Crazyhouse rules
Crazyhouse is a chess variant. All normal chess rules apply, with one big change: pieces you capture go to your reserve and can be dropped back onto the board as your own pieces.
Captured pieces and the reserve
When you capture an enemy piece, it changes color and is added to your reserve, shown beside the board. A captured pawn gives you a pawn, a captured knight gives you a knight, and so on.
Dropping a piece
On your turn, instead of moving a piece on the board, you may drop one piece from your reserve onto any empty square. A drop counts as your move. The piece then moves like any other piece of its type.
Pawn restriction
Pawns cannot be dropped on the first or the eighth rank. They can be dropped on any other empty square, and a dropped pawn on its second rank can still advance two squares.
Promoted pieces
If a pawn that was promoted to a queen, rook, bishop or knight is captured, the capturer receives a pawn, not the promoted piece.
Check, checkmate and drops
A drop is a legal answer to check if it blocks the attack, and a drop can give check or even checkmate. Checkmate means no move or drop can remove the check, so having a piece in reserve can save you from what would be mate in classic chess. Stalemate and the other draw rules also apply.
How it differs from classic chess
- Material is never permanently lost, so attacks and tactics are much sharper.
- Pieces in reserve are a constant threat, because a drop can appear anywhere.
- Trades are rarely free: capturing hands your opponent a piece to drop.
Typical situations
- Dropping a knight to give a surprise check and fork the king and a queen.
- Dropping a bishop or rook to block an attack on your king.
- Dropping a pawn in front of an enemy king to support an attack.