Origins
Our story begins with the origin of a sport. Enki Bilal's comic inspired Iepe's creation of Chessboxing as a match alternating rounds between chess and boxing until checkmate or knockout, whichever comes first. In 2003, he hosted the first competition in Berlin, then began building a community around the idea of a quest to find the smartest, toughest person on the planet. Chessboxing spread through Europe and Asia, then made its way to America in an unexpected way.
Matt "Matador" Thomas
Founder, Commissioner United Chessboxing
After a Chessboxing video found Matt in 2016, he reached out to Iepe to get involved, then later became the first American in history to compete in the Chessboxing World Championship, winning the 90KG weight division in Kolkata, India in 2018. After being eliminated in the 2019 World Championship in Antalya, Turkey, Iepe Rubingh asked Matt to co-commentate the rest of the tournament, then named him the "Voice of Chessboxing," charging him with the tasks of growing the sport in the Western Hemisphere and becoming the "Joe Rogan of Chessboxing." Since Iepe's passing, Matt has taken this charge seriously, joining the WCBO Executive Board, partnering with the IFC, cohosting Mogul Chessboxing Championship, and commentating the sport's exhibition at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Seeds for United Chesboxing were planted in 2018 by the first Team USA, Kevin Vaugh-Carber and Matt Thomas. A community in the west formed around the sport's collision between brain and brawn, attracting more curious fans. Early clubs in Los Angeles and New York were formed by Andrew McGregor and Jarrett Gaymon, respectively. After Iepe's death during the 2020 pandemic, United Chessboxing began to codify club creation and rule set sanctioning in the USA.
What's Next
With Chessboxing fans, fighters, and affiliates popping up all over the world, now is the perfect time to get involved with United Chessboxing. Interested in supporting the growth of the sport, competing on Team USA, or affiliating to grow a chessboxing community of your own? Explore the Join Page or reach out with your thoughts, questions, or proposals. We are grateful for your time, effort, and interest - together we can unite the chessboxing world!