Houston, the Details have Landed!
WHAT: The second Speed Blitz Bughouse Chess Funday!
WHEN: January 18, 2003
- - - Blitz -- Check-in starts at 8:30, First Round 9:00, Awards 12:00ish
- - - Bughouse -- Check-in starts 12:30, First Round 1:00, Awards 3:30ish
- - - Costume Contest -- All day if you like - judging is during Bughouse tourney.
WHO: Students K-12. Playing sections to be determined by entries. Minimum of 1 section, maximum of 5 sections. Most likely 3 sections: K-5, 6-8, 9-12. Awards determined accordingly.
FORMAT: Probably a five round Swiss (no elimination), possibly 7 rounds. G/5 (maximum of 10 minutes per game). You'll play two games with each opponent you're paired with, one with White and one with Black. Pairings set by computer. USCF rules will apply for Speed Chess. Bughouse rules, based on those used at USCF SuperNationals, will be posted on site. (Yes, you can place mate!)
AWARDS: Oh yeah, there'll be prizes in both tournaments. Plus, in the Bughouse tourney there will be recognition, maybe even prizes, for BEST TEAM COSTUME and BEST TEAM NAME. (Lone Ranger & Tonto? Lords of the Rings? Hogwarts Graduates?) Wear a fun hat at least!
RATINGS: These events are for fun, not ratings! You won't gain or lose rating points at this event. WSRS ratings will be used for purposes of setting pairings only.
SCHEDULE: Depends on entries and number of playing sections. See "When" above.
WHERE: Kulshan Middle School, 1250 Kenoyer Dr., Bellingham. Directions: Take Bellingham's Lakeway Drive exit. Proceed east for approx. 1.5 miles and turn right on Kenoyer. You're close. Drive slow and look left.
ENTRY FEES: If received by January 15: Speed Chess $8, Bughouse Chess $8 per player. At the door January 19: Speed Chess $15, Bughouse Chess $15 per player.
NEED A BUGHOUSE PARTNER? We will have a random drawing for bughouse partners for those players who arrive without one.
TO ENTER: Pre-register by mailing your entries to: Kulshan Chess Club, c/o Kulshan Middle School, 1250 Kenoyer Dr., Bellingham WA 98226. Checks payable to Kulshan PTSA. Pre-registrants must still check-in the morning of the tourney. Use the following form (or include the info below):
Name: _____________________________ WSRS ID/Rating (if known) ____________________
School: ____________________________ Grade: ____________
Address: ____________________________________________________________________________
City/State: _____________________________ Zip: ________________
Phone: ________________________ Email: _____________________________________________
Please circle which tournament this entry is for: Speed Bughouse Both
$8 $8 $16
My Bughouse partner is: ______________________________________
Our team name is __________________________________________
___Please find me a Bughouse Partner
Okay, so what's Speed Chess?
Speed Chess is mostly like regular chess,
except that you can't take three and a half years to pick
your next move. In fact, you will only have five minutes
to chose all of your moves combined. The idea is that you and
your opponent use a chess clock. Your clock ticks
down while it is your turn to move, and so for your opponent when it's her turn.
Once you have moved, your clock will stop ticking down, and
your opponent's clock will begin to tick down again. You win
by either checkmating, or by calling "Flag!" if your opponent's
clock runs out before yours.
Also, there's some subtle differences in the play rules. For example,
in speed chess, you don't have to announce 'check', and
so you can capture your opponent's King if s/he didn't notice
the King was in check.
Bughouse is Da Bomb!
So what's Bughouse Chess? It's a real kick, that's what! Some call it Siamese Chess. It's team chess, for starters. You think of a name for your two-person team, say, Abbott and Costello, or whatever. You and your partner sit down next to each other. You've got White on one board, and your partner has Black on another board (or vice versa). Across from you strolls in The Lone Ranger and Tonto, and they sit down across from the two of you. Two clocks are usually used, and it's as fast as Speed Chess, with each player getting five minutes or so.
Someone says "Go!", you shake hands, and the fun begins. If you capture a piece, you hand it quickly to your partner next to you, and your partner now has the choice, on her move to EITHER make a normal move OR place that piece anywhere on the board! (Dropping Da Bomb!) Add a clock to this brew and it leads to total fun loud chaos and chess positions like you've never seen before! You'll hear players yelling things to their partners, like "Give me a Knight and it's checkmate!!"
Other things you might hear:
