Stuff with Stuff

I’ve discussed earlier the penchant for adding spurious ingredients to things, but there is another trend in modern society which I fail to understand.  That is combining two utterly unrelated pre-existing products or events, and trying to market them as something new.  Something which we have all been desperate for, if only we had realised.

Usually it takes the form of some desperate attempt to repackage a product and sell it to us again.  Frankly, I tend to think that mobile phones with cameras, MP3 players, and one of those things for removing stones from horses’ hooves should be seen as a sign that the company involved is on its last legs, and one should sell all shares immediately.  And I admit to shouting at the radio earlier this week when I heard some bank (probably RBS) advertising a new type of current account which comes with car breakdown cover.

But this week’s biscuit is taken by a fairly new sport which I came across by accident.  Chess boxing.  That is not a typing error.  According to Wikipedia:

Chess boxing is a hybrid sport which combines the sport of boxing with games of chess in alternating rounds … A match between two opponents consists of up to eleven alternating rounds of boxing and chess sessions, starting with a four-minute chess round followed by three minutes of boxing and so on.  Between rounds there is a one minute pause, during which competitors change their gear … The sport is now governed by the World Chess Boxing Organisation (WCBO), whose motto is “Fighting is done in the ring and wars are waged on the board.” [snappy]

I particularly like the fact that they change gear between rounds.  I assume that is sartorially.  I find that you just can’t work up a decent left cross whilst sporting a smoking jacket.  But it may mean psychologically, and that would be good too.  “Pawn to Queen 6 – Ker-splat” would probably be frowned upon.

Anyway, today’s post is brought to you by the letters “W”, “T” and “F”, and by the symbol “?”

Update – 15 January 2010

It’s all true.  I just happened across some actual Chess Boxing on a new Channel 5 travel programme introduced by Paul Merton.
http://www.tvguide.co.uk/detail.asp?id=56646281