Bughouse World Championships 2022: All The Information
Announcing the 2022 Bughouse World Championship! This year’s tournament will consist of Arena Qualifiers, followed by a Group Stage, and ending with a Single Elimination Bracket to determine the world champions. The event runs from October 1 through November 27 and will have a $5,000 prize fund.
Broadcast
Matches of the 2022 Bughouse World Championship will be broadcast on co-organizer Chuck Moulton's channel as well as other Twitch streams. Stay up to date on the tournament by joining the official Bughouse World Championship Club and Discord.
Schedule
| Date | Open Section | Challengers Section |
| 9/10 | Registration opens | |
| 10/1 - 10/2 | Qualifiers #1 and #2 | Qualifiers #1 - #4 |
| 10/4 | Registration closes | |
| 10/8 - 10/9 | Qualifiers #3 and #4 | Qualifiers #5 - #8 |
| 10/10 - 10/16 | Group Stage week 1 | Group Stage week 1 |
| 10/17 - 10/23 | Group Stage week 2 | Group Stage week 2 |
| 10/24 - 10/30 | Group Stage week 3 | Group Stage week 3 |
| 10/31 - 11/6 | Rest week | Top 16 |
| 11/7 - 11/13 | Top 8 | Top 8 |
| 11/14 - 11/20 | Final Four | Final Four |
| 11/21 - 11/27 | Championship Match | Championship Match |
Prizes
The event features a $5,000 prize fund, which will be divided as follows:
Open Section
- 1st: $1,800
- 2nd: $900
- 3rd: $600
- 4th: $300
- 5-8th: $50
Challengers Section
- 1st: $600
- 2nd: $300
- 3rd: $200
- 4th: $100
- 5-8th: 3-month Diamond membership
Bonus Prizes
- U2400: 3-month Diamond membership
- U2200: 3-month Diamond membership
- U1800: 3-month Diamond membership
- U1600: 3-month Diamond membership
- Best mixed doubles team: 3-month Diamond membership
- Best U18 years-old team: 3-month Diamond membership
Format
Teams will compete in Arena Qualifiers for a chance to compete in the Group Stage. The best two teams from each group will then advance to a single elimination bracket to determine the 2022 Bughouse Champions.
Open Section
- Four Arena Qualifiers
- Top 4 teams in each qualifier advance to 16 team Group Stage (4 Groups)
- Top 2 teams from each group advance to 8 team Single Elimination Playoffs
- Games will be in the 2+0 time control
Challengers Section
- Players with a Calculated Rating (the average between a player's rating on a specific date, a week earlier, a week later, and their peak rating) under 2115 may compete in this section
- Average Team Calculated Rating must be under 2015
- Eight Arena Qualifiers
- Top 4 teams in each qualifier advance to 32 team Group Stage (8 Groups)
- Top 2 teams from each group advance to 16 team Single Elimination Playoffs
- Games will be in the 3+0 time control
Qualifiers
There will be several qualifiers spread out over the span of two weeks. The formats for the two sections differ, so read carefully!
- Open section: There will be four 90-minute bughouse arena qualifiers held during the dates below. The top 4 finishers in each qualifier advance to the group stage.
- Challengers section: There will be eight 90-minute bughouse arena qualifiers held during the dates below. The top 4 finishers in each qualifier advance to the group stage.
| Date | Event |
| 10/1 Sat 9am PT | Challengers Qualifier #1 |
| 10/1 Sat 5pm PT | Challengers Qualifier #2 Open Qualifier #1 |
| 10/2 Sun 9am PT | Challengers Qualifier #3 Open Qualifier #2 |
| 10/2 Sun 5pm PT | Challengers Qualifier #4 |
| 10/8 Sat 9am PT | Challengers Qualifier #5 Open Qualifier #3 |
| 10/8 Sat 5pm PT | Challengers Qualifier #6 |
| 10/9 Sun 9am PT | Challengers Qualifier #7 |
| 10/9 Sun 5pm PT | Challengers Qualifier #8 Open Qualifier #4 |
Note:
- In case of a tie for a qualification spot, teams will play a first to 3 tiebreaker match (with no win by 2 condition), directly following the arena to determine which team will advance.
- In case of a tie between more than two teams, the two teams with the highest arena tiebreaks will compete in the tiebreaker match.
- Players may not compete in additional BWC qualifiers after their team has already qualified.
- After qualifying for the group stage, players will not be permitted to change partners for any reason during the remainder of the tournament.
About Bughouse
Bughouse is a four-player chess variant where two teams compete against each other. Teams are formed by a white and a black player, who play on separate boards against the other team's white and black players. If a player captures an opponent's piece, their teammate can use the captured piece on their own army.
To learn more about Bughouse, read this article about the variant. You can also play it by visiting our Variants page and selecting bughouse inside the "most popular" tab.
How To Play
The event is open to all who wish to participate. If you're interested in playing in the event, please fill out the official sign-up form below. Registrations will be closed on October 7.
