ChessBoxing Tournament News
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5 July 2008 Berlin International ChessBoxing Tournament 2008/2009
Gianluca “Il Dottore” Sirci V Andy “The Rock” Costello
Report: Rajko Vujatovic and Tim Woolgar
Costello weighed in at 99kg and drew the Black pieces against Il Dottore who tipped the scales at an imposing 119kg. The bout promised a fascinating clash of styles with Sirci’s ring record of five wins from six professional heavyweight bouts pitched against, boxing debutant, Costello’s all-round fighting ability and undoubted experience on the mixed martial arts scene. The venue, deep in the heart of Berlin, situated in a decommissioned warehouse, could not have been better chosen. The organizers at the World ChesssBoxing Organization had once again demonstrated their mastery of atmosphere and theatre. The 1,000 spectators packed into a hi-tech urban interior filled with pumping electronic sounds from the 5 kilowatt rig were treated to a unique scenario with the fighting ring spectacularly illuminated by a kaleidoscopic array of lights and LED screens suspended directly above the canvas. Exeter-born Costello entered the room first, quickly winning over sections of the cheering crowd with his chosen ring walk music, the Spin Doctors' “Two Princes”. Next emerged his doughty opponent, the massive and dark Italian, to the strains of Wagner’s “Ride of the Valkyries”. Referee Holgor Prokot, instigated proceedings and the curtain opened on what was to be the most dramatic and unpredictable bout in ChessBoxing history.
Round One
(Early Advantage)
White: Gianluca Sirci Black: Andy Costello
1 e4 c5
[The Sicilian Defence, a lethal weapon used to great effect by both Bobby Fischer and Gary Kasparov, two of the greatest world chess champions.]
2 Nf3 Nc6
3 d4 cxd4
4 Nxd4 Nf6
5 Nc3 g6
[This move marks the Dragon variation of the Sicilian Defence, so called because a Black bishop on g7 eyes the long dark-squared diagonal through to a1 – the diagonal resembles the spiked tail of a dragon. This is one of the liveliest opening systems, featuring opposite
side castling and wild sacrificial attacks!]
6 Be3 Bg7
7 Bd3 d6
8 Nxc6 Bxc6
9 Qf3 0-0
10 0-0-0?
BELL
Round Two
(Experience shows)
White makes a bad move right at the end of the first round. But this is followed by a pugilistic interlude where Sirci has the upper hand. The gulf in experience is apparent as the Italian looks to punish Costello's tentative early maneuvers. Sirci's flickering left jab troubles Costello initially but the Englishman avoids any clean contact, relying on quick reflexes and a resilient if unorthodox defensive strategy. He is not afraid to mix it with the big Italian and even seems to relish the heavy work in the clinches. Sirci swings high and low but fails to land any meaningful blow. Costello on the other hand, shows flashes of aggression which clearly leave the bigger man shaken. At the end of the round, the judges probably have Sirci just ahead on points but the crowd is noisily rallying behind the surprise package from the West Country.
Round Three
(The Dragon Breathes Fire)
10...Bb7?
[Costello fails to spot that 10...Bg4! wins rook for bishop. A challenge of ChessBoxing is its stop-start nature, making it difficult to spot moves you would in a normal chess game]
11 Qe2 a5
12 f3 c5
13 Bc4 a4!
14 g4
[Pawn grabbing with 14.Bxc5 would be calmly met with 14…Qc7 and 15…Rfc8 when Black gets prolonged pressure on the open b and c files]
14…Qb6
[Both sides want to attack the other’s king. Even non-chess players in the
crowd were getting excited at this point!]
15 f4?
[A mistake but it’s hard to see how White can prevent Black attacking next move with …a3. 15.a3 leaves him with the problem of how to defend b2 after 15…Rfb8.]
15...Nxe4!
[Now Sirci’s position crumbles due to the deadly X-ray effect of the ‘dragon bishop’ on the b2 square.]
16 Qd3 Nxc3
17 bxc3 Bxh1
18 Rxh1 Rab8
[Costello has won material and now wants to checkmate]
19 Kd2
BELL
Round Four
(One Meatball??)
A thrilling no-holds barred battle from bell to bell with surprises a-plenty along the way! Each boxer seemed to be galvanized by the crowd’s growing excitement. Blow rained in upon blow with the Italian seemingly desperate for a quick knock-out. But his every punch was met by a timely block from Britain’s Costello. With just a minute to go drama struck. While on the blind side of the referee, Sirci appeared to lunge with his knee towards Costello’s midriff. Whether it connected with the vital area or not was impossible to tell but in a moment of instinctive self-protection Costello reacted by returning the compliment with interest, driving an all too obvious kneecap towards the Italian’s groin.
