Mumbai Girl Wins Gold in World Amateur Chess Boxing

Madhavi Gonbare, age 22 won the gold medal in the World Amateur Chess Boxing Competition. It is due to the support of Mumbai Cop Shri Dharmadhikari (ACP), Dongri.

But as the daughter of a widow who works as a school peon, finances were tight. mid-day had reported last year, it was Avinash Dharmadhikari — then a senior inspector at the Sakinaka police station — who helped her with the Rs 30,000 participation fees for the competition.

Basking in the golden glow of her medal, Madhavi told mid-day, “I am very happy. The entire credit goes to Dharmadhikari sir, who helped me. That is how I won gold medals two years in a row.”

ACP Dharmadhikari talking to Mid-day said, “I am very happy that she won the gold medal in the World Amateur Chess Boxing Competition, in which more than 100 competitors participated from Russia, Finland, USA, Germany and other countries.”

Read more in Mid-day

What is chess boxing?
Chess boxing is a hybrid fighting sport that combines two traditional pastimes: chess, a cerebral board game, and boxing, a physical sport. The competitors fight in alternating rounds of chess and boxing.

Brains and brawn come together in the sport of chess boxing. Inspired by a french comic where the characters must fight then play chess, chess boxing started off as an art project and homage. But soon the sport gained a life of its own. The contenders must play chess for 3 minutes and then immediately box for 3 minutes. While it may seem gimmicky, once you see the athletes advanced chess skills and intense fighting skills, you may become a believer as well. We went to the chess boxing championships in Berlin to see this hybrid sport for ourselves.