Chess-boxing organization looking for a contender

Monday, July 2, 2007

Do you have brains and brawn? Can you push a pawn and take a punch?

If so, you may want to check out the World Chess Boxing Organization, which is planning events for this year in Los Angeles; Paris; Prague, Czech Republic; Berlin; Zurich, Switzerland; and Moscow.

The rules of the game are pretty straightforward:

A bout starts with a four-minute round of chess, with each competitor having 12 minutes on his chess clock for the game. When the bell rings, the chessboard is rolled off and the opponents come out punching for a two-minute round of boxing. Between rounds, there's a one-minute pause, during which competitors change their gear. After that, the chessboard comes back in, the pieces in the same position as they were at the end of the previous round. The rotation continues for 11 rounds unless a checkmate or a knockout decides the contest first.

The WCBO is looking for chess boxers 35 and younger who have some boxing experience and a chess rating of at least 1800. The WCBO will choose one to match brawn and wits for prize money on center stage with "Anti Terror" Frank Stoldt on Sept. 1 in Berlin.

For information on chess boxing, check out wcbo.org or chessboxing.com.

Today's game is from Leipzig, Germany, in 2001, where more than 1,000 people watched the heavyweight-boxing-champion Klitschko brothers team up and get crushed by 16-year-old Elisabeth Pahtz, the German women's chess champion (playing blindfolded).

1.e4 b6 2.d4 Ba6 3.Bxa6 Nxa6 4.Nc3 Rb8 5.Nf3 Nf6 6.e5Nh5 7.g4 Nf6 8.exf6 gxf6 9.Qe2 Bg7 10.Qxa6 Qc8 11.Qe2c5 12.dxc5 Qxc5 13.Nh4 d6 14.Nf5 Bf8 15.Bh6

Vitaly and Vladimir Klitschko

Elisabeth Pahtz (blindfolded)

15…Bxh6 16.Qxe7 mate

Harry's moves

• What: For the arrival of the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Todd Bardwick will be at the Wizard's Chest, 230 Fillmore St., at 3 p.m. July 21 explaining the Wizard's Chess position from the first Potter movie.

• The deal: Those attending will receive 25 percent off either of Bardwick's books and Deathly Hallows when purchased together.

• Information: 303-321-4304

Todd Bardwick is a national master and runs the Chess Academy of Denver. He can be reached through his Web site, ColoradoMasterChess.com.