As all chessboxing bouts do, Tony Lugo and Josh Birnbaum begin their five-round match at the chessboard. When they arrive to thunderous applause, both are wearing their boxing headgear but only one glove, leaving the other hand free to move pieces on the board. Following the rules of the game, players are allotted seven-and-a-half total minutes to make their moves. If they use up all their time, the match ends and the decision goes to the judges.
As the chess begins, the DJ pipes in classical music, bringing an oddly sophisticated feel to the moment. A hush comes over the audience as Lugo and Birnbaum start their moves.
"They're fighting over the center," Mahowald announces.
The first round ends and Lugo, a former U.S. Marine and now barista/aspiring writer, has a decided advantage having taken three of Birnbaum's pawns as well as a knight. McGregor hoists the chessboard out of the ring and quickly, the brawling begins.
Neither Lugo nor Birnbaum, a bartender with some martial arts experience, are particularly skilled boxers. The two mostly throw looping hooks to the head hoping for a quick knockout. Jabs are few and far between and defense is accidental if nonexistent -- just what the crowd is hoping for.
After the first round, they are both dripping in sweat and breathing heavily. But the transition from boxing back to chess isn't an easy one. They start to make careless and sometimes illegal moves. At one point, Lugo jumps his own pawn, almost as if he's playing checkers. This prompts Mahowald to scold Lugo, saying, "That's not how pawns go," before moving his piece back to its original position.
Lugo, a first time chessboxer, later explains some of his mistakes on the board, saying, "Taking a hit to the side of the head and then trying to make a chess move is a lot harder than what I thought it would be."
After another round of pummeling, including a brief stoppage to ensure that Birnbaum was okay following a Lugo barrage, the final round of chess begins.
Lugo, who prepared for the bout by shadow boxing in his apartment and playing on Chess.com, has Birnbaum down to just three pawns and his king. As time expires Lugo is declared the winner. For his efforts, Lugo receives a plastic crown from McGregor but no prize money. Rather, his purse will go to the charity of his choice -- the Polaris Project. |
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