And you thought the biathlon was crazy.
A sport combining the game of chess with the sweet science of boxing. The sport's creators stated that its intention "is to combine the number one thinking sport and the number one fighting sport into a hybrid that demands the most of its competitors--both mentally and physically," although many afficianados (myself included) would hold that boxing is itself a largely mental contest (and some would hold that goboxing would better accomplish the stated end).
In a chessboxing match, six four-minute rounds of chess are interceded by five two-minute rounds of boxing, following the FIDE and AIBA rules respectively (with a few slight modifications to accomodate the hybrid). A match is won by:
- In a chess round:
- In a boxing round:
- At any point:
- Retirement of either competitor
- By the player with the higher boxing score, if the chess game ends in stalemate, or by the chess player playing black if the boxing scores are drawn.
There is a one-minute break between rounds for players to change gear.
More information on chessboxing can be found at the web page of the World Chessboxing Organization (http://www.wcbo.org/).
And if you got through that without thinking something was seriously messed up, may I suggest Dungeons & Drag-Racing, IditaRisk, Final Fantasy Football, Super NASCARio Brothers, Tic-Tac-Texas Hold'em, or Bobsledding for Apples? (Seriously, though I jest, chessboxing is a real event, though one which probably shan't make the Olympics any time soon.)