From 79b59f9b30fb6a1fdf8c3efb446271f7cb00d434 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Markus Uhlin Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2023 21:31:49 +0100 Subject: FICS 1.6.2 --- data/help/bughouse_strat | 214 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 214 insertions(+) create mode 100644 data/help/bughouse_strat (limited to 'data/help/bughouse_strat') diff --git a/data/help/bughouse_strat b/data/help/bughouse_strat new file mode 100644 index 0000000..7d2ce24 --- /dev/null +++ b/data/help/bughouse_strat @@ -0,0 +1,214 @@ + +BUGHOUSE STRATEGY + + Bughouse games are extremely dynamic. The position never simplifies since +captured pieces are constantly being recycled. Draws are unheard of. Many of +the strategies used in the japanese form of chess, shogi, apply: + + 1. King safety is paramount, so don't leave weak squares next to your king. +This applies in particular to KB2. Diagonal weaknesses are prey to dropped +pieces. + + 2. Contact checks and knight checks are best, so your opponent cannot drop a +piece to interpose. This makes the knight a very powerful piece, often worth +more than a rook. + + 3. Drop pawns near the back rank, so they can promote quickly. Pawns are +quite useful for dropping in, to attack and to defend. It is illegal, +however, to drop pawns directly on the first or last rank. + + 4. Always keep some pieces held in reserve, rather than dropping them in for +no reason. "A knight in the hand is worth two on the board." + + 5. Be on the lookout for sacrifices to create weakness. The game ending +combination often starts with a blitz of sacrifice drops to lure the king out +of hiding, and ends with a mating net. + +Bughouse chess is known by many names and has many of its own "special" terms +and strategies, just as regular chess does. Before attempting to play +bughouse, you should attempt to learn a fair bit of both. Just like real +chess, it is better to learn through study than by experience! + +Terminology +----------- + +Please note that some of this may not be especially common in real life, but +is used quite often here on FICS. + +Inject: Placing pieces into your opponents position on squares that cause him +or her untold discomfort; used as "You got injected!" + +Noodle/Spoon: Traditional FICS bughouse battle cries; one partner shouts +"spooooon!!" and his partner replies "nooooooooodle" + +Themed: Placing two pawns side by side on the seventh rank and promoting them; +used as "I themed you!" + +Rock: Used to express confidence in the defensive resources of your position; +used as "I'm rock here" + +Parachute, DoubleBlitz, Doublespeed, Siamese, Chok, Tjak, Choke chess: all +synonyms for bughouse chess in various parts of the world. + +Annoy: attempting to bother your opponent by projected a painful stream of +babble across his or her screen; as in "I'm being annoyified!" + +The above should at least ensure that you aren't completely confused when you +start bughouse and your opponents start kibitzing at you. Now we move on to +general strategy, followed by opening theory. + +Advanced Strategy +----------------- + + The above tips will get you started. Here are some advanced tips on +bughouse strategy. + +Holes: + + AVOID leaving any holes in your position. In real chess, it may take a while +for your opponent to maneuver a good piece to occupy a hole. In bughouse, any +hole can be occupied immediately. This rule basically makes fianchettoing out +of the question for either side, as fianchettos can be easily occupied with +pawns. For example after 1.e4 g6 2.d4 Nf6 white can place a pawn on h6 +already, followed by another on g7 and then white can start shouting "Inject!" + The main difference regarding holes in bughouse is that you also have to +avoid leaving holes on your SECOND rank. The main effect of this is to +eliminate the Sicilian and Queens Gambit from bughouse, as both openings leave +holes on the c-file. For example, after 1.e4 c5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Nb5 a6 white +can place a pawn on c7 and win blacks queen already! This applies to the f- +file as well. A sample game once went 1.d4 Nf6 2.Bg5 Ne4 3.h4 d5 4.f3?? and +black placed a pawn on f2 with mate! + Reinfeld said it best: in bughouse, never move any pawns except the e and d +pawns. (Well, maybe he didn't say it about bughouse!) + +Initiative: + + This is the key concept of bughouse. A common saying is "As long as he's in +check, I'm winning". Often, new bughouse players are lured by the prospect of +winning material instead of continuing attack. While this may help your +partner in the short run, you and your partner will both be more comfortable +if you are attacking. The best way to attack is through checks that have to +be met with a King move. To accomplish this, checks should either be done +with knights (which cant be blocked) or with "contact" checks (placing a piece +within one square of the king). + Once attacking, communication with your partner becomes crucial. You must +tell him which pieces you need to finish your opponent off, and often, it is a +good idea to warn your partner that you are about to begin sacrificing pieces +to ensure that he is not under attack first. On occasion, your attack leads +to your partner getting mated! + +Teamwork: + + This is one you dont see in real chess. However in bughouse, without +teamwork you will be cooked. Use the FICS command "ptell" to tell your partner +details of your position. Even if you have nothing specific to say, letting +your partner know if you are rock or injected can help him or her make +decisions about what to do. Clock information is also quite good to tell your +partner. This is as a result of another key bughouse technique: the stall. + +The Stall: + + In bughouse, you often need a certain piece to mate with. It is perfectly +acceptable to wait and hope your partner gets it to