Many new countries at the Chessboxing Championships: Russia takes almost all, France and Germany follow.

The 6th WCBO Chessboxing World Championships were held, from 23rd to 28th October, in Erevan, the capital of Armenia. This edition has reached a record number of nations present for chessboxing: twenty. If the 2023 Championships in Riccione gave a, then record number of nations (16 countries competed then) and, above all, the first time all five continents were present at a chessboxing event (with Gambia for Africa, Australia for Oceania, and Canada and USA for Americas) in this 2024 edition we had a record number of nations even though some presents in 2023 were not represented this time (just to mention three already named: Australia, Canada and USA were not present among the athletes competing).

This means that in less than one year – the time that separate 2023 and 2024 championships – a total number of 25 countries have competed in the WCBO Chessboxing Championships: chessboxing is really growing. Countries that we did not see in Riccione but were present in Yerevan were: Georgia, Armenia, Belarus (country that we had seen in Turkey), Iran (country we had seen in India and in Turkey 2019), Moldova, Uzbekistan, Serbia (with one athlete, Nikolai, originally from Russia), Singapore (with a French national not part of the French Chessboxing Federation, Maxime Meyer, studying at university in Singapore) and Switzerland.

The sport in only 21 years old; we expect an even larger number of nations to take part in the 2025 “7th WCBO Chessboxing World Championships” in France; championships that are likely to last for 6 wonderful days and have an amazing opening ceremony. The inventor of chessboxing, Iepe Rubingh, who died in May 2020, would be so proud of his “baby” (as he used to call chessboxing sometimes) of the way it has spread to all continents and the technical level reached by chessboxers.

In Yerevan, Russia and France have shown developments that put these two nations very far away from anyone else. Possibly only Germany can still enter their league as it managed to win 8 medals and won third place in the Nation Cup (in classic chessboxing) only with athletes from Berlin as this year it had no input from Cologne and Munich. Some new entrants, such as Georgia and Armenia have shown their potential as the former won two golds and the latter a gold and two silver medals.

Of 21 gold medals given (in classic chessboxing), 15 of these went to Russia. Russia won a total of 37 medals, that is more than all the medals won by all other countries put together from 4th place down the medal standing. Chessboxing in France is also developing fast: besides the ten “historic” clubs other twenty were recently formed for a total of 30 chessboxing clubs all over the country. With the next WCBO World Championships to take place in France, we expect these two countries to lead once again the final medal-table in 2025: what is open to see is whether France will mange to top the table having a home advantage and one more year to train and develop.

The Light+Fit table shows once again the leadership of Russia that has many more medals than all the other countries added together. Compare with the medal tables of last year: Nations’s Cup Medal Table and Chessboxing Light+Fit standing at World Championships.

Organised by Petr Zhukov, president of the Russian Chessboxing Federation, the World Championships in Armenia have seen also the involvement of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia. The WCBO Board Meeting and the WCBO Annual General Assembly have taken place in the venue of the Armenian Olympic Committee. The participants were greeted by Mr Garnik Airapetyan, President of the Armenian Kickboxing Federation and, within the NOC, responsible for the non-olympic sports.

The three in the centre: WCBO President Lara Armas, President Garnik Airapetyan and organiser Petr Zhukov.

Petr Zhukov is also caring of the development of chessboxing in other parts of the world and has contributed to make sure that some deserving athletes from around the world could make this event: for example a female athlete from a European country received a bursary, covering accommodation, to be in Yerevan and brought back home two silver medals. The WCBO Board too worked in a way to ease the participation of four Indian athletes (three women and a man) and give them the chance to be present to this 6th edition enlarging participation.

The live internet streaming was conducted by Matt Thomas, former chessboxing World Champion from USA, usually with together with Carl Strugnell but also with Lara Armas, WCBO President and also former Chessboxing World Champion, and/or Petr Zhukov himself. Matt has become the most recognised voice of chessboxing globally.