It's fight in a Berlin club. The lights go down,the door opens and out walk a salesman from San Francisco.David "Double D" Depri has traveled 8000 kilometers in search of glory.As he first walk,then jogs,toward the boxing ring,the muscular,bare-chested American looks cool and confident.But so does his opponent.Waiting for him in the blue corner is Frank Stodt,a tall, strong German policeman,who calls himself"Anti-Terror Frank."For obvious reasons,the crowd is on his side.
The bell rings.Round one! The fighter come out.But then,Strangely,we see a table in the middle of the ring.The two players sit down at the table,which has a chessboard on it,and start playing chess-in the middle of the boxing ring.
You may ask,"Why?"Well this is chessboxing,and tonight is the final of the first chessboxing World Championship.
The rules of a chessboxing match are simple.There is one round of chess and then one round of boxing.Punching power alternates with brain power.(And if you are wondering how they can move the pieces with their boxing gloves on,well,they take them off before the rounds of chess.) All in all,you have 11rounds in which to checkmate your opponent-or knock him out
Two sports in one means double the pain and double the pressure.Before this big fight,Frank spent hours doing exercises that perpared his mind as well as his muscles.