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There are people on chess.com who simul (play both boards of a bughouse partnership). It's not clear whether simuling itself is allowed under chess.com's rules. Let's assume for the rest of this post that simuling is allowed. I want to discuss simul ratings, which is an interesting sub-issue. Simuling would seem to open the door to rating manipulation. It is much easier to fix games by losing than by winning. In order to win you must play very well... only a tiny edge can be gained by partnering people with complementary bughouse styles or exclusively playing with underrated partners or overrated opponents in the random pool. Having an engine feed moves is more difficult in bughouse than chess because computers are not significantly better than humans at bughouse. On the other hand, in order to fix games by losing, all you need to do is hang a few pieces or walk into checkmate or feed a piece that mates your partner or simply hit the resign button. If you have access to two accounts, losing on one account can give you an advantage on the other account. In theory you could throw games to yourself or to an intermediary who in turn loses to your other account. Bughouse has an interesting wrinkle because when your partner is rated very low, that allows you to gain more points each match. Therefore, if you can make one account very low by losing intentionally, you can then partner that low account and make your other account very high. To get an average team rating you add the ratings of both partners together and divide by 2. So a 1000 + a 3000 has the same average team rating as a 2000 + a 2000. This means if a person is simuling and his actual simul strength is about 2000, he can get one account's rating up to 3000 by getting the other account down to 1000 before partnering. This is a problem. A rating is supposed to be a measure of your strength at a particular chess variant. There will be fluctuations up and down, but in theory if you are overrated (your rating exceeds your strength) then playing random opponents will lead to losses which push your rating down toward your actual strength. Similarly, in theory if you are underrated (your rating is less than your strength) then playing random opponents will lead to wins which push your rating up toward your actual strength. This makes ratings tend to be reasonably accurate if there is no cheating involved. Accurate ratings are good for a number of reasons: 1) They help you see your own strength and notice whether you improve over time. 2) They help your opponents forecast how the match will go and know what they are getting into. They may play different openings or strategies vs. a very strong player than a very weak player. (For example, not worry about leaving open tactics that a weak player is unlikely to see.) 3) They help potential partners forecast how much help their partner will need and whether he is likely to listen, likely to win on his board, etc. 4) They help the community at large figure out who is better than others; and therefore who might be a good person to ask for advice -- or even seek paid lessons. When a rating is wildly inaccurate, all of those things can go very wrong. Simul ratings are an unusual animal though. If you are playing both accounts, your simul playing strength should be the same for both accounts. But if one or both of the accounts also plays with a partner sometimes, then there may be a discontinuity because simul strength may be different than strength with a partner. For example, suppose I am 2200 strength with a partner but am 2000 strength when I simul. What should the ratings of my accounts be if I have 2 accounts? In my opinion there are two ways of arriving at reasonable ratings: 1) You have 2 accounts and they do nothing but simul. In that case, you would expect both their ratings to be the same, matching their simul strength. In my example above, both accounts would be rated around 2000. 2) You have 2 accounts. One of them does nothing but simul. The other one both simuls and plays with partners. In that case, you would expect over the long term that the account that sometimes plays with partners would tend to that strength and the other account would tend to 2x (simul strength) - (strength with partner). In my example above, one account would be rated around 2200 and the other would be rated around 1800, which averages out to 2000. Neither simuling nor playing with a partner would fluctuate the ratings that much because both are at equilibrium. Even though #2 is at equilibrium, it still would make the simul ratings a little confusing for opponents and observers... the 1800 account would seem to be playing above its strength and the 2200 account would seem to be playing below its strength. But an unscrupulous person could act differently. If I were to sandbag one account down to 500 by losing intentionally, then I could partner myself and get the other account to around 3500 just by playing at my usual skill level. This would leave a very confusing situation... the 500 player would appear to be playing much, much better than its rating and the 3500 player would appear to be playing much, much worse than its rating. Unfortunately several people were doing just that. They were friends of mine; however, eventually I got so sick of it that I reported them. Several accounts were banned and several ratings were reset. In my opinion the ratings were reset way too low, which really punishes their future opponents rather than the offenders. What I find really weird though is some (but not all) of the people punished for that behavior don't think they did anything wrong at all. They believe if the average of the 2 account ratings is about their simul strength, then the ratings are accurate -- regardless of whether one account is ridiculously low and the other account is ridiculously high. When I suggested playing with accounts with a similar rating, they said that was no fun and it is only fun to inflate an account to a ridiculous rating. They said they like the attention of people who think they are bughouse gods and ask them for advice. Basically they think manipulating ratings to make one account look like the best bughouse player in the world is okay because they will attract a lot of attention and use that attention to teach more people bughouse (the ends justify the means). In my opinion, this is nuts. Rating manipulation specifically designed to inflate a rating well above skill level is cheating and tricks the community. It generally hurts the ability of the rest of the players to find fair games and know their opponents' strength. I'm fairly confident over the years I have played more simul games than anyone else in the world. However, I have played most of them unrated on FICS and I have never simuled on chess.com. Therefore, this is an issue near and dear to my heart. I've also probably lost a few friends this week by reporting them for rating manipulation cheating. I was hoping they would be mature about it, but they are mostly teenagers who don't seem to understand basic morality and etiquette. I am interested in hearing other people's opinions about simul ratings. Is it inherently wrong to manipulate a rating to something wildly divergent from your skill level? Should simuling be allowed at all on chess.com? If simuling is allowed, how should simul ratings be handled?

Many people actually don't know this, but there is a actually a way you can communicate with you partner with one/two clicks. If you look right to your chat, you will see three dots: If you click on it, you will find various symbols you can use to ask for pieces. There is an icon for literally every piece, so instead of typing out queen 5 times, you can just click on its icon.

