Chessboxing World Championship Set For Istanbul After '60 Minutes' Spotlight

Chess continues to grow, and now chessboxing is gaining momentum too. More than 200 fighters from at least 25 countries are expected at the eighth Chessboxing World Championship, Presented by Lords Mobile in Istanbul on November 16-21. The event follows a year of increased attention after CBS' 60 Minutes introduced the sport to its 20 million people worldwide.

The championships begin exactly a year after a roughly 13-minute segment aired on November 16, 2025. Introducing the sport, correspondent Bill Whitaker said:

"When we first heard about chess boxing, we thought it was a joke. Chess boxing? Could it really be a thing? Turns out it is, and it's just what it sounds like: alternate rounds of chess and boxing."

Team USA coach Matt Thomas, known as "the voice of chess boxing," says the impact extended well beyond television.

"Our '60 Minutes' segment changed the trajectory for not just the Team USA program, but the growth of the sport worldwide," Thomas told Chess.com.

Our '60 Minutes' segment changed the trajectory for not just the Team USA program, but the growth of the sport worldwide.
-Matt Thomas

He said dozens of people contacted the team wanting to try out the sport after the broadcast, while hundreds reached out about starting or joining a local chessboxing club. That helped the organizers find locations for their first Team USA Tryout Tour.

"Thanks to our sponsor, MoonPay, we were able to visit six cities, set up clubs in each, and recruit top talent to fill our ranks this year," Thomas said.

Matt Thomas is a former Chess Boxing World Champion, streamer and founder of United Chessboxing.

The U.S. team will, however, travel without its reigning super heavyweight champion. FM James Canty III will not defend his title after winning last year's championship in Serbia, Thomas confirmed.

Canty won both of his bouts at the 2025 championship, defeating Kazakhstan's Sayan Shayakhmetov in the semifinals and Russia's Evgenii Isaev in the final. Canty's success depended on surviving in the ring long enough to make his superior speed on the chessboard count.

Thomas remains confident in the team heading to Istanbul. "Even without our super heavyweight champ returning, we have the most talented Team USA in history with plenty of rising stars to look out for," he said.

Among the fighters Thomas highlighted are:

• FM Arslan Otchiyev, a professional mixed martial arts fighter and founder of e4 Chess Academy in Connecticut. Thomas described him as the "new best pound-for-pound chessboxer in the world."
• NM Deepak Aaron, a four-time Georgia state chess champion and three-time New York youth state champion, whose grandfather, IM Manuel Aaron, was India's first international master.
• FM William Graif, the 2025 New York State blitz champion, who Thomas said earned "Fight of the Tournament" honors at last year's worlds.
• Edward Green, a U.S. Marine and returning silver medalist with a professional MMA background.
• Heather Brown, a streamer and head of North Brooklyn Chess, whom Thomas identified as Team USA's first female fighter in classic chessboxing.
• Returning World Champions from the Masters Division include team captains, Tuba Bayram, Burak Gezen and Nick Sonnenberg looking to defend their titles.

More than 200 fighters from 25 countries will take part in Istanbul. Here's Matt Thomas observing a fight. Photo: Chessboxing.

The U.S. team has launched a fundraiser, and hopes to raise $25,000 for the team's expenses ahead of and during the championship.

France is also bringing a big team of 28 fighters, including four women, the largest delegation to date, Sportmag reports. Among them is three-time world champion Valentin Marcel, who won titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024. The French federation is helping organize the event along with the Turkish hosts.

The World Chess Boxing Organisation (WCBO) championships will take place at the Selectum City Ataşehir hotel, with strategy game Lords Mobile as the main sponsor.

The athletes will compete for titles across weight divisions in men's, women's, junior, and masters categories. Bouts alternate between three-minute rounds of chess and boxing, with a one-minute break between rounds. Victory can come through checkmate, a knockout or technical knockout, an opponent running out of chess time, or resignation.

Team USA at last year's Chess Boxing World Championship.

The qualification rounds and semifinals use a five-round format: three chess rounds and two boxing rounds, with each player starting with four minutes and 30 seconds on the chess clock. Finals are seven rounds, four chess and three boxing with six minutes per player. If the chess game is drawn, boxing points decide the winner, with further tiebreak rules if those scores are also level.

Finals are scheduled for November 21, including an evening gala, followed by the closing ceremony late that night.