we still had to play the final round of chess. There was a clear win for him, but he just couldn't figure out the right moves."

Chess boxing is precisely that - a sport that combines chess and boxing. There are six rounds of chess, each lasting four minutes, and five of boxing, each lasting two minutes. The rounds take place alternately, beginning and ending with chess, with one-minute intervals. You win by a knockout in the ring or checkmate on the board. In the event of a draw in the chess and no knockout, a points winner can be declared on the basis of performance in the ring. At least I think those are the rules; I, too, was feeling a little dizzy after my trial fight.

Rubingh's inspirationby the end he has convinced me that he is determined to establish chess boxing as a global sport. Iepe the Joker has turned into Iepe the Entrepreneur, setting up the World Chess Boxing Association, franchising the idea in Bulgaria, planning fights in Tokyo and New York, preparing to open a chess boxing gym in Cologne, and now looking towards France and the UK.

Last month, a Bulgarian called Tihomir Titschko - a very strong chess player and decent boxer - won the European heavyweight chess-boxing title in a contest in Berlin that was given huge publicity in Germany. The appeal, to the media anyway, is precisely that of the perceived difference between boxers and chess players. Despite the example of Lewis, we see boxers as lithe killing machines