My sister-in-law in California sent me this news story, and — like her — I’m not quite sure what to make of it.

It’s about chessboxing, a competition in which the players alternate boxing for two minutes with playing chess for four. There are six rounds of chess and five of boxing. You can win with checkmate, or a knockout, or through a complex scoring system combining your success in the two events.

As Dave Barry used to say, I am not making this up.