One Sport You Won’t See in The Olympics
August 19th, 2008 by HeywoodIf a portmanteau is a combination of two words, then chess-boxing is a sportmanteau.
You heard me right: this sport is a combination of chess and boxing. Started by the Hip-Hop Chess Federation (RZA from the Wu-Tang Clan is apparently a huge chess buff), competitors alternate in the ring between three-minute boxing rounds and four-minute rounds of speed chess. Between rounds, competitors only get a one-minute break to take off and put on gloves, and to ponder strategies with coaches. Ultimately, a winner is determined by knockout, checkmate, or referee decision. It’s hard to believe, but elite chessboxers claim the hardest part of the sport is not taking a beating in the boxing component, but rather, coming down from the adrenaline of boxing to be able to thoughtfully play chess. Check out the Time Magazine article on the sport.
