2011 WRHS Bughouse Championship

Well it is about time I get back to posting and informing those interested folks in the happenings at the WRHS Chess Club.  There is too much news for only one post so I will start with the most recent and work
backwards.  Here is the itinerary for posts:  2011 WRHS Bughouse Championship, Powerhouse Chess, Concessions and Donations, Family Tournament, Christmas Blitzkrieg.

2011 WRHS Bughouse Champions - Desmond Porth and Harrison Mymatt.

The yearly Bughouse Tournament was held tonight and the 2011-12 WRHS Bughouse Champions are Desmond Porth and Harrison Mymatt.  Harrison is a student from the Los Angeles area, but is here in Sun Valley for the holidays.  Desmond and Harrison began teaming up at our last tournament, Family Chess, held over the winter break on December 29.  They were the only team to obtain a positive result against the house team, John Nahlen and Colten Weatherly.  Colten and John won the tournament with 4.5 out of 5 points but were ineligible for the WRHS Bughouse title due to age limitations.  In all, seven teams were competing and it was more of a learning experience for most teams as this was the first time many of them have competed in such an event.

Bughouse is a type of chess variant where a team of two players plays against another team.  One teammate plays white and the other plays black.  When one teammate takes a piece, they hand it to their partner who may place it on the board they are playing on during their turn, or they can move a piece on the board.  The games are timed and touch rule does not apply.  Typically, the time controls are quick.  In our tournament, time controls were G/5.  Players win by checkmate, time running out, or by taking the king.  That's right, the king may be taken if it is left in check!  Another tricky way to win is if there is an illegal move - illegal moves, if caught, are an immediate win.

TDing an event like this can be challenging.  In one matchup, one team took the king, while simultaneously on the other board, the opponents checkmated the king!  Who won?  Both clocks were struck simultaneously!  I certainly did not know how to deal with the problem so we decided that the game would be replayed with a consensus.

Our next tournament will be in West Jordan on January 29.  Contact me for more details.

A picture that Darwin took.