You have to see it to believe it. Get Ready for Chessboxing at the Royal Albert Hall!
7 August, 2012
PRESS RELEASE
You Have To See It To Believe It.
Get Ready for Chessboxing at the Royal Albert Hall!
“It’s not completely mental…..”ITV News
Royal Albert Hall – Wednesday 10 October 2012, 8pm
Release date: 6th August 2012
The ultimate clash of brains and brawn comes to the Loading Bay at the Royal Albert Hall on Wednesday 10 October for the supreme hybrid sport, Chessboxing. Placing a chessboard in the centre of a boxing ring only begins to set the scene, as the sports of chess and boxing combine strategy, tactics and punching power in a mix of fast-moving entertainment and physical courage.
First reported in 1978, chessboxing has grown in reputation over the past few years and these bouts at the iconic Royal Albert Hall are sure to add to its ever-growing fanbase. Each match begins with a four-minute chess round followed by a three minute round of boxing, with 11 rounds of chess and boxing alternating until the end. Speed chess is used, a form in which each player has a total of 12 minutes for the whole game. Participants must be experienced boxers as well as strong chess players, since each bout can be decided by a checkmate or a knockout at any moment.
Four scheduled bouts are due to take place at the Royal Albert Hall on October 10 in its 499-capacity Loading Bay, featuring some of the finest chessboxers from around the world. The UK’s Number 1 heavyweight Andy ‘The Rock’ Costello headlines the night facing stiff competition from Matt Follain, a martial arts instructor from Somerset. The line-up also includes Germany’s Tim ‘CSI Bendfeldt, Mike ‘The Bedfordshire Bull’ Botteley, Lithuania’s pocket dynamo Vladimir Agasaryan and carrying the hopes of all of Latin America, Costa Rica’s outstanding young prospect, Jose Sachez Amen. With live chess commentary from “The Incomparable” International Master Malcolm Pein and giant digital screens to ensure you won’t miss a move, this is quite simply the greatest night of chessboxing in history!
Promoted by the Hall, this event is part of the Hall’s commitment in providing new and innovative programming and creating unique and world class visitor experiences for all. As a charity, the Hall is committed in making the venue accessible to all and through the diversity of its programming ensure a legacy for future generations. This is an exclusive one-off event and an entirely new and different strand of programming within the walls of the iconic venue.
Chessboxing falls under the Chessboxing Organisation, a registered charity, and any money raised from events goes towards funding free chess and (non-contact) fitness training for young people in London.
Lucy Noble, Head of Programming and Education at the Royal Albert Hall, said "I am delighted to bring the unmissable chessboxing to the Hall for the first time. We are constantly developing our own promotes to run alongside our larger scale events in the main auditorium and through these we look to make the venue more accessible and bring audiences into the Hall who might have never visited us before. Chessboxing does just that; it’s bold, thrilling, utterly unique and another exciting strand to our programming. To use the Loading Bay as well, used daily for trucks and deliveries, is something very special indeed."
London Chessboxing founder Tim Woolgar said: “Chessboxing is a combined event that pulls together the world’s top thinking sport and the world’s top fighting sport to create something completely new and exciting – a true biathlon for the 21st Century. The crowd atmosphere is always amazing, like the best kind of party and I cannot think of a better venue to stage the show than the Royal Albert Hall Loading Bay, a unique modern urban space right in the heart of the most dynamic city on the planet.”
Tickets are now on sale and priced at £25 (standing). To book, please visit www.royalalberthall.com or call the Box Office on 020 7589 8212
Entrance via the Loading Bay on Prince Consort Road, Doors open at 7pm-
Royal Albert Hall, Kensington Gore, London, SW7 2AP. A functioning bar will also be open during the night.
VIP Hospitality packages are also available with ring side seating, access to a private bar and complimentary Hendricks’s gin cocktails. Please call the Box Office on 020 7589 8212 or book online at www.royalalberthall.com
Notes to Editors:
For further information, please contact Sean Carrigan on 020 7959 0531 or seanc@royalalberthall.com
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is the world’s most famous stage. Its breathtaking auditorium hosts over 370 shows a year by the world’s greatest artists. The magical atmosphere combined with inspired artists creates legendary events.
Opened in 1871 as part of Prince Albert’s vision for a centre for the Arts and Sciences, the Hall is a registered charity which operates without public funding, remaining true to his founding ambitions within a modern context. Extending the brand with 200 events outside the auditorium, the Hall has broadened its appeal to younger, diverse audiences whilst still engaging its existing customers.
The Hall also offers the Elgar Room, a state-of-the-art small-scale performance space which hosts performances of classical music, jazz and world music, comedy, dance and hush, a series of gigs for just signed bands throughout the year. In the main auditorium, it offers the Albert Sessions, an initiative that encourages up and coming acts to play at the Hall by offering reduced rental fees to promoters and lower ticket prices to encourage younger audiences to visit the Hall. It also works extensively with schools, young people, disadvantaged groups and partners such as Music For Youth through its Education programme, reaching over 100,000 participants each year as part of its extensive public benefit remit. It has also been appointed by the Arts Council as one of the country’s regional music education hubs.
For more information, please visit www.royalalberthall.com
Registered charity number: 254543