Bughouse chess

Bughouse chess
A game of bughouse chess in progress
Players4
Setup timeAbout 1 min.
Playing timeUsually 5–10 mins.
ChanceNone
SkillsStrategy, tactics, blitz chess
SynonymsExchange chess
Siamese chess
Tandem chess
Tandem Put-Back
Transfer chess
Double chess
Double blitz, Double speed
Double bughouse, bughouse
Double bug, bug
Double Drop-In
New England Double Bughouse
Cross chess
Simultaneous chess
Team chess
Pass-On chess
Pass the Pieces

Bughouse chess (also known as exchange chess, Siamese chess (but not to be confused with Thai chess), tandem chess, transfer chess, double bughouse, doubles chess, cross chess, swap chess or simply bughouse, bugsy, or bug) is a popular chess variant played on two chessboards by four players in teams of two.[1] Normal chess rules apply, except that captured pieces on one board are passed on to the teammate on the other board, who then has the option of putting these pieces on their board.

The game is usually played at a fast time control. Together with the passing and dropping of pieces, this can make the game look chaotic to the casual onlooker, hence the name bughouse, which is slang for mental hospital.[2] Yearly, several dedicated bughouse tournaments are organized on a national and an international level.

  1. ^ Other less common names for bughouse include Team chess, Hungarian chess, Swedish chess, New England Double bughouse, Pass-On chess, Tandem Put-Back, Double Speed, Double chess, Double Five, Simultaneous chess, Double bug or Double bughouse (von Zimmerman (2006), front; Manson and Hoover (1992), p. 186 and "Bughouse and Tandem Chess" The Chess Variant Pages). See Bughouse in other languages Archived September 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Accessed July 29, 2007.
  2. ^ Bughouse. Merriam Webster website. Accessed December 2, 2020.