Bughouse for tournament chess players

part three - In Bug as in Life

(Chess Life, September 2003)

Between rounds at tournaments, or late at night at chess clubs, bughouse games abound. Bughouse is a chess variant played with two boards and four players. During bug, pieces captured on your partner’s board can be placed on your board. If your partner plays Black, you will play White. As your partner captures White pieces, he hands them to you. On each turn, you may move your pieces already on your board, or place a piece given to you by your partner. You may not place a pawn handed to you by your partner on your first or eighth rank. Because of the symbiotic relationship between bug partners, bughouse is sometimes called Siamese chess.

Bughouse is a chess variant which incorporates chatting and advice-sharing with a partner during the game. Chess players wanting a break from the silence and self-reliance of tournaments may enjoy the noise and camaraderie of bughouse. In past issues of Chess Life (March and May 2003), we gave five tips about partnering and best bug moves. Rules for bughouse (also known as double bughouse or Siamese chess) are in help files on the internet chess servers FICS, ICC, and U.S. Chess Live. A complete description of OTB (over-the-board) bug rules by Dusan Skaloud from the Czech Republic is located at

http://www.proclient.cz/czechopen/tournaments/CompleteBughouseChessRules.htm

Clemente Rendon (Richardson, TX) asks, “How can you not BUG your partner while playing in the HOUSE?” Before showing three bug positions guaranteed to bring a smile to your partner’s face, let’s discuss the “house” part of bug.

The side of the table where you and your partner sit is like a very small, shared house. You will be in close physical proximity to your partner. If he showered before your bug game, you might acknowledge his gesture by complimenting, “How thoughtful of you.” It’s also a plus if your partner finishes eating before the game starts, as bug requires hands and mouth to be in full operational order.

Bughouse further demands that you and your partner use your table space wisely. When you capture a piece, you give it to your partner for his immediate or later use. Though this sounds straightforward, like most house-keeping matters it can be a source of arguments. Here are some things that can go wrong, and possible solutions:

Your partner captures a piece and forgets to give it to you. Instead, he leaves it sitting somewhere near his board. You notice it too late, i.e. just after that particular piece would have delivered mate on your board. Solution: Just as you would set aside an area on the porch or in the hallway for your outdoor stuff (baseball glove, skateboard), you should designate some table area for captured pieces.

Your partner is a slob. When he flings pieces in your direction, they invariably bounce from the table surface to the floor. You waste valuable time retrieving pieces from under the table. Often, you bang your head on the way up, causing you to have a headache the rest of the evening. Solution: Personal responsibility is very important no matter what you do. If you have some and your partner does not, the partnership won’t flourish. You need to speak to your partner about this. After all, you NEED those captured pieces to play well on your board. If your partner doesn’t get the hint, perhaps you should get a new partner.

Your partner hides his pieces in hand. Of course, your opponents are furious about not knowing what he’s holding. In bug tournaments, they get the TD to level warnings and forfeits against your team. Even in casual bug games, your partner’s habit of hiding annoys you. If you can’t see what pieces he’s planning to drop onto his board, you can’t advise him. Solution: Explain to your partner that secrecy is dangerous, and disclosure is the best policy. You can’t help him unless he opens up to you.

More generally, talk with your partner before the bug game starts. Reinforce how happy you both are to be fed, watered, clean, and ready to play bug. After those initial formalities are out of the way, remind each other that manners have saved many a relationship, and several bug games, too. When you knock over a piece, set it back up again on your time. If you forget to pass a piece, say you are sorry. With proper consideration and etiquette, your bughouse will feel like a bughome.

In the following three bug positions, you and your partner are delighted. It’s your move, and you have time to wait for your partner to hand you a piece or pawn. Remember the @ (at) symbol means you are dropping a piece from your hand onto the board.

White to move - what piece is needed to mate, and where is the mate?

Solution for Position One: Ask for a Bishop or a Queen from your partner. After you get it, play: 1.N@c6"1.N@c6 Kd7 (If 1….Ke8 2. R@d8 mate) 2. B@e8+ Kxe8 3. R@d8 mate

In Position Two, you are playing Black. You need one more piece from your partner to complete the mating pattern you envision. But then your partner tells you that he can’t get you a rook or a queen (how would the mate with rook or queen work?). There is still a mate, though. What piece do you need? Where will you drop it? BLACK TO MOVE:

With a rook or a queen, you could mate with 1. R@h1+ Kxh1 2. N@g3+ fxg 3. Nxg3 mate or 2. ... Kg1 R@h1 mate.

Solution for Position Two: Ask for a knight from your partner. After you get it, play:

1….R@h1+

2. Kxh1 N@g3+

3. Kg1 N@e2+

4. Qxe2 Nxe2+

5. Kh1 Nfg3+

6. fxg3 Nxg3#

In Position Three, you are playing Black again. The theme is similar to Position Two. You can’t get a queen from your partner. What piece do you request from your partner? Where will you drop it? BLACK TO MOVE.

Solution for Position Three: Ask for a rook from your partner. After you get it, play:

1… .R@g3+

2. B@g2 N@f3#

About the authors: Alexey Root was the 1989 U.S. Women’s Chess Champion and enjoys playing real-life bug. Eric Wiggins is one of the top ten bug players on the Internet and in real life. Eric plays on FICS and ICC as GhostShell; his handle on USChessLive is sylph.