The Bughouse Diaries

 There were some amazing errors in this game, especially on my partner's board near the end.  The other team resigned.  If my opponent plays N@e8, I play Qxe8 then Kxe8, B@d7+.  If Kd8, R@c8 Nxc8, Qxc8 mate.  Did my opponent see all of that?  I doubt it.  I didn't see it until after the game.  I wouldn't have resigned: Black starts with a popular opening line.  He then plays Bxf3.  This is bad for 3 reasons:  1. Trades are not always good.  He would be better off playing d6, to relieve his cramped position.  2. Despite what you might think, knights are not better than bishops in bughouse.  3. After the queen recaptures, white has developed a piece.  Black loses another tempo because his rook is hanging: Here I played a bad move, d5.  overlooking that it allows Nxe5.  In retrospect, I think @c5 was better, threating @d6: Here I play dxe.  On fxe, he leaves f7 open for attack.  dxe6 leaves c6 op...

We have mate on both boards.  My partner (right board) has g5+ and Qe6#.  In my board, on Kf5, N@g3 mate or Kh4, g3#.  I was definitely helped by material from the other board, but let us consider how my opponent contributed to his own demise: Black plays h5.  I've seen this move before, in fact I played it as a teenager.  In theory, if White eventually castles, Black can play h4 and h3 attacking the king position.  If he does not castle, there is the idea of h5 and @g3, threatening gxf+.  In reality, it makes it easier for White to attack.  The Black h-pawn can no longer protect g6 or g5. I start my attack on the dark squares with Bg5.  f6 is not advisable for Black because it leaves g6 weak: I am continuing my attack.  I am not only attacking c7, but also d6. I offer a piece to continue my attack on the dark squares, c7, e7 and f8: So there was cxd, N@c7+ with the idea of getting the rook for the piece I sacrificed.  He plays Kf8....

Here my partop (partner's opponent) wasted a number of moves with ineffective one-move attacks.  This is how it ended.  I can sit and my partop has no recourse: Black's first attack is easily repelled.  Here he played @e4 threatening to take f3.  White would have to recapture with the g-pawn leaving a weakness on h3 or recapture Rxf3 or Qxf3 leaving his rook or the queen exposed.  White plays fxe then Bxe4, Nxe4 Bxe4, @f3: Here Black has played Nf5.  White makes the mistake of playing Qxe6 instead of the e-pawn.  Black play B@f7.  Now White cannot retreat the queen and defend the e-pawn.  Nxe6 is not serious because of the loss of the pawn, but because of the proximity of the White king: Again, White attacks instead of defending.  He plays Bxc7 and Black plays Qxd4: Black gets in @e2.  Again White fails to defend and plays Ne7+, another one-move threat: The partop plays @c3, ignoring exfQ+: Black has won a rook for a pawn and is rea...