chessboxing

Legally Punch Your Opponents With Chess.com's New Chessboxing Feature
 CHESScom 
 
Apr 1, 2026, 2:00 AM|269|Chess.com News
 
Chessboxing is taking the world by storm. The appeal is obvious: it's the only sport that allows you to outwit your opponent with tactics and strategy—or just punch them senseless if you fail to do so. With alternating rounds of chess and boxing, some argue that chessboxing is, in fact, the ultimate sporting competition combining brains and brawn. With numerous celebrities like GM Aman Hambleton, Andrea Botez, and WGM Dina Belenkaya stepping into the ring, the sport's popularity is surging among chess fans everywhere.

But sadly, much like lesser sports such as football and tennis, physical constraints like the need for a boxing ring and real chess pieces have held chessboxing back. That is, until now.

We're excited to announce that you can now chessbox directly on Chess.com! Throw punches and let go of your frustration after falling into yet another obvious knight fork—all from the safety of your home! The new feature is now available to all our members on web, with no mobile support at the moment (after numerous cracked screens during our testing phase, we gave up).

Chessboxing has long been one of the most-requested features by our members. Players from all over the world have sent us countless emails asking for the option to physically express their frustration. After witnessing our community's passion, we finally caved and brought chessboxing to our website! The timing for the new feature couldn't be any better, as chessboxing's popularity is at an all-time high. The sport gained worldwide attention in 2022 with the Mogul Chessboxing Championship, an event hosted by content creator giant Ludwig. 

At the time, superstar chess creator Hambleton knocked out the allegedly more experienced boxer IM Lawrence Trent in under 25 seconds, rendering the chess portion of the match useless. In the other main fight of the night, Andrea Botez and Belenkaya contested a controversial match where Andrea technically won the match in boxing, while Belenkaya officially won the match over the chessboard, prompting organizers to later declare them co-champions—a courageous act that likely inspired FIDE a couple of years later.

Since then, many other famous players and creators, including FM James Canty, IM Danny Rensch, and even GM Magnus Carlsen have adopted the art of mixing chess with punching.

Carlsen still needs to work on his chessboxing, as his punch clearly missed the opponent, hitting the table instead.

The new feature marks an exciting paradigm shift for Chess.com. Aside from being the world's leading chess platform, our goal is to now enter the fitness industry, with plans to later expand into finance, life coaching, and air travel. As the first step to this initiative, we've hired the Chessboxing World Champion himself, FM James Canty, as our new Chief Chessboxing Officer.

"Chess is a good workout for the mind, but we also want everyone to have an easy way to blow off steam," said Canty. "We want our members to be physically active, hit the gym, solve them puzzles, and get as swole as their ratings."

As of today, we've woven chessboxing across the entire website. Press and hold B to start boxing any opponent (on web), human or bot, or practice your sparring in Chess.com/analysis.

Upon learning the news, players were quick to share their thoughts on X:

 Aman Hambleton
@amanhambleton·Follow
@LawrenceTrentIM want a rematch? 

2:03 PM · March 27
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 Anna Cramling
@AnnaCramling·Follow
GUYS DO YOU THINK I SHOULD BE CHESSBOXING TOO?? I honestly think I'd be great at boxing!!

4:03 PM · March 29
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The chessboxing feature also opens the door to new events that promise to keep audiences as engaged as an ancient Roman at the Coliseum. Stay tuned for a full announcement of the upcoming Chess.com Champions Speed Chessboxing Freestyle Global Titled Tour Championship, a groundbreaking new event that will redefine the meaning of "knockout" and leave fans glued to their seats.

 Emilchess
@EmilSutovsky·Follow
I heard @chesscom is getting into Chessboxing. We'd be happy to license the World Championship title for $100,000,000

3:08 AM · March 29
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We're excited to finally roll out this new feature, and we can't wait to see our members interacting in this raw, beautiful way.* Press and hold B while playing a game to try it out, and let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

 
* Chess.com is not responsible for any physical injuries, mental anguish, or existential crises resulting from participating in or viewership of chessboxing matches; bruised knuckles, egos, or pawns; the development of what medical professionals are calling "carpal pummel syndrome;" losses on time while unconscious, or the painful realization that your chessboxing Elo is even lower than your chess Elo, let alone your puzzles Elo. Do not chessbox before or after operating heavy machinery, as the rules for the two are quite different. Chessboxing is not responsible for any Rocky-style training montage sequences, Creed-style flashbacks, or being the first person to talk about ___ _____. Chess.com will not talk about it. Make sure you wear protective gear at all times while chessboxing on Chess.com. Also, wear deodorant.