Introducing the world's most unlikely sport: chessboxing

Take one comic book concept and several willing participants and you've got yourself the most unlikely sporting union which is catching on quickly.

The brainchild of Dutch artist Iepe Rubingh, chessboxers alternate between board and ring, engaging both brains and brawn through 11 rounds (four minutes' chess, two minutes' boxing), to see who comes out on top. Contests are won by checkmate, knock-out, retirement, exceeding the time limit at the board or a refereeing decision. If the chess game ends in stalemate, the highest scorer in the boxing rounds wins. Ties are won, for no apparent reason, by the player with the black pieces.

It sounds like a joke but the fans of the sport are determined to develop chessboxing, and hope to make it a part of the 2016 Olympics. "Every sport has Olympic ambitions," shrugs Dilschneider, "and we're no exception. "But we're just beginning. We need to make sure we have two, three, four five events a year to help establish chessboxing less as an art form, or concept, and more as a sport. "When triathlons first came about in the 1970s, people thought it was crazy that someone would run 10km, then jump into the water and start swimming," he adds. "But now that's a normal, famous sport." (See, I think they are making a valid point there)