Chessboxing London April 2009
London April 2009
In April 2009 the Great Britain Chess Boxing Organisation GBCBO again presented four fascinating bouts featuring GBCBO founder Tim Woolgar followed by a thrilled audience.
In the headline bout chessboxing veteran Sascha Wandkowski fought against Konrad Rikardson. Opinion was that this was the greatest chessboxing bout held to date which Konrad Rikardson could finally win in the 11. round. Of course it takes two to make a great contest, so hats off also to runner-up Wandkowsky.
Wandkowski (red) and Rikardson (silver)
In the amateur fight Tim Woolgar faced Matt ‘Crazy Arms’ Read.
This contest was notable as the world's first ever Amateur chessboxing bout, where headguards and large gloves are worn as in standard Amateur boxing. It's far more difficult to stop your opponent with this level of protection, thus favouring the chessplayer. Compared to professional chessboxing, the combatants each have 6 minutes to make all moves instead of the normal 12 minutes. Each chess round lasts 3 minutes instead of 4 whilst each boxing round is 2 minutes instead of 3; so there is a maximum of 4 chess rounds and 3 boxing rounds. But it didn't take that long. In round 3 Tim Woolgar claims a win when Matt Read makes an illegal move, failing to defend his king from a long-range queen check. But both players have been briefed that the rules of chessboxing don‟t allow forfeiture after the first illegal move. So a delighted Matt „Crazy Arms‟ Read wins the world‟s first ever Amateur chessboxing bout!
Tim Woolgar (left) and Matt Read
Chessboxing veteran Sebastian Bauersfeld with 4 wins and 1 loss fought against debutant Nick Cornish in the middleweight division. Both have a height & physique. Bauersfeld was the favourite on paper – he has more boxing experience plus a slightly higher chess rating. Cornish could keep up in parts but had to resign in the 3. round. Despite the loss of the bout, it was a great success for the rookie, who surprised Bauersfeld with his physical fitness & boxing technique.
Nick Cornish (left) vs Sebastian Bauersfeld
The heavyweight fight featuring James ‘The Slice’ Taylor and Bob ‘The Red Kite’ Innes was the evening's fourth bout an a return match. Again Bob Innes lost. This time it was at the ed of round 4 by a TKO.
