Let’s Play Bughouse!
Let’s Play Bughouse!
Dear Silverdale Chess Club Members, Families, and Friends,
If you’ve ever played “Bughouse Chess” — also known as “Double Speed Chess”— you’ve no doubt discovered that there is no more fun, frivolous and fascinating form of purely recreational chess on the planet.
If you haven't yet tried it, you can pick it up in five minutes, and see what you’ve been missing.
Teams of two players each, each player seated across from their adversary on one of two chessboards. On each turn, one teammate playing white, the other black, can either a.) move a piece, or b.) drop a piece on the board that is handed to them by their teammate. An arsenal of pieces can quickly pile up as the game progresses.
How’s that? As you capture a piece on the chessboard, you pass that piece to your teammate who can place the piece on the chessboard instead of moving a piece. And your teammate does the same for you — handing you a queen, rook, bishop, knight or pawn!
If this sounds wild and crazy, well, it is, but it is also a great training exercise because it teaches you to look at the whole board and use the power of your pieces in places they could not reach in one move.
Here’s a visual guide: https://youtu.be/KcYUIwpbQjY
We’ll have a warm-up session for all who are interested followed by regular casual play or let the mayhem continue.
Recapping: Bughouse is a fast-paced, four-player chess variant played in teams of two on two separate boards, where captured pieces are passed to a partner to be "dropped" onto their board instead of making a move.
The goal is to checkmate the opponent on either board, with the team winning immediately when one partner scores a checkmate or their opponent runs out of time.
Key Rules and Gameplay
Teams: Two teams of two players, with one partner playing White and the other Black on adjacent boards.
Dropping Pieces: When a player captures a piece, it is passed to their partner, who can "drop" it onto any empty square on their board as their move.
Restrictions: Pawns cannot be dropped on the 1st or 8th ranks.
Winning: The game ends if one player is checkmated or runs out of time, meaning both boards must finish together.
Communication: Partners are allowed to talk to each other to strategize or request pieces.
Speed: Played with chess clocks, typically with a fast time control like 5 minutes per player.
Illegal Moves: Generally, illegal moves result in a loss if caught.
Strategy: Key strategies include coordinating with your partner, managing the clock, and knowing when to "save" or trade pieces for your teammate.
See you Saturday!
Rapid Quad Rumble Winners Rejoice:
T-Shirts on the Way
Last week’s Rapid Quad Rumble saw two, out-of-town winners move to the four-front (from as far away as Gig Harbor) along with one local rising star (from as far away as Bremerton).
Alex Byelashov, the world's greatest “Chess Dad” (father of Darya and Sofia), and Mani Atikankhochasee, an International Arbiter from Thailand who has relocated to our area, took top honors along with Liam Glaser, a fast-rising local star. Congratulations to all who rumbled!
The Rapid Quad Rumble long-sleeve T-shirts for the winners are due in between Feb 1 and 6.
Check out our YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/@silverdalechess
https://www.youtube.com/@silverdalechess
The Silverdale Chess Club meets on Saturdays from 2:30-4:30 at Moment Brewing, 10876 Myhre Pl NW Suite 112, Silverdale, WA 98383
