessboxing, characterized by certain dynamics in a diverse environment.{{Cite web|date=2018|title=Kishibaev I.Ya., Ivanov M.A. (2018). Chessboxing is a way of realizing the child's right to physical and intellectual development and the formation of healthy lifestyle skills. Almanac of World Science. 2018 No. 5 (25). Science, education, society: modern challenges and perspectives" (PDF). 2018. pp. 147–148. ISSN 2412-8597.|url=http://co2b.ru/uploads/amn.2018.05.pdf}}{{Cite web|title=Kamenev V.S., Katrenko M.V., NCFU, Stavropol, Russia. Combined sports in the harmonious development of a specialist. pp.222–226|url=http://dropdoc.ru/doc/398607/sekciya-2.-sport---oficial._nyj-sajt-donskogo-gosudarstvennogo|access-date=27 August 2020|archive-date=13 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201013231103/http://dropdoc.ru/doc/398607/sekciya-2.-sport---oficial._nyj-sajt-donskogo-gosudarstvennogo|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|title=Vitalii I. Lukashchuk. Doctor of Sociological Sciences, Associate Professor. The Study of Sport Industry: System Theory. The Department of State and Corporate Management Academy of Marketing and Social Information Technologies (Krasnodar). UDK 316.334:796.|url=https://www.online-science.ru/userfiles/file/xqn57ukvszyuq7xfco3gorkejoccyyzr.pdf|access-date=3 September 2020|archive-date=24 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224062811/https://online-science.ru/userfiles/file/xqn57ukvszyuq7xfco3gorkejoccyyzr.pdf|url-status=dead}}

• In 2012, Judit, Susan, and Sofia Polgar hosted a chess festival in Hungary during which the WBF / IBO middleweight world boxing champion Mihaly Kotai played a chessboxing match, the first in Hungary.{{Cite web|url=https://www.englishchess.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/ECU-NEWSLETTER-99.pdf|title=European Chess Union (ECU). NEWSLETTER 99 (November 26, 2012). p.10.|accessdate=12 June 2023}}
• In 2013, the information and educational television channel Moscow 24{{Cite web|url=https://www.m24.ru/live|title=Прямой эфир – Москва 24|website=m24.ru|accessdate=12 June 2023}} presented a report on the popularity of chessboxing.{{Cite web|title=Moscow 24. Chessboxing is gaining popularity in the capital. (Report 2013).| website=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brg_FgtaRF4&t=35s |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/Brg_FgtaRF4 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}
• In 2018, the official promo video SHAHBOX PROMO was presented.{{Cite web|title=Shakh-Man of Boxing. ШАХБОКС ПРОМО (2018).| website=YouTube | date=23 February 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lxtbe5RUxwc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/Lxtbe5RUxwc |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}} The video shows the preparation of the Russian national chess team for an international tournament in Moscow (28 March 2018) under the auspices of the Chess Federation (Moscow, Russia) and the World Chess Federation (WCBO). The tournament was held and supported by the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation. Among the participants in the cup were five candidates for master of sports in boxing, two masters of sports in kickboxing, one professional boxer (with a score of 3 – 0), two masters, three candidates for master of chess, three world champions in chessboxing, one European champion, and one silver medalist from the World Chess Championship.{{Cite web|title=Moscow ChessBoxing Federation – Team Russia. Chess Boxing International Cup – 2018.|website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/russianchessboxing/videos/1623423181081174/}}{{Cite web|title=CHESSBOXING preview.| website=YouTube | date=23 February 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KK9ArW0ePcQ&feature=youtu.be |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/KK9ArW0ePcQ |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}
• In 2019, the book Chessboxer by Stephen Davies{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Stephen Davies official website|url=https://www.voiceinthedesert.org.uk/about/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925014124/http://voiceinthedesert.org.uk:80/about/ |archive-date=25 September 2015 |access-date=|website=}} was published.{{Cite book|last=|first=|date=|title=Amazon. Chessboxer Paperback – 3 Oct. 2019 by Stephen Davies (Author). ISBN 9781783448401.|id={{ASIN|1783448407|country=uk}}}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=9 August 2019|title=THENATASHAREADS. (August 9, 2019). Book review on Chessboxer by Stephen Davies.|url=https://thenatashareads.wordpress.com/2019/08/09/chessboxer-by-stephen-davies/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201095115/https://thenatashareads.wordpress.com/2019/08/09/chessboxer-by-stephen-davies/ |archive-date=1 February 2021 |access-date=|website=}}
• In 2019, the St. Petersburg TV{{Cite web|url=https://tvspb.ru/|title=Телеканал Санкт-Петербург|website=tvspb.ru|accessdate=12 June 2023}} channel presented a report on how chessboxing attracts chess players and boxers.{{Cite web|title=TV channel St. Petersburg. About chessboxing (Report on AUGUST 23, 2019) .|date=23 August 2019 |url=https://topspb.tv/news/2019/08/23/chem-shahboks-privlekaet-shahmatistov-i-bokserov/}}
• In 2019, Red Bull TV{{Cite web|title=RedBull TV web site|website=Red Bull |url=https://www.redbull.com/int-en/discover}} officially presented a documentary on chessboxing.{{Cite web|title=Red Bull TV on Chessboxing {{!}} Documentary HD| website=YouTube | date=8 October 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZzj4ICKsF4}}
• In 2020, at an international chessboxing tournament held in the Netherlands, K1 multiple world kickboxing champion Remy Bonjasky{{Cite web|title=K-1 WORLD CHAMPIONS. //|url=https://k-1world.com/all-k-1-champions/|access-date=29 August 2020|archive-date=13 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913044323/https://k-1world.com/all-k-1-champions/|url-status=dead}} supported the event as a commentator.{{Cite web|title=Archive. Iepe Rubingh (January 14, 2020).| website=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10219286804773583&set=p.10219286804773583}} The tournament was especially important because after seventeen years, chessboxing returned to the country where the first world championship was held.{{Cite web|title=Schaakboksen na 17 jaar terug in Paradiso.| website=YouTube | date=9 January 2020 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8iJwoJnz-4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/p8iJwoJnz-4 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live}}{{cbignore}}
• In early 2021, Russian channel RT publicly promoted chessboxing in a presentation video, focusing attention on the sport's popularity around the world and its prospects for inclusion in the Olympic Games.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=RT (4 януари 2021 г.). THIS IS CHESSBOXING!|url=https://www.facebook.com/rtsportnews/posts/3999100856776229|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111131830/https://www.facebook.com/rtsportnews/posts/3999100856776229 |archive-date=11 January 2021 |access-date=|website=Facebook}}
• On 11 December 2022, YouTube personality Ludwig Ahgren hosted a Chess Boxing Competition called Mogul Chess Boxing, featuring other YouTube and Twitch celebrities, as well as Super Smash Bros players and chess grandmasters. The stream peaked at 317k viewers, making it the largest premier of Chess Boxing in the history of the sport.{{Cite web |title=Ludwig's Mogul Chessboxing Championship event: Full results, fight card, more |url=https://www.dexerto.com/entertainment/how-to-watch-ludwigs-mogul-chessboxing-event-fight-card-date-more-1958332/ |access-date=27 December 2022 |website=Dexerto |date=12 December 2022 |language=en}}

{{Portal|Chess}}

• List of Chess boxing champions

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