The crowd erupted in righteous indignation but the boos and jeers aimed at the Englishman soon gave way to hoots of derision at Sirci’s reaction. Throwing himself to the canvas the giant Italian proceeded to roll theatrically across the ring, eventually ending near a neutral corner where he cried for assistance from the ringside doctor. The traveling Italian contingent in the crowd bayed for Costello’s instant disqualification but the referee, possibly swayed by Sirci’s over-reaction, instead delivered only a public warning to Costello. The end of the fourth round followed soon after with the crowd still in a ferment with by now equal support for both men. These guys are as game and wily as they are brainy!
Round Five
(White hanging on)
19...Qb2
[The queen looks aggressive on b2 but she can’t do most damage there. Better is 19...e6 intending 20...d5 but the killer blow is the grandmasterly 19...d5!! winning a piece, because 20.Bxd5 e6 21 Bc4 Rfd8 pins the queen. ]
20.f5 Qb7
[Costello decides to revert to solid consolidating moves, showing psychological strength by maintaining composure at the board.]
21 Bd5 Bd7
22 Rf1
[22.fxg6 hxg6 23.Qxg6 doesn’t win a pawn because of 23...e6]
22...e6!
23. fxe6 fxe6
24. Rxf8+
BELL
ROUND Six
(Shouldering the Blame)
More excitement followed in the next round as the fight moved to its dramatic finale. Gianluc Sirci boxed with ever increasing desperation. Knowing his time was running out on the chessboard “Il Dottore” swung a barrage of deadly left and right hooks which Costello narrowly avoided. The English warrior appeared to lose his footing for a moment under the constant bombardment and launched himself into a defensive clinch. The Italian threw all his mighty weight into a push of war but could not budge the resolute Costello who truly merits his nom de guerre of “The Rock”. There was no moving this man mountain, instead it was Sirci who found himself bending under the strain until finally, he crashed through the ropes and almost flattened the front row of the audience with his mighty bulk.
As Costello, moved graciously to a neutral corner Sirci gripped his shoulder in seeming agony as he ponderously returned to the ring. For the second time in the fight he was claiming injury and this time the referee, under intense pressure, decided to end the bout there and then by disqualifying Costello for an unfair shove. After a few moments of disbelieving silence the audience reacted with a mixture of disappointment, outrage and relief depending on allegiance. There followed a brief but sporting speech from both men promising a return match in London.
WATCH THIS SPACE!!!
Report: Rajko Vujatovic and Tim Woolgar
German-born Wandowski tipped the scales within a whisker of the 75kg limit while his Polish opponent came in somewhat underweight at 72kg though seemed unconcerned about handing the advantage to his opponent. Both fighters appear trim and well-prepared for the hostilities ahead. Wandowski drew the White pieces. The contrast in personalities is apparent at the weigh-in with literature graduate, Wandowski displaying the quiet almost dreamy air of the natural born poet, while the chirpy Pukacs from Lublin, never misses a chance to laugh and joke with anyone who comes near.
Round One:
White: Sascha Wandowski Black: Piotr Pukacs
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. Nc3 d5
[Black's Queens Gambit Declined is a solid choice of defence.]
4.Bg5 Be7
5. e3 0-0
6. Bd3 Nbd7
7. Nge2 dxc4
8. Bxc4 a6
9. 0-0 c5
10. d5?!
[A miscalculation which puts Wandowski on the back foot. 10 dxc5 would leave the position equal.]
10... Nb6
[Pukacs’ choice is the correct practical move since it FEELS strong & is hard to meet – humans are not computers and chess is a subjective psychological game…just like boxing! Objectively best is 10…Nxd5! 11.Bxe7 Nxe7 12.Qd6! Nf5! 13.Qf4 Qh4! with an extra pawn in an endgame. 10…exd5 11.Bb3! c4 12.Bc2 leads to positions similar to the game.]
11. Bb3?!
[Amazingly it isn’t too late for White to extricate himself with accurate play! 11.Bxf6! Bxf6 12.Qb3! exd5 13.Nxd5 Nxc4 {13…Nxd5 14.Rad1! recaptures the piece}14.Qxc4 Bxb2 15.Rab1 Ba3 16.Nef4!? intending Qc3. If Black is hell-bent on keeping his pawn, one nasty trap would be the beautiful 16…Qa5 17.Ng6!! hxg6? {17…fxg6 18.Nc7+ Kh8 19.Nxa8} 18.Ne7+ Kh7 19.Qh4 mate! However this sort of deep variation would be spotted by few humans at ChessBoxing’s accelerated time controls!]
11…c4
12. Bc2 exd5?!
13. Bxf6
[The slow 13. Qd4! would equalize, intending to increase pressure on the d5 pawn. After 13…Be6, White can continue with either 14.Rfd1 or 14.e4 dxe4 15.Bxf6 Bxf6 16.Qxe4 g6 17.Qxb7=. In light of this, Black should’ve opted for …Nbxd5! on his 11th or 12th move, with a solid extra pawn.]
