Bughouse Chess

by Bill Wall

Bughouse chess is the most

popular of all chess variants. It
has been around since the early
1960s (I was playing giveaway
chess during that time instead).
It is the perfect game that
combines teamwork, tactics,
speed, and initiative. And it is
a lot more fun than regular
chess!

In Australia, bughouse is Bill Wall

called "transfer chess." In other
parts of the world, it is called
Siamese Chess, DoubleBlitz,
Parachute, Doublespeed, Chok,
Tjak, Tandem chess, Exchange
chess, Cross chess, Swap Chess first of all teaches you to
chess, Bunkhouse, and Choke be objective. —Alekhine
chess.

Bughouse chess has no random

factor and there is no color
advantage, as one player on
each team has White, while the
other team member has Black.
Bughouse is fast-paced and
multi-dimensional and relies
on team effort and a good
partner who can communicate.

Bughouse is played on two

chessboards by four players in
teams of two. Each team
member faces one opponent of
the other team. Partners sit
next to each other. One partner
plays with the white pieces and
the other partner plays with the
black pieces.

If you know how to play chess,

you can play bughouse. It's
chess with a twist. All the rule
differences can be understood
n a few minutes. Just observe a
couple of bughouse games at a
chess tournament or online
with YouTube and you should
pick up on how the game is
played.

Normal chess rules apply,

except that captured pieces on
one board are passed on to his
partner on the other board.
That partner has the option of
putting these pieces on their
board. For example, if a team's
white player captures his
opponent's rook (a black
piece), he/she must pass it to
his/her partner, who is playing
black.

The game is usually played

with a 5-minute or less time
control (3 minutes is very
popular on line and OTB).
Bughouse chess is usually
played with chess clocks to
prevent players from waiting
indefinitely for a piece. Clocks
are place on the outside so that
each player can see both
clocks. You have to press the
chess clock with the same hand
that you move a piece.

Each team sits across the table

from each other. The stronger
players on each team should sit
across from each other, and the
weaker players face each other
as well.

It is preferable to use digital

clocks. If possible, the same
model of chess clock should be
used.

In a bughouse game with no

clocks, a player may not delay
his move beyond the time that
it takes for his partner to make
three moves.

Each move must be made with

one hand only.

To capture a piece, you can use

your left hand to remove the
pieces from the board, as an
example, and then with the
right hand, move your piece to
that square. The right hand
then is use to start the
opponent's clock.

A player may use both hands

to castle.

At the start of the game, the

players with the black pieces
start the clocks
simultaneously.

Provided that you express your

intention before you touch a
piece (by saying "j'adoube" or
"I adjust"), you may adjust one
or more pieces on the squares.
However, it is not touch move
in most bughouse games,
rather, it is clock move.

Bughouse is usually played

using clock move, not touch
move. The move is completed
only when the clock is
pressed.

If you knock over pieces, you

must re-establish the correct
position on your own time.

A player capturing a piece or

pawn immediately passes that
piece to the capturing player's
partner. The partner may keep
these pieces in reserve or play
the piece instead of playing a
regular move.

The played pieces on the board

is called dropping the piece.

Pieces may be dropped on any

vacant square. There are no
restrictions on where pieces
may be placed. However,
pawns may not be dropped on
the first or last (eighth) ranks.
A piece may not be captured
by a drop move.

Dropped pawns may promote,

but all promoted pawns
convert back to pawns when
captured. When captured, it
reverts back to being a pawn
when it is passed to the other
teammate.

It is a good idea to drop pawns

near the last rank where it can
be promoted quickly. Pawns
are always good for dropping
in, to attack or defend. Pawn
chains are strong.
In play over the board, a
promoted pawn can be put on
its side on the chessboard
square to indicate promotion
(usually a queen, but can be a
knight or other piece except
another pawn).

A pawn placed in the second

rank may move one or two
squares on its first move. Thus,
a pawn dropped in the second
rank can move two squares up
on its initial move. Once this
piece is captured, it reverts
back to a pawn, not the
promoted piece.

En passant is allowed in
bughouse chess.

Stalemate is almost impossible

since it is possible to get a
piece to drop.

