Bughouse Sessions will be held on Fridays from 11:30 AM to 12:30 PM in the upstairs breakroom during the Off-Season
The League will obtain a chessboards, chessmen, and clocks for play.
Willing participants will form teams of two persons to play. It is recommended that these are formed based on arrival to the table.
The first two teams (four players) to arrive with a desire to play will start the playing.
Additional participants may form into teams and will be permitted to play in the order they were available as a team.
The losing team for each game will leave the table and permit the next team to play.
If additinal teams are waiting, a winning team must relinquish the table after 2 consecutive wins.
If only one indivual is waiting, and unable to form a team becuase no other parties are available, the person checkmated must relinquish his position at the table.
Spectators are allowed to be present, and may form teams at any times.
Standard Bughouse Chess Rules (listed below) shall be used.
Standard Bughouse Rules
Generalities
1. Bughouse is played between two two-player teams on two
boards. Both teams have White on one board and Black on the
other, both games start simultaneously.
2. The time control is of 5 minutes for each player for the
whole game.
3. For each game, FIDE rules for 5-minutes blitz (rules of
chess + appendix B and C) apply, if not mentioned otherwise in
the following articles.
4. The first game to end decides of the match result; the
remaining game is then stopped.
5. Both boards are placed near to each other and the clocks on
the side, so that each player can see the time on both clocks.
Changes to the normal
chess rules
6. Every piece taken can be given to the partner, who will
place it in front of or near his board. These pieces are
considered to be part of the partner's stock (they are of his
piece colour).
7. Instead of a normal chess move, a player can drop a piece
taken from his stock on any empty square (on his board), but with
two restrictions:
- he must not stay in check (of course)
- a pawn cannot be dropped on the first or last rank.
If the drop leads to a checkmate, the player wins the game.
8. The pieces on a player's colour which are not on his board
are considered to be potentially in the player's stock. Hence,
unless all necessary pieces are on his board (very unlikely):
- The player is not considered to be checkmated if he could
parry the check with a piece potentially in his stock. Thus, a
checkmate must almost always be given either with a "contact
check", either with a knight check, either with a multiple
check.
- The player is not considered to be stalemated.
Moreover, the rule FIDE - 9.6 (allowing to claim a draw if
checkmate is impossible to achieve against the poorest play) is
cancelled.
9. A pawn moving to the last rank is promoted, but physically
stays as a pawn; the player must orally point into which piece he
wishes to promote - usually "queen" or
"knight". If the pawn figuring the promoted piece is
taken, it returns to a simple pawn in the partner's stock.
Progress of the match
10. Each players plays his own game: he is not in any way
allowed to physically act on the other board or clock, for
instance by pointing out a square or a piece with his finger.
11. On the other hand, all others forms of communication are
allowed inside a team. A player can for instance tell a move to
his partner.
12. As soon as one game is ended, each player of the game can
stop playing and neutralize the clock. This puts an end to the
match, even if after that his opponent finds a mate in one move.
On the other hand, if both players neglect to neutralize the
match, their game can go on. If a referee is present, he will by
himself neutralize the match as soon as one game is ended.
13. If only one game has ended, it decides of the match
result. On the other hand, if both games have ended, the
following applies:
- If both games are won by the same team, they win the match.
- Otherwise the match is a draw.
14. Two games are considered to end simultaneously in the
following case: a player takes a piece which allows his partner
to mate immediately, but get himself mated immediately too. As
ruled by the previous article, the match is a draw in this case.
15. A draw offer, like its agreement, must be done by both
players of the team, and decides of the whole match.
Cases of contention
16. All players must have all pieces of their stocks well
visible in front of their boards or just near it. More precisely:
- If (by purpose or not) a player is hiding some of his
stock's pieces, his opponent can press the clock and ask to see
them.
- If a piece has been stocked for some time elsewhere than in
front or near the board where it could be dropped, it will then
be completely removed from play. This is for instance the case
when one player omits to pass a captured piece to his partner.
17. FIDE rules 4.3 and 4.4 (touch-move) do apply to a piece in
the player's stock only after the latter deliberately made
contact between the piece and a empty square (to drop it there).
Of course, once the piece dropped the move can not be taken back
any more.
18. Like in FIDE rules, a move (except from a mating move) is
considered to be finished only once the clock has been pressed;
it follows that:
- An illegal move leads to the loss of the game, but only if
the clock has been pressed. Otherwise it can be taken back, but
must be played with the same piece if that is possible.
- A piece taken can not be used by the partner before the clock
is pressed.
19. A player can claim a draw after 4 repetitions of the
positions counted in a loud voice, but only given that no piece
has been dropped inbetween. On the other hand, he can claim the
draw even if his opponent's stock has increased.
20. In case of contention, a team can neutralize the match and
call for the referee. But the players of the team must stop both
clocks simultaneously.
Bughouse Rules
