Chess Grappling: Everything You Need To Know

What is Chess Grappling?

Chess grappling was created by pro grappling veteran Daniel Strauss. The Raspberry Ape admits that he was inspired by chess boxing when developing this concept.

However, he saw some flaws in chess boxing and felt that the two sports were too separate in the format.

“My issue with chess boxing was that the chess and boxing were very separate. One didn’t affect the other(apart from getting your brain rattled, impairing cognition).”- Daniel Strauss.

To correct this for chess grappling, Strauss wanted to blend the two sports and make the chess game consequential to the grappling rounds.

If an athlete is winning the chess match, it would give them an advantage in the grappling rounds.

Originally, Strauss began developing this format years ago and had intended to create tournaments for it, but he became busy with other projects. Now, Strauss has decided to share the format of chess grappling with us to have fun with.

Chess Grappling Format 

• 5 Rounds of Chess
• 4 Rounds of Grappling 

Ways to win:

• Submission 
• Checkmate 
• Chess Clock Runs Out 
• Points(Only If Chess Match Ends In A Draw)

The Rules of Chess Games

• Coin Toss Determines Who Is White Pieces 
• Each Round Of Chess Is 4 Mins 
• If No Winner Is Decided In 4 Mins, A Grappling Round Follows The Chess Round
• Chess Match Resume After Every Grappling Round Where The Game Was Left Off

Grappling Rules

• 4 Rounds
• 2 Mins Each
• IBJJF Rules
• Whoever Has More Pieces After The Round Of Chess Gets The Dominant Position In The Grappling Round 

Grappling Round Formats 

• Round 1: Standing 
• Round 2: Side Control
• Round 3: Mount 
• Round 4: Back

Round 1 from standing will begin in neutral positions for both players. For every round after, the dominant position will be decided by who has more pieces on the board. 

If the chess match is a draw after a round, a coin toss will decide who gets the dominant position in the grappling round.

Chess Grappling Overview

Here’s a layout of how a chess grappling match is set:

• 4 Min Chess Round
• 2 Min Grappling Round(Standing)
• 4 Min Chess Round
• 2 Min Grappling Round(Side Control)
• 4 Min Chess Round
• 2 Min Grappling Round(Mount)
• 4 Min Chess Round
• 2 Min Grappling Round(Back Control)

Daniel Strauss urges those who want to play this game to enjoy and play around with the format. If you enjoy chess and grappling, then this could be a fun game for you to try.

Ver essa foto no Instagram

Uma publicação compartilhada por Daniel Strauss (@raspberry_ape)