This unusual sport, in which two competitors face each other in 11 alternating rounds, six of chess, five of boxing, is rapidly gaining popularity. You know that is the case when you see chessboxing on the front page of a leading sports web site, and as a major story in a number of men's magazines. Check out the ESPN video footage.

A chessboxing bout begins with chess, which is played on a board placed directly in the middle of the ring. Each round of chess lasts four minutes. After each chess round, the bell sounds, and workmen remove the chessboard for a two-minute round of boxing, the gloves go back on, the punching recommences. Participants win by way of knockout, checkmate, referee's decision, or if his opponent exceeds the allotted total of 12 minutes for an entire match on the chessboard.

In the most recent match about 400 people gathered in Cologne, Germany, to see Zoran 'the Priest' Mijatovic played queens gambit. But 'Anti Terror' Frank Stoldt was very well prepared and won in the 7th round. In the 7th chess round Zoran was three moves away of being checkmated, so he resigned. Frank also controlled the boxing rounds.

A former kickboxer and longtime chess player, Frank Stoldt, a 36-year-old Berlin riot police commander, learned about chessboxing over the Internet. Zoran Mijatovic is a 28-year-old ship welder from Pulla, Croatia.


Playboy Germany did a many-page article and blurbed the story on its title


Both the Russian and the Bulgarian editions of Maxim carried major stories

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