Bughouse chess

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Bughouse Chess

Players	4
Age range	10 years old or older recommended
Setup time	1 minute
Playing time	Usually 6-10 minutes
Rules complexity	Medium
Strategy depth	High
Random chance	None
Skills required	Chess strategy, Blitz chess

Bughouse Chess (also called sometimes Exchange Chess, Tag Team Chess, Double Chess, Siamese Chess, Double Bug, Tandem Chess, Transfer Chess, or simply Bughouse) is a chess variant played with two teams of two people with two chess boards playing in collaboration against each other. It is far more complex than normal chess. It seems to have developed independently in numerous places at numerous times.

1 Rules
- 1.1 Variations
- 1.2 Chess clocks
2 Where to play
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Rules

Team members sit beside each other playing opposite colors. Each player plays his opponent as in a standard chess game except that when pieces are captured they are given to the teammate. The teammate can then decide to place the captured piece almost anywhere on the board in place of a regular move (as in shogi). Team members have to work together, and (sometimes) against a clock, to win. The game may be scored in either of two ways, depending on prior agreement:

1.The first mate or overtime (when using clocks) decides the match.
2.The first mate or overtime (when using clocks) does not decide the match, and play continues on the remaining board. Captives in hand may still be dropped, but there is no way to acquire new captives. Once the remaining game is completed, points are counted as follows: 1 for a win, 1/2 for a draw, and 0 for a loss. The team with the most points wins. If teams score 1-1, the match is a draw.

It should be noted that a mate by a line piece does not end the game even if the player has no pieces to drop, because he may acquire some later.

The only restriction on dropping pieces in Bughouse is that pawns can't be dropped on the 1st or 8th rank.

Though opinions vary about this, it is generally accepted that at least some form of discussion between teammates is allowed. Any Bughouse variant allows players to ask their partners to capture a specific piece for them, so shouts like "Gimme a knight!" are common, leading to seemingly-absurd sacrificial captures on the other board if it will lead to mate or a devastating fork on the board of the player who yelled "Gimme a knight!"

[edit] Variations

[edit] Tandem chess

In Tandem Chess, one cannot place pieces to check or to mate, nor can one place pawns on one's 1st, 7th or 8th ranks. Also, the match continues until both games are completed.

[edit] Transfer chess

In Transfer chess, a piece added to the board can not be used to block or make check, it can be placed in any empty square on your half of the board. The objective of the game is to capture and hold all the kings. The game is won when one team has all four kings on the board, the treasure chest (slang for the pieces you have been given from the other game) may not have two kings in it at any time (between teams.)

[edit] Siamese chess

Bughouse can be played by two players in the following arrangement. Player A assumes a team and player B the other; A begins by moving a white piece, B replies by moving a black piece followed by a white piece, A replies by moving a white piece followed by a black piece, etc. This variation is suitable to play by mail. A different arrangement is to play the moves counter-clockwise, as described below.

This arrangement can also work with more than two players, i.e. three players on three boards or five players on five boards, moving counter-clockwise (assuming the board with the white pieces is on the player's right hand.) Every player plays on two boards (moving black first, then white) pieces captured from one board can be dropped on the other. Once all games are done the player with the most points win.

[edit] Chess clocks

Bughouse chess usually use chess clocks to prevent players from waiting indefinitely for a piece (waiting for pieces is considered perfectly acceptable). In untimed games, a gentleman's rule is that a player may not delay his move beyond the time that it takes for his partner to make three moves. This rule is not necessary in timed games.

[edit] Where to play

Today there are Bughouse tournaments sponsored by major chess organizations, but most Bughouse games occur during regular chess events. Chess online is primarily run by FICS and the Internet Chess Club.