13… Bxf6
14. Nxd5??
[A disastrous blunder! Wandowski is playing far too quickly.The adrenaline from the flashing lights and boisterous crowd is a likely factor. The solid 14.Nd4 would require Black to work hard to convert his extra pawn to a win. The beauty of ChessBoxing is that a pawn deficit is not the end of the world as the player can hold out for several more rounds and hope to disorient his opponent along the way.]
14... Qxd5
15. Qxd5 Nxd5
[Black is now a piece up in a safe position.]
16. Nd4 Bxd4
BELL
Round Two
Wandowski, chasing a third straight ChessBoxing victory, comes out of his corner in determined fashion while Pukacs in his first bout appears nervous. Wandowski moves forward behind his jab looking confident and Pukacs responds with a wild left hook. Wandowski feels the wind of it passing close to his chin then moves in quickly working the body with a series of hard uppercuts and short hooks. Pukacs falls back and both fighters take a breather, fencing harmlessly at long range. As the clock ticks down the crowd begin crying out for some action and it's Wandowski who responds, trapping Pukacs against the ropes by his own corner and landing a straight-right flush on the lighter man's chin. Wandowski moves to a neutral corner and watches calmly as Pukacs takes a standing eight count. The fight resumes but the bell comes in the nick of time for Pukacs. The pattern of the evening had been set for both men.
Round Three
17. exd4 Nb4
18. Be4 Nd3
19. d5 Nxb2
20. d6 Rb8
21. Rb1 c3
22. Rfc1 Na4
23. Rb4 Nc5
24. Rxc3 Nxe4
25. Rxe4 Bf5
26. Rd4 Rfe8
27. g4 Qd7
28. Rc7
[White has done well to recover and drum up some counterplay with his passed d-pawn]
28... Bc6
29. Re7?!
[29. f4! intending d7 is best. Black would then have to solve the problem of how to best convert his extra piece into a win, costing him time and allowing Wandowski an extra round of boxing to go for the knockout. A general rule in chess is that you should keep pieces on the board if you are a piece down, but should strive to exchange if you’re a piece up. In terms of abstract logic, the extra piece has proportionately extra value the less wood there is on the board.]
29... Rxe7
30. dxe7 Re8
31. Rd8 f6
32. f4
BELL
Round Four
The bell for Round Four was the signal for Wandowski to step up a gear in a bid to turn the bout around. Realising now that his only chance lies with stopping his opponent he begins to take risks, throwing straight right bombs at the Polish chin with metronomic regularity. Pukacs defends well under the onslaught but can find no way to strike back. With the crowd well and truly roused Wandowski finds yet another gear and throws a booming straight-cross that sails over his opponent's guard and lands right on the money. Pukacs is rocked to his boots and for a moment it looks like the game is up. But the plucky man from Lublin recovers during another standing eight count and prepares to defend himself once again. Sensing the moment Wandowski tracks down his weakening opponent and strikes again with the straight-right. Another eight-count, the third of the night for Pukacs and surely this can't last much longer? As the referee signals the fight to continue Wandowski moves in again but the Pole backs away furiously and manages to hang on to the bell.
Round 5
32... Kf7
33. Kf2 Rxe7
[Now Black is easily winning.]
34. Rd2 Re4
35. Kg3 Re3+
36. Kf2 Rh3
37. Rg1 g5
38. fxg5 fxg5
39. Rf2+ Kg6
40. Kf1 h5
41. gxh5 Kxh5
BELL
Round 6
It's all or nothing for Wandowski now. His position on the board is hopeless and he knows he must end the fight this round or face defeat. Once again he relies on the trusty right-cross, moving in behind the jab and lining big shots up with the deliberation a snooker player closing out a frame. Within seconds Pukacs is taking his fourth eight-count. Once again it seems Wandowski must have his man. Pukacs is reeling and at times it looks as though Wandowski's big right-hand shots have been planned last week as he moves in, fist cocked and ready to strike. Pukacs takes two more counts before incredibly, responding with an attack of his own, landing a vicious right hook on the Wandowski chin. Now it's the German who staggers but he recovers instantly and both fighters go toe-to-toe swinging wildly. Pukacs is rocked once again and takes an eight count for the seventh time in the bout. One more and the referee will stop the fight under ChessBoxing rules and Wandowski knows it. He swings again with the right, but his own legs are starting to go under the incredible pace. Pukacs shows he has the heart of a lion taking everything the heavier man can throw and still coming back for more, holding out in street-brawler style until the bell finally comes to his rescue.
Round 7:
42. Kg1 Rf3
43. Re2 Kg4
44. Rg2+ Kf4
45. Rd2 g4
46. Rd8 Bd5
47. Rf8 Ke3 (0-1)
[White runs out of time in a lost position, Black had 8:55 of his original
12 minutes remaining.]
