Marcello 'The Sir' Gasperini 
-vs-
Christian 'The Barber' Balsamo 



Photo credit: Stefania Varca


FISP - Italian middleweight title of chessboxing - 02 December 2018
Teatro Principe, Milan

An exciting chessboxing match awarded the Italian middleweight title of the elite series. A particular and very rare match for at least two reasons: firstly, the 11th and final round was reached and, secondly, the chess game ended in a draw (due to stalemate). In the event of a drawn game in the last round, as in this case, the regulation provides that the winner is declared on points in boxing.

Marcello Gasperini thus beat, (with the difference of only one point in the judge's card), the co-challenger Christian Balsamo, graduating as the Italian chess boxing champion. Another Italian chessboxing champion was also present in the room: Daniele Rota who at the end of the match commented on the match as follows:

"The two players set up an open game, characterized by moving, both white and black, the king's pawn by two steps; the result was an exciting match, with an alternation of advantage on the part of one and the other chessboxer. In boxing Balsamo started slow, perhaps too sure of being able to win and pulled a few shots in the first rounds even if, those who arrived certainly felt and already in the second round he put under his opponent even if he ended it with a clear incorrectness that it cost him a penalty point. Really exciting to see the final in which the white then failed to go crazy with the classic final of king and woman but still managed to win the match for what he did in the boxing rounds: a really tight match and it would not surprise me if,if there was a rematch, a different result would be obtained: Balsamo would have to start at one hundred percent also in boxing and, this, would also have an effect on the quality of the game in chess of his opponent"
W
L
Marcello 'The Sir' Gasperini Name Christian 'The Barber' Balsamo
0-0-0 W-L-D 0-1-0
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Italy Country Italy
Hometown
Testudo Boxing School Gym Stadera Molon-Labe
Job

Gasperini wins via boxing - decision (Round 11)