There is little doubt that India boasts of an extremely rich sporting culture; many of the country's athletes are ranked among the best in the world in several sports. And in the past few years, the nation has seen stupendous success in boxing, with a very fine group of young pugilists emerging from the ranks.
Another sport where India has found glory, not just in recent times but over a considerable period of time, is chess – with Viswanathan Anand bringing laurels to the country on several international forums.
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But have you ever imagined a sport that's a combination of these two? The story of Shailesh Tripathi, India’s No. 1 ‘chessboxer’ who has represented the country at the World Chessboxing Championships, can help you get acquainted with this fascinating sport.
What is chessboxing?
As the name suggests, chessboxing is a combination of two sports – chess and boxing. The competitors fight in alternating rounds of chess and boxing. The sport is popular in Germany, Great Britain, India and Russia.
The maiden chessboxing competition took place in 2003, and the very same year saw the emergence of a World Championships in the sport that was held in Netherlands.
The participants may win a chessboxing match in any of the following ways:
1. Knockout (boxing rounds)
2. Technical Knockout (boxing rounds)
3. Checkmate (chess rounds)
4. Exceeding of the time limit by the opponent (chess rounds)
5. Disqualification of his opponent by referee (either rounds)
6. Opponent resigns (either rounds)
Here is a video that showcases this sport, through the highlights clips from the World Chessboxing Championships held in Germany back in 2008.
Combining his profession with his hobby
Revealing how he developed an interest in the sport, Tripathi said he was always keen on boxing and played chess as a hobby; on finding out about the Chessboxing Federation of India in Kolkata, he decided to give it a go.
“Initially I used to do boxing and apart from it I had a bit of interest in chess also. I played boxing at the national level, but chess was only restricted as a hobby sport. I used to play it in my free time. Then I came to know about chessboxing. It was a very unfamiliar format and it felt very awkward when I first came to know about it. Then in the year 2012, I started learning chessboxing from the Chessboxing Organisation of India in Kolkata,” Tripathi revealed in an interview with IBNlive.
“I am doing boxing since my college days. Those who know me as a boxer know that I box with a calm mind. I never played aggressively to knock down my opponent. I play through my mind, and that is something very essential in chess also,” he added.
However, his journey to the Worlds hasn't been as rosy as one would’ve imagined. Belonging to a middle-class family, Tripathi, whose father is a teacher, wasn’t the brightest of students and had to battle his way through school in order to convince his parents about his ambitions of becoming a chessboxer.
“I belong to a middle-class family. My father is a school teacher. I was not very good in studies, but had an interest in sports. I always wanted to play for India. I didn't get the family support at first but later on I convinced them because I had a passion to play for India,” he said.
“I believe for an athlete, moral support from his family matters a lot more than anything else. In our society there is a taboo that sports is always considered a hobby or a second preference, especially in case of a middle-class boy whose family somehow manages daily meals. So my biggest difficulty was to convince my family and to manage money for my training and travelling,” he went on.
Poor structure the reason for many not making the cut: Tripathi
Tripathi further rued the lack of facilities for sportspersons in India, and added that the lack of monetary funds have meant that many talented athletes can't display their potential. He also recollected an incident when the government refused to provide him funds as they had to reserve them for elections.
“I recall one experience where I went to a minister and he told me that they can't allot me money because every penny from the fund went into election campaigns. There is a specific fund allotted to ministers for sports, but they were not ready to give me. I somehow managed money for training and travelling through sponsors. I didn't get support from government, and even today I just plead for government support. Sponsors are my real hope,” he said.
“I used to get support from the Sports Club of India in Mumbai when I was in college. Later on when I started chessboxing, I badly needed funding from the government to further chase my ambition. Ministers appreciated my achievement when I did well but no one helped me with my expenses to enhance my skills,” he added.
When asked about how it felt to be India’s first chessboxer, Tripathi said it was a matter of pride for him and he understands the responsibility he carries on his shoulders.
“That flag, that ‘India’ written on your T-shirt, makes you feel like ‘Yes, I am representing my nation, my India.’ It makes you realise the responsibility and the load that you have to carry for your nation. People will see you, will get inspiration from you. It's a matter of pride,” he concluded.
There was a time when boxers were considered to be all raw muscle and no intelligence. There was also a time when chess players were thought of as geeks who couldn’t stand up to any physical test. But athletes like Shailesh Tripathi are out to destroy those myths with their unique combination of skills.
