Chess and boxing may not appear an obvious combination, but the founder of London Chess Boxing (LCB) believes the mix could be the next big thing as the sport’s Grand Prix comes to Islington next week.
Since it started in 2008 the club, based on Hazelville Road, has held over a dozen events around London and the latest is set to be the most popular yet.
The World Chess Boxing Grand Prix will take place in Scala nightclub, King’s Cross, next Saturday. As well as a series of matches, there will also be cabaret and music in between fights and free cocktails for VIP guests.
Tim Woolgar told Islington Now: “It’s going to be an amazing show. We’ve got chess boxers from around the world from Exeter to Ecuador.
“The thing about the chess boxing show is that you get such a diverse group and a great atmosphere in the crowd that it’s as much a social event as a sports event.
“I think the next big step for chess boxing is to become a televised sport. It could do really well because once you have seen a match it is really compelling. That would be a key moment for me.”
Woolgar knows what it takes to do well – he became heavyweight champion in 2008 when he beat his opponent in nine rounds, and is convinced that success is in the mind.
“It’s a combination of two on the surface slightly different disciplines,” he said. “Essentially it’s a mental and physical duel combined into one thing.”
“I think that some people regard it as a surprising combination, but if you have been a chess player and you have been a boxer, you can realise that the mindset of the two is very similar.
“These are the two ultimate gladiatorial sports.”
Matt “Crazy Arms” Read, 33, will fight at Scala in his first competitive bout since 2011. He has won four of his seven fights since his 2008 debut. Despite his lack of recent fights, Read feels ready for this fight.
“Even though I haven’t been fighting competitively I’ve been keeping up my training, so I’m out there to record one final win and entertain the crowd.”
Chess Boxing: The rules
- A match takes places between two opponents in a boxing ring. There are a possible 11 rounds, starting with chess and then alternating.
- The chess rounds last four minutes and the boxing rounds last three minutes. Each player has 12 minutes to make all of their chess moves.
- A player can win by knocking their opponent out in the boxing round, checkmating their opponent in chess, or if their opponent runs out of time on the chess clock.
