Skip to main content

Featured

The Queen's Hamlet

The Queen’s Hamlet is a charming attraction in the park of the Palace of Versailles, built for Marie Antoinette in the 18th century. It consists of a group of rustic cottages and farm buildings, arranged around an artificial lake, that served as a place of leisure and education for the queen and her children. The hamlet was inspired by the naturalistic movement in art and architecture, and by the model farms that were popular among the French aristocracy at the time. The hamlet was also a way for Marie Antoinette to escape the formalities and pressures of the court life, and to enjoy a simpler and more intimate lifestyle. The hamlet was designed by Richard Mique and Hubert Robert, who also modified the landscape of the Petit Trianon, where the hamlet is located. The hamlet has three distinct areas: the reception area, where the queen entertained her guests in the boudoir, the billiard room, and the Queen’s House; the farm area, where the animals and crops were raised and the dair
Post a Comment
Read more
Labels

Chess Boxing


Chess Boxing is a rare blend of contrasting skills. The athlete combines a powerful body with a sharp mind and rises above the mindless muscle. In the ring, the fighter is fueled by testosterone, adrenaline and skill. Three minutes later, he changes battlegrounds. The contender has only seconds to restrain his fighting instinct and move into the silent logic of his mind. Chessboxers need smartness for solving problems; They must anticipate their opponent's moves in the ring, as well as on the board. It is the only sport in which the heart, mind and body perform in total harmony. This is the ultimate battle.

The battle consists of 11 alternating rounds of chess and boxing. Each round lasts 3 minutes. The 6 chess rounds comprise a total of 18 minutes, giving a total of 9 minutes on the clock for each player. Fighters win: by knockout, by checkmate, by the judge's decision, or if the opponent exceeds the time limit.

Chessboxing was brought to life by Dutch-born Iepe Rubingh in 2003. He was inspired by „Froid Équateur", a graphic novel written by comic artist and film director Enki Bilal in 1992. 

In 2003, the world's first chessboxing fight between Jean Louis Veenstra and Iepe Rubingh was fought in Amsterdam and was won by Rubingh. The historic event was watched by over one thousand fascinated spectators. The sport had been taken to a new level.

After this overwhelming success, Rubingh founded the World Chess Boxing Organisation (WCBO) and the first-ever Chess Boxing Club in Berlin in 2004. From that moment on, chessboxing clubs and associations started appearing all over the world Now in 2015, the WCBO has members in China, India, Iran, Italy, Russia, Germany, Mexico, Turkey and the US.

The first professional World Championships were held in Moscow in November 2013 and in Berlin in 2014. The current World Champions are Sven Rooch (Germany), Leonid Chernobaev (Belarus) and Nikolay Sazhin (Russia) in the light heavy-, middle- and heavyweight category respectively.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular Posts