Castling is allowed in
bughouse chess if it is a legal
move. Castling is illegal if the
king has already moved, the
rook has already moved, or
moving into check. A rook
dropped onto either rook home
square is considered not to
have move, so castling is
allowed if legal on the next or
later moves.

Declaring or saying chess is

not obligatory.

When a pawn reached the 8th

rank, it can be promoted to any
piece (except another pawn),
usually a queen, and
sometimes a knight.

In regular chess, the value of

the pieces is usually Q=9, R=5.
B=3.5, N=3, and P=1. In
bughouse chess, the value of
the pieces is usually Q=10, N-
7, R=4, B=2, P=1. Other
sources have the values at:
Q=6, R=3, N=2.5, B=2, P=1.

The queen is slightly more

powerful in bughouse chess
because it can often be placed
into a position with mate. The
knight can check from a small
distance and can't be blocked.
It can lead to a direct
checkmate. The bishop usually
performs no better than a pawn
and cannot even get promoted.
A pawn's promotion abilities
may, in some positions, be
worth significantly more than a
bishop.

The queen is powerful, but she

can be vulnerable to pursuit by
the opponent's pawns and
pieces. However, don't drop a
reserve queen on the board
immediately if it doesn't have a
purpose or attack since it
would expose her to attack and
lose the pressure she exerts as
a reserve piece. Be aware that
the exchange of queens on one
board may lead to mate on the
other board. If you are being
threatened with a mate if an
enemy queen is dropped into
play, tell your partner not to
trade queens at all costs. It is a
good idea to clear it first with
your partner on trades,
especially the queen or knight.

Each player must keep the

reserve of chess pieces on the
table in front of the board,
always visible to all players of
the game. A player may not
hide captured pieces from your
opponent. When a piece is
captured, the captured piece is
passed to the partner in the
"stuff-place." This is the are
reserved for pieces that the
player can drop on the board.
The stuff-place must be
between his opponent's eyes
and the player's hands. So, the
stuff-place is usually between
board and player's hands.

A player cannot attempt to

hide pieces from the opponent.
During the game, the players
need to keep the pieces in such
a way that everyone is able to
see all the pieces. Only when
captured pieces are transferred
to the partner's stuff-place, or
in the moment when a player is
moving or dropping a piece on
the chessboard, a piece may be
partially hidden in a player's
hand.

On each player's turn, they

may choose to either make a
regular chess move on the
board or place one of the
pieces their partner has passed
on the board.

A game is won when one

player gets checkmated,
resigns, forfeits on time or
when an illegal move is made
in which the offending side is
caught, provided an opponent
claims the win. Capturing the
king is equivalent to claiming a
win. An illegal move ends the
game immediately. However, a
player may only claim an
illegal move before completing
his own move. The match is
finished when one player is
checkmated, resigns, or
flagged (time runs out). His
team loses and both games
end.

If neither team member

realizes he has won, the game
continues until a correct claim
of a win is made. The first
correct claim of a win decides
the issue. There should be no
draws or stalemates.

Keep in mind that a player is

not checkmated if they have
the potential to block a check
by placing a piece there, even
if they don't have a piece "in
hand" yet. There is always the
possibility of their partner
passing something to them to
block the checkmate. Thus, a
decisive checkmate must
always be given either with a
"contact check" (placing a
piece next to the king), a
knight check, or a multiple or
double check. It is not
checkmate if there is a
possibility of interposition.

A player must claim

checkmate before completing
his own next move, which will
cancel the checkmate position.
After this, the checkmate
cannot be claimed. If his
opponent tries to escape from
checkmate by making an
illegal move and the player
then completes another move,
he loses the right to claim a
checkmate.

A match can be drawn (very

rare) by agreement or when
two players run out of time or
are checkmated
simultaneously. A draw
request should be made and
accepted at both boards before
the match is ended as a draw
(almost impossible).

Threefold repletion is also a

draw. To claim a three-time
repetition draw, a player
should count 1,2,3 out loudly
so as to make it quite clear and
easier for an arbiter to assist in
showing the threefold
repetition.

If a player claims a draw, he

shall immediately stop the
chess clock. He is not allowed
to withdraw his claim. If the
claim is found to be incorrect,
the stopping of the clocks is
considered as an illegal move
and loss of game if claimed.

