One-punch checkmate!
Janne Romppainen
10.02 - The heavyweight champion of the world Lennox Lewis is often criticized for having a ‘chess player attitude’, meaning that he usually prefers to fight safety-first instead of all-out attacking. Lewis is also an enthusiastic chess player on his free time so the comparison is easy to understand. But Lewis is not the only top heavyweight who likes to spend his time at chess boards. Also the Ukrainian brothers Wladimir (photo: chessbase.com) and Vitaly Klitschko are club-level chess players. When three fighters whom some consider to be the top-three of the division all play chess, then maybe it has in fact a lot more to do with each other than it first might look like. Even though boxing is one of the most physically hard sports there is and chess is nowhere near being an Olympic games event, there are surprisingly many similarities between these two arts. Here are some of them.
The basic idea of both games is the same: to destroy your opponent. The players try to checkmate or KO their opponents or at least make them surrender. Both in boxing and chess the participants have necessary equipment to beat their opponents. Both men are on their own, with only their two fists or sixteen pieces. In boxing of course some fighters have more physical talent than the others but especially in the heavyweight any top-level fighter can knock the other one out. The question is, which one of them can figure out a way to do it.
In chess as well as in boxing the tactics and the game plan are important on a way to victory. You can’t go to a boxing ring just firing haymaker right-handers. Your opponent will most probably knock you silly soon. In chess if you attack with your queen and rooks immediately you will soon find out that your defence is in ruins. You can be an aggressive player but you shouldn’t let your guard down. This is a simple fact that many too-eagerly attacking prospects have not learned, Danny Williams being the most recent example. Lewis and the Klitschkos are known for taking their time even when they are going forwards. Just like chess players, they open up their opponents defence by jabbing (attacking with pawns), misleading their opponents and striking when the opportunity comes. Victory is as worthy whether it comes after fifteen or seventy-six moves.
But good battle plan is not enough. You also have to be able to execute it. It has even been said that psychological battle is even more important than the physical one. In that sense boxing and chess also have a lot in common. They both are mind-games. There have been many great on-top fighters who have been brilliant when they have been able to dominate their opponents, Mike Tyson being one of the best-known. But when an opponent does not back out but wants to battle and win as much, then you measure whose will is stronger, who does not panic and lose his concepts when the match continues and gets tougher. Another thing is that chess players or boxers should remain their concentration and respect their opponents all times. Lewis forgot it against Hasim Rahman and ended up being knocked out by one punch. A chess player can get checkmated with one move. There is no room for errors.
Usually a fighter who can’t think inside a ring can not become very successful. In my opinion training chess could indeed help a boxer to strengthen his mental abilities a great deal. That might be one reason to both Lewis’ and Klitschkos’ success (not forgetting their skill and size).
Comments/questions: janneromppainen@hotmail.com