you. However, stalling +occurs more commonly when you are being mated by force. You realize that if +you move, you are mated in one. Therefore, you simply decide not to move and +let your partner try to win the game. Naturally, for this to work, you must +have more time than your partner's opponent, or he will also refuse to move +and you will flag first. + Another element of stalling is if you know your opponent needs a certain +piece to mate you, and your partner tells you that it will come to your +opponent next move. It is good strategy to tell your partner not to move +until your opponent moves, so that your opponent will be forced to move +without that piece. Again, unless your partner has more time than your +opponent, this will not work, as your partner will flag. + Please note that there is currently a bug in timeseal that affects bughouse: +you cannot flag someone with timeseal until they move, so theoretically, they +can stall forever and not be flagged. "Sealsitting" is unethical and +frustrating. If you have timeseal and are trying to stall, once you are out +of time, the accepted practice is to move or resign. Not doing so will cause +a great deal of ill will. However, it is not currently considered abuse. + +Piece Values: + + Most serious chess players are familiar with the Piece Value Table: Q=9, +R=5, B and N=3, P=1. In bughouse however, the values are completely different. +While there is no general consensus on bughouse values, here is an +approximation. + + Q=10, N=7, R=4, B=2, P=1 + +The knight and queen rule the bughouse chessboard. The queen often can be +placed into a position with mate. The knight is useful as well because it can +check from a distance and not be blocked. Many bughouse mating attacks begin +with a sacrifice on KB7 followed by a knight check. For example, after 1.e4 +e5 2.d4 exd4 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.Bc4 Bc5 5.Bxf7+ Kxf7 6.Ng5+ all white needs is a +queen for f7 and black will get mated. The bishops value is seriously +diminished, as it often performs no better than a pawn, and sometimes not even +as well. The pawns promotion abilities may in some positions be worth +significantly more than a bishop. + +White/Black: + + The general strategy of bughouse is for the partner with white to go for +mate, and the partner with black to try to hold it together. Black attempts +to exchange pieces to reduce his opponents attack, while strengthening his +partner's. White therefore, attempts to keep pieces on the board to ensure +attacking chances. Often in bughouse, space advantages built on pawns can +reach epic proportions for white, so black would rather have fewer pieces to +try and rearrange in the face of oncoming pawns. + +These rules are obviously meant to be general. However, understanding and +utilizing them will help you play much better bughouse chess! + +Opening Theory: + + Yes, sadly bughouse has some opening theory. However, most of it is very +short, as new pieces appearing on the board begin to mess up opening +plans! Mainly, there are two or three defenses black can try, and white +generally attacks in one or two ways in response. + + White -- White generally positions his pieces to attack the kingside, and +especially the square f7. This may involve Bc4, Ng5, Ne5 or any similar +methods. A common development scheme used is e4, d4, Bc4, Be3, Nf3, Nbd2, +Qe2, known by some as the "Mongolian Attack". Please notice that white does +not castle in this line. In fact, castling is generally bad in bughouse. It +restrains your king to one side of the board, thus restricting it's ability to +escape from enemy pieces. This rule also applies to black. White may also +play for massive central pawn advances, attempting black to either open the +position so that white can attack, or force black to lock the pawn chain in +the center so that white can build a long pawn chain into the center and into +blacks position. This would work best against a fianchetto. For example, 1.e4 +g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.e5 and white attempts to place pawns on f6, g7 and inject black +badly. + + Black -- I have seen several defenses for black. I will list them by the +names I have seen them referred to on FICS, although serious bughouse +players may know them by other names in real life. + + Federkevic defense: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 b6 -- Black attempts to keep his pieces out +of the center, where they may be rolled back by white pawns. He also leaves +the dpawn on d7, where it may support e6, preventing sacrifices. The drawback +is that black may get injected along the queenside light squares. + + Barbeau Counter Attack: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 Qh4 -- Black pressures e4 and attempts +to force white to adopt an awkward development to protect the e4 pawn. For +example, after 2.Nc3, 2...Bb4! exchanges a bishop for a knight. The drawback +is that white often munches blacks queen in the opening. + + Fortress Defense: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d6 - Black attempts to simply huddle in the +center behind a wall of pieces and pawns. By far the most common bughouse +opening. The drawback is that black will be cramped, but black is always +cramped in bughouse, so this is probably your best bet! + +Conclusion +---------- + + Bughouse is much more informal than regular chess and all four players +generally kibitz about both games while they are on. Oftentimes, observers +watch and kibitz along with the games. However, come into channel 24 and see +for yourself. A good way to see some of the principles above put into action +is to ask in channel 24 if anyone is playing, and then watch their games. +Only then will you get a sense of what fun bughouse is! Happy bugging! + +[Strategy written by IanO; Advanced strategy written by dogdog; editted by +Friar -- December 17, 1995] -- cgit v1.2.3