Grand Final of the Bughouse World Championship Set for April 23rd at 07:00 CEST!

Grand Final of the Bughouse World Championship Set for April 23rd at 07:00 CEST!

Get ready for the most anticipated bughouse showdown of the year! The Bughouse World Championship Grand Final is officially scheduled for April 23rd at 07:00 CEST – a time that's midnight for the American players and early morning in Sweden. And the matchup? Absolutely legendary.

It’s ChickenCrossRoad (Daniel Yeager) vs 12teen, two of the most dominant bughouse players in history – this time on opposing teams!

If you’re new to bughouse history, here’s the short version: Daniel Yeager, aka ChickenCrossRoad, reigned as the world's best bughouse player from 2008 to 2014, until he was dethroned by Janak Awatramani (12teen), who, at just 15 years old, became the highest-rated bughouse player ever. The two were so dominant back then, they couldn’t play together – they'd adopt anyone. Literally. But for the inaugural 2020 Chess.com Bughouse World Championship, they teamed up and almost didn't lose a single game.

Even we – MidnightFox and PKNM – got adopted 10-0 in the quarterfinals. And in the final, Raven and Blitzbullet didn’t even dare to show up. They knew what was coming.

But everything changed in 2021 when two 2700+ classical chess Grandmasters, Awonder Liang and Jeffrey Xiong, entered the bughouse scene and took things to a whole new level. They became the undisputed kings – even stronger than ChickenCrossRoad and 12teen. However, since Liang and Xiong aren't participating this year, we’re back to the classic rivalry: ChickenCrossRoad vs 12teen – but this time, they're facing off.

Let’s talk teams:

• ChickenCrossRoad is teaming up with Zyxon (Mårten Aronsson) – the oldest player in the tournament at 49 years old, a true bughouse veteran.

• 12teen is paired with Plotkin (Mark Plotkin) – the highest-rated chess player in the entire match, known for his tactical prowess and speed.

While ChickenCrossRoad is still considered the better bughouse player overall, he’s been struggling a bit with motivation lately, sometimes playing irregular openings or not fully focusing. On the other hand, 12teen is sharp as ever – lightning fast, extremely tactical, and boasting a top-tier blitz rating on chess.com.

🟣 Watch the match live on Chuck Moulton’s Twitch channel:
👉 https://www.twitch.tv/chuckmoulton

Challengers Section Final: Not yet scheduled

Don’t miss the action in the Challengers Section, where GMArjay + yeahboiyyy will face off against 918evo + Dreyfuss2 in the final!

This comes after a nail-biting match where Chefshouse (yes, Ding Liren!) + YoushallRose were narrowly defeated by 918evo + Dreyfuss2. It was a tight contest and an amazing watch.

📺 Replay Ding Liren's match here:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Drg64y8XbQ&t=5s&ab_channel=LinusChessChannel

And yes – Ding Liren will be back for the third-place match, scheduled for April 27th at 10:00 CEST / 16:00 Chinese time.

Whether you're a bughouse fanatic or a curious newcomer, this is the match you don’t want to miss. Legends will clash. New history will be written. Be there.

🕖 April 23, 07:00 CEST
🎥 Watch Live on Twitch

See you in the chat!