Players stare intently at their boards, calculating all possible permutations, debating the pros and cons of each position before finally moving a piece and hitting the clock.

But after a few rounds, a table of laughter and shouting emerges, a table where weary players congregate after finishing a grueling match.

This is the bughouse table.

In bughouse, chess becomes a team sport—two boards, two players per team, and 2 one-on-one matches.

Players sit adjacent to their partners, one manipulating white pieces and the other black; each player then adds to his board the pieces his partner has captured.

Bughouse players have only three minutes to make all their moves. Time runs too short for careful calculation, and players make moves off instinct.

When Malcolm D. Grayson ’15 makes his way toward the table, a couple of the players holler, “I thought you were quitting bughouse.”

Grayson told himself that he was going to work on tournament-style play, but he cannot resist.

“It’s addictive,” says Faculty Advisor Joseph K. Blitzstein.

Jake S. Miller ’15, vice-president of the Harvard Chess Club, said that currently, practices are “casual.” He added that, “ultimately, we want people not only to be playing and enjoying it but also to be getting better.”

According to Miller, he and the co-presidents want club meetings to remain a welcoming place for those who play recreationally, while offering instruction to those preparing for competitive play.

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE

Co-president Benjamin M. Ascherman ’14 noted that chess requires practice and dedication to improve.

“Unlike most board games, there’s some luck but it’s mainly talent—you’re not rolling any dice,” Ascherman said.

Members of the team hope to secure funding to supplement current training with chess books and formalized coaching.