A fantastic bout which set up the evening to come in wonderful style and both men gave value for money and more. Wandowski's first defeat will have hurt and the manner of his blunder on the chessboard will no doubt haunt his memory but he can be proud of his part in a rousing battle and will return for his next bout a wiser and more dangerous opponent for this reverse.
Frank “Anti-Terror” Stoldt Vs Nikolai "The Chairman" Sazhin
Light-Heavyweight Championship of the World
Report: Rajko Vajutovic and Matthew Read
The main event of the evening, a title-fight for the light-heavyweight belt. The challenger, 19 year old Nikolai Sazhin exuded a youthful energy entering the ring to the contemporary Madonna/Timberlake track “Four Minutes to Save the World”. By contrast, 35 year old Stoldt emerged to the beat of 80’s classic “Relax” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. However, this
was not a bout of youth versus experience as Nikolai has already contested over 60 amateur bouts and displayed an air of confidence that belied his years.
Both fighters appeared in fantastic shape, with Stoldt having a slight height and reach advantage while Sazhin seemed to be the looser and more limber of the two.
Round One
White: Nikolai "The Chairman" Sazhin Black: Frank "Anti Terror" Stoldt
1. d4 d5
2. c4 e6
3. e3 c6
4. Nf3 Nbd7
5. Nc3 f5
[Defending champion Stoldt opts for an aggressive defence - the Stonewall Dutch - perfect for Chessboxing. Black typically attacks the white kingside, whilst white attacks the Black queenside.]
6. Be2 Bd6
7. 0-0 Nh6
8. a3 0-0
9. b4 b6?!
[9.. Nf6 is more consistent, aiming to follow-up with ... Ne4]
10. b5! [An excellent move! Sazhin opens up the queenside where he has a positional advantage in terms of a better pawn structure.]
10... Bb7!
BELL
Round Two
Sazhin emerges quickly from the red corner moving lightly on the balls of his feet looking for an early opening. Stoldt keeps his guard tight waiting for the younger man to come within range before finding his range with a couple of light jabs which Sazhin takes on his gloves. The Siberian displays all the confidence of youth, feinting, ducking and always trying to slip inside his opponent's guard, constantly on the move. As the round wears on the champion clearly feels the need to impose himself and closes with the young Siberian. There's a lightning exchange of punches almost too quick to follow but by the end of it Sazhin has avoided the full-frontal attack, slipped a right-hand and come back with a pin-point right of his own just on the point of the German's chin. Stoldt is momentarily dazed and Sazhin looks for a surprise early finish as the partisan crowd implore Stoldt to cover up and move. This he does effectively enough to see out the round but it's advantage Sazhin.
11. a4 Qf6
12. a5 bxa5
13. Rxa5 c5
14. Bb2 Nb6
[An intricate position has been reached]
15. cxd5 exd5
16. Qc2
[Setting a trap. 16. dxc5 is a solid alternative.]
16... f4?
[Stoldt fails to see the trap but has to wait until the next round of chess to see the error of his ways. An improvement would be 16...c4! leading to an unclear position where Black is probably equal.]
BELL
Round Four
Stoldt comes out showing plenty of aggression and seems determined to teach his young opponent a lesson. But the 19-year-old from Krasnajorsk has plenty in the tank and manages to keep the advancing German at arm's length, at the same time seeming to pick his own shots at will. The popular champion is urged on by the crowd and there's no faulting his heart. Stoldt catches Sazhin with a jab followed by a right-hand which troubles the Russian but he can't follow up as Sazhin bobs and weaves his way around canvas until the bell sounds.
Round Five
17. dxc5 Qxc5
18. Na4 Bd6??
[An uncharacteristically dreadful blunder by the German, though he is going to lose the bishop on c5 anyway.]
19. Bxf6 - Black Resigns (1-0)
Without his queen Stoldt realises he has lost the chess. For a man who trains weekly with top German grandmasters, a veteran of countless ChessBoxing encounters Stoldt's error is simply inexplicable except as a consequence of the extraordinary demands of the sport. Stoldt decision to fall on his sword was perhaps as much an expression of self-disgust as an admission that the required knockout seemed an unlikely possibility.
At the end the contrast between victor and loser could not have been more extreme. As the youthful Sazhin bounded around the ring like a delighted labrador puppy, Stoldt stared ahead in stark disbelief as a man waiting to emerge from a waking nightmare. To the victor the spoils, but it would be churlish to end without a thank you to the deposed champion who has carried the ChessBoxing torch so well and so proudly and who fought so bravely to the end. ChessBoxing has a new hero in the teenage Russian, Nikolai Sazhin who played no bad moves either in the ring or on the board, finally showing himself to be a worthy champion and fitting standard bearer for a brave young sport.
