Can You Become The 1st Ever Chess.com Bughouse Champion?
Are you ready for piece placement pandemonium? Chess.com is excited to announce the next event of the Chess.com Community Championships, the 2024 Chess.com Bughouse Championship! Starting on August 19, anyone can battle for a piece of this month's increased $7,500 prize fund.
Bughouse is among the most popular chess variants in the world. From kids to super-GMs, everyone loves its fast-paced craziness. In fact, it's not uncommon to see players squeeze in a few games of the variant between rounds in over-the-board tournaments.
Now, it's your chance to become the Chess.com Bughouse Champion! Join any of the eight Qualifiers to try to make it to the main event—and to get some exciting games against titled players! Please note that only teams can qualify for the Final (learn more here). Click the button below to see the full qualifier schedule.
Each Qualifier is a two-hour arena in the 3+0 time control. You can team up with a friend, or we'll match you up with different players throughout the arena! Qualifiers run from August 19 through August 22, and the winners of each arena advance to the Final.
As always, we may require participants to join a video call for fair play checks to ensure everyone has a safe and clean playing environment. Players who join the fair play call will need to set up two cameras from different angles in the room. Failing to comply will result in a player's removal from the event.
The eight winning teams from the Qualifiers will then compete in a double-elimination Knockout bracket, but now with a twist! Matches will feature a countdown clock format, and teams will need a two-point advantage to win the match. So get ready for some sacrificial attacks and quick piece placement checkmates!
This is the fourth event of the Chess.com Community Championships series. Earlier this August, GM Luca Moroni Jr. defeated IM Nhat Ming To to become the Chess.com Spell Chess Champion.
Now, the question remains: who will be the first Chess.com Bughouse Champion?
What other variants would you like to see in the Chess.com Community Championships? Let us know in the comment section below!
Please note that the Qualifiers are open to all players, but only players who team up with the same partner throughout the entire arena can qualify for the Final. Individuals with no fixed playing partners can join the bughouse arenas and will be randomly assigned fresh partners throughout the event but won't be eligible to qualify for the Final. To partner with a single teammate and be eligible for qualification, please follow the instructions in this article after joining the arena.