Partners are normally allowed

to talk to each other during the
game. They can ask for a
specific piece, ask for more
piece trades, ask to hold a
piece, suggest moves, or ask
the partner to stall. A common
request would be "trades are
good." If the other player is in
trouble, he/she would say
"trades are bad." Other popular
requests are "knight wins a
queen" or "rook mate me" if
the player is in trouble.

It is illegal for a player to

move one of his partner's
pieces or in any way physically
intervene on his partner's
board. You cannot advise your
partner by moving your finger
over your partner's board.

Full communication between

partners is allowed, so the
player can advise his partner
about concrete moves.

Because new pieces come in

the game, there are no
endgame play in bughouse.
The position never simplifies
since captured pieces are
constantly dropped and
recycled.

One strategy is not to move,

also called sitting or stalling.
This can happen in anticipation
of a certain piece or at the
request of the partner. Stall if
you need a certain piece to
mate with. It is perfectly
acceptable to wait and hope
your partner get it to you, as
long as you don't run out of
time. However, stalling occurs
more commonly when you are
being mated by force. You
realize that if you move, you
may be mated. Therefore, you
decide not to move and let
your partner try to win the
game. However, for this to
work, you need to have more
time on your clock than your
partner's opponent, or he will
also refuse to move and you
will lose on time first.

Another good time for stalling

is if you know your opponent
needs a certain piece to mate
you (such as a knight), and
your partner tells you that that
piece (the knight) will come to
your opponent on the next
move, then tell your partner to
stall until your opponent
moves. This forces your
opponent to move without that
piece. This works only if your
partner has more time than
your opponent on the clocks,
otherwise, your partner will
lose on time.

Stalling can happen on both

boards. For example, you are
one move away from
checkmating your opponent, so
he is not moving. However,
your partner is also not moving
because any move that he
makes, he gets checkmated the
next move. The game is now
decided by whether your
partner or your opponent has
the most time left on the
clock.

Attacking the king is usually

more important than defending
or attempting to win material.
Because of the possibility of
dropping pieces, attacks in
bughouse can quickly lead to
checkmate.

King safety is paramount, so

do not leave weak squares next
to your king. This applies
especially to the f2 and f7
squares. Diagonal weaknesses
are prey to dropped chess
pieces on that diagonal.

Keeping a secure king is

critical, as holes and
unprotected squares around the
king can quickly become
occupied by enemy pieces.
Once an opponent is placing
pieces with check (especially
knights), it can become
impossible to use you own
pieces in hand.

Knight checks are best since

your opponent cannot drop a
piece to interpose. This makes
the knight a very powerful
piece, often worth more than a
rook, but slightly less than a
queen (unless a knight check
leads to mate).

Rooks are the most difficult

pieces to use in the game.
Rooks are hindered more than
any other pieces by the
constantly changing pawn
structure that opens and closes
vertical and horizontal lines.
However, rooks are good for
mating threats and other
tactical operations, such as
pinning queen and king on a
vertical or horizontal row.
Rooks are good for occupying
the 8th rank and trapping a
cornered king.

Be on the lookout for sacrifices

to create weaknesses. The
ending combination usually
starts out with lots of sacrifice
drops to lure the king out and
into a mating net.

In bughouse, it is easier to
attack than to defend.

Bughouse openings are

generally geared towards
dominating vital squares and
fast development.

In general, one of the players

in the team attacks while the
other team member defends.
Usually, White attacks and
goes for mate, while Black
tries to defend everything.
Black should try to exchange
pieces to reduce his opponent's
attack, while strengthening his
partner's position with more
pieces to drop. White,
therefore, attempts to keep his
pieces on the board to ensure
attacking chances. White
usually gains a large space
advantage built on pawn
chains.

Castling may not be best, but if

you have to castle, then usually
the kingside (O-O) is
preferred, since the queenside
is vulnerable to a heavy piece
drop on a8, then a knight
getting to a7. Also, a White
pawn getting to a7 with a
Black king on c8 is very
strong.