Why can't we have more Bughouse tournaments? When I go to the tournaments page on chess.com I see several chess variants available, but not the Bughouse. It is very difficult to find matches of this chess variant, because of this I think that making it possible to hold more tournaments of it would be very interesting. If I got something wrong or I don't know something, someone answer me pleas. Thank you.

Repetition of moves could have the purpose of just gaining time so that the partner can stall for longer. Insufficient material shouldn't count as a draw. There should be NO draws.

Chess.com Bughouse World Championship: Your Guide to the Ultimate Bughouse Event! The highly anticipated Chess.com Bughouse World Championship is just around the corner, kicking off on January 18th! This annual competition brings together the best bughouse players from all over the globe to battle it out in one of chess's most thrilling and dynamic formats. Are you ready to team up, strategize, and make your mark on bughouse history? Here’s everything you need to know to join and succeed in this year’s championship. How to Join the Championship Participation in the Bughouse World Championship is open to all players, with pathways tailored for everyone from seasoned competitors to developing players. Follow these steps to get started: 1. Join the Official Clubs To participate, you’ll need to join one of the following official clubs on Chess.com: Bughouse World Championship Open: Open to all players, including top-level competitors. Bughouse World Championship Challengers: Perfect for developing players who have not yet reached master level. These clubs provide essential information, updates, and resources for players. 2. Play in the Qualification Arenas The journey to the championship begins with qualification arenas, held from January 18th to January 27th. Teams will compete for spots in the playoffs. For detailed schedules, formats, and additional information, visit the official tournament page. 3. Find Your Partner Bughouse is a team-based variant, so choosing the right partner is crucial. Look for someone who complements your playing style and with whom you can communicate effectively. A strong partnership can make all the difference in high-pressure matches! A Look Back at the Past Champions The Bughouse World Championship has a rich tradition of showcasing extraordinary talent, teamwork, and creativity. Let’s celebrate the winners who have left their mark on bughouse history: 2023: Lars Hauge & Guillermo Vazquez 2022: Awonder Liang & Jeffrey Xiong 2021: Awonder Liang & Jeffrey Xiong 2020: Daniel Yeager & Janak Awatramani Awonder Liang & Jeffrey Xiong earned a special place in bughouse history with back-to-back victories in 2021 and 2022, demonstrating unmatched synergy and skill. Why You Should Join Bughouse chess is a fast-paced, action-packed variant that challenges your creativity, teamwork, and adaptability. Here are a few reasons to participate: Test Your Skills: Compete against some of the best bughouse players in the world. Fun and Community: Enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded players in a vibrant, global community. Learn and Improve: Whether you're a seasoned bughouse enthusiast or a newcomer, the championship is a fantastic way to hone your skills. Prepare Like a Pro Ready to up your game? Here are some resources to help you sharpen your bughouse skills before the tournament: Bughouse.ca: Solve high-quality bughouse puzzles for free and elevate your tactical awareness. Strategy Guides from Top Bughouse Players: Jarl Carlander Sorsi Minigreat These guides and resources provide invaluable insights into strategy and teamwork, giving you the edge you need to succeed. Mark Your Calendars The excitement begins on January 18th! Don’t miss this chance to compete, improve, and have fun. Start practicing with your partner and prepare to etch your names into the Bughouse World Championship history books. Let the games begin, and good luck to all participants!

Look at the title 

Read this article to get better at this highly tactical chess variant! Learn about basic situations where the smothered mate can be used and ways to defend against it. Stay tuned for more courses about different topics to get better at bughouse! Suggestions are also welcomed! And if you don't know already, you can also do puzzles on https://bughouse.ca!

The best fighter 

Is that cheating?

Someone is impersonating me, simulling in bughouse.  https://www.chess.com/member/jaricarlander https://www.chess.com/member/jarlcariander I don't know who it is, or why they are doing that.

Could just enter a +- number or slidebar. Or at least add either a +-600 or 800 Not enough players to use +-400 and infinite is not fun so everyone is constantly dodging.

 I dont know what I have

Anyone interested in partnering with me for the second qualifier?

As I see, there is not any special Bughouse Champion Club to players that want to participant and are looking for partner, and it is hard to find partner on your own so if somevody is interested and is looking for a partner, write in a comment (Don't forget to write your rating or power of play and for how strong partner you are looking). Btw I look for a partner 1900-2000 (1800 is ok if droped but have this power of play). I am only ~1800 but I was 1900-2000 for a long time (you can check on my profile in stats). I just had a break and droped to 1750-1800. But now I practice and study openings again so I belive I will back to my lvl.

https://www.chess.com/news/view/announcing-chesscom-bughouse-championship-2024 $7,500 prize pool August 19-23, 2024 8 arena qualifiers, 2 per day Monday - Thursday winners seeded into double elimination tournament on Friday

I know bughouse openings have probably been a frequent topic, but I was wondering if there were any surprise openings that I could use, specifically as black. I've played the e4 d5 e5 Nf6 systems, and a little bit of the firefly (a6 b5). Are there any other "solid" openings to play? Thx

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hi

Self-partnering bughouse: why not to introduce "Self-Partnering" for "Doubles (Bughouse)" too?Please read my proposal for self-partnering bughouse, in the forum thread www.chess.com/clubs/forum/view/adding-new-variants (2024-05-22). The exact URL ishttps://www.chess.com/clubs/forum/view/adding-new-variants?page=15&newCommentCount=1#comment-102858835 (I know crazyhouse and like it, but it's a very different game -- with only one board and one clock.) Emanuelehttps://sites.google.com/site/emanuelesaiu/chess -- POSTSCRIPTUM Btw, I have found out that Self-Partnering Bughouse CAN be played, on another platform! Interested people write to me for details (it's not on chess dot com). Emanuele

pls