Congratulations to Matteo & Henry, Bughouse Chess Champs! Something bugs me!

During the first weekend of April, 350 K-12 chess players and their families invaded Seaside Oregon. They were there to play in the Oregon Chess Championships and winners would go on to play in national championships at the end of the year.

Some of the players, however, got together on the Friday before the official games started to do something that makes me sigh. No, they did not take a walk on the beach, or buy a t-shirt with a funny saying, or even use Seaside’s famous bumper cars to run into each other. No. It was something much worse. They were gathering to play a Bughouse chess tournament!

What is Bughouse Chess? Bughouse is a dreadful game where teams of two players play on two boards. One has white and one has black. When they capture a piece, they give it to their teammate who on his move will place it on his board. Anywhere he wants. So, one player could possibly have four white squared bishops or 16 pawns, even on their back rank!

The object of the game is to checkmate their opponent’s king. When asked why they like bughouse, the kids tell me it’s fun. FUN?! If they want fun, take up ballroom dancing or hopscotch, but leave our holy game of chess alone!

Most coaches, including me, don’t like our students wasting time playing bughouse because it doesn’t help them in their normal games of chess. They can’t get the same positions, so I just consider it a waste of time. I don’t let my students play it when I have group lessons because it just seems to lead to “rowdy rough housing.” However, when I’m not looking they still play this terrible version of chess (sigh).

This is why it kills me to have to report that two of my students, Henry Mai, grade 8, and Matteo Schaal, grade 4, won the bughouse tournament. It wasn’t bad enough that they won, it was bad because they won it the second year in a row!!

When asked about their win, they said it was for Coach Larry. Thanks, I guess. You guys really know how to hurt a coach!

Larry Ball (Coach Larry) teaches students of all ages at the Steinitz Chess Academy in Beaverton. Questions? Email Larry at larryball48@yahoo.com.