Avoid leaving any holes in

your position. Remember that
any hole can be occupied
immediately by a dropped
piece. It is usually a good idea
to avoid fianchettoing, as
fianchettoes can be easily
occupied by pawns. An
opening move like 1.e4 g6
2.d4 Nf6 is bad for Black as
White can drop a pawn on h6,
followed by another pawn on
g7. So, avoid holes on your
second rank. Another bad
opening for Black with a hole
is the Sicilian Defense after
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nb5 a6.
Now White waits for a pawn
from his partner and drops the
pawn on c7, winning Black's
queen.

A key square is usually the f7

square for Black and the f2
square for White. Black
usually wants to defend the f7
square. White it trying to sac a
bishop on f7, drop a knight on
g5, and something diagonal on
f7, leading to a quick win.
Black should defend by
playing the pawn to e6,
blocking the a2-g8 diagonal.
Yet White will try to drop a
pawn on f5 or sac a knight on
f7, then drop a second knight
on g5.
White will try to drop a pawn
on h6 to open up the f7 and f6
squares for attack. If Black
plays is pawn from h7 to h6,
then White drops a pawn on
g6, attacking f7.

For Black to survive a White

attack, here are some tips.
Drop an extra pawn when you
get one on h6. Play e6 early.
Drop a bishop on g8 to support
f7. Avoid putting a king on f7.
Reserve f7 for a pawn, bishop,
or knight. After dropping a
pawn on h6, drop another
pawn on f6 to control g5 and
e5. Avoid moving the c-pawn
or the f-pawn. Avoid pawn
moves if possible. Exchange
your bishops for the opponent's
knights by pinning them to the
queen or king. It is a good idea
to drop a bishop on bishop on
h5 to protect f7 and pin the
Nf3 to Qd1.

It is usually better to continue

an attack on the king than
trying to win material. The best
way to attack is through checks
that have to be met with a king
move. This can be done with
knights (which cannot be
blocked), or with "contact"
checks. Once attacking, talk to
your partner on what piece you
need. Also, let your partner
know that you are about to
begin sacrificing pieces to
ensure that he/she is not under
attack first. Your attack may
lead to your partner getting
mated as his opponent will be
gaining more pieces to drop.

Make good opening moves.

One good idea for White is to
play 1.d4, 2.Nf3, 3.Bf4, and
4.Nbd2 if possible. You can
play these safe moves very
quickly to gain time on the
clock. For Black, try ...e6-Nc6-
Nf6-d5 as your first moves.

A notation to denote a dropped

piece uses the @ sign. So,
N@f1 means knight drop at f1.
Q@e6+ is queen drop with
check at e6. This format is
known as BPGN - bughouse
portable game notation. A
dropped piece can also be
noted with the standard
algebraic notation preceded by
an "x" letter. If White drops a
queen to e5, the move can be
written as xQe5 ("Extra queen
on e5") or Q@e5.

Grandmasters that have played

bughouse include: Michael
Adams, Levon Aronian, Joel
Benjamin, Magnus Carlsen,
Fabioano Caruana, Sergey
Karjakin, Garry Kasparov,
John Nunn, Michael Rohde,
Yasser Seirawan, Andy Soltis,
Jon Speelman, and Maxime
Vachier-Lagrave.

In 1992, John Manson and

Stephen Hoover wrote a book
on bughouse chess. It was
advertised in Chess Life and an
article on Siamese chess
appeared in one of its issues.
At the time, it was called
Siamese chess. The Kindle
Edition in now called
Bughouse Chess.

The chess engine Sjeng is able

to play bughouse chess.

Sample games:

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 (your partner

gives you a pawn to drop)
3.p@c4 dxe4 4.d5 Nf6 5.Bc4
Bg4 (you have another pawn to
drop) 6.P@e6 Bxd1 7.exf7+
Kxf7 (you have a knight to
drop) 8.N@e5+ Ke8 (you have
a bishop to drop) 9.B@f7+
Ke7 (you have a knight to
drop) 10.N@f5#

1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.h4 d5

4.f3?? and Black waits for a
pawn and plays P@f2 mate.

Return to Main Page

Please
report broken or duplicate links
to the Webmaster.

Official Website
Copyright 2017, 2018, 2019
by William D. Wall
All Rights Reserved