There are two kinds of disputes.

Those that can be settled with the mind, maybe over a hotly contested game of chess.

And those that can only be settled through brutal fisticuffs.

Today, we present the third dispute. The kind where you punch someone playing chess.

It’s called Chessboxing, and it’s coming to New York for the first time at a secret location in the Bronx, now accepting applications via email for aspiring nerd-pugilists.

The first rule of chessboxing is that there are no rules. Actually, that’s not true. There are two full games’ worth of rules. Chess and, yes, boxing. The sport belongs to that murky underworld where brains and bullies stand on equal ground. You’ll start by stepping into the ring and facing off in a timed four-minute chess game. (We suggest keeping your gloves off for this part.)

Assuming you don’t checkmate your opponent in those 240 seconds, you pull on your gloves and duke it out for three minutes. Then it’s back to the chess game, this time with the added fun of being out of breath and potentially bloodied. Then back to the boxing. Then back to the chess. Then, well, you get it.
 
You’ve got six rounds of chess and five of boxing to either checkmate or knock out your opponent for a win. Otherwise it goes to the ref to decide who scored higher in the boxing.
 
We predict a lot of overturned chess tables.