Chess Boxing

Humans go to great lengths to prove themselves in sports. If one particular sport is "too easy" then we combine ‘em with others (like the triathlon) to make it harder for ourselves. But this particular sport takes it to the extreme – it combines the physical pain of boxing and the mental exertion of chess.

Ladies and gentlemen, heeeeeeeeereee’s chess boxing:

Berlin is hosting the first ever chess boxing world championship. It has been organised by the man who invented the sport – Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh.

"Chess and boxing have lots of things in common," Mr Rubingh assures me.

"If you move the pawn, it’s like moving your jab. If you come with the knight, it’s like a hook. If you come with the rook, it’s a straight right. And if you march in with the queen, it’s a knockout," he says.

Two sports in one means double the pain – and double the pressure.

Links: BBC article | World Chess Boxing Organization | Chess boxing [wiki] – Thanks Oscar Yan!