Vernon Rylands Parton (1897-1974)

Any chess variant enthusiast is familiar with the name of V.R. Parton. Born in Cannock, Stadffordshire, England, he lived there up to 1960 when he moved to Liverpool. He was a very active chess variant promoter and has invented some of the most famous and most remarkable games. His interests were wide and he was a great believer in Esperanto. He was particularly passionate with Lewis Carroll's world.

Parton composed nine monographs which are very difficult to procure nowadays. Several of them are in possession of the John G. White Chess Collection of  the Cleveland Public Library. With the kind help of Dan Troyka and L. Lynn Smith, we have started to collect them and after some editing works I will make them available here for the pleasure of all chess variants lovers.

• Curioser & Curioser (1961) (: soon ! , or txt format)
• Challenge & Delight of Classical & Decimal (1970) (not available for download, please write us if you own it !)
• Chesshire-Cat Playeth Looking-Glass Chessys (1970) (: soon ! , or txt format, part 1 & part 2)
• Chessical Cubism or Chess in Space (date unknown) (: soon ! , or txt format)
• 100 Squares for Chess and Damante (1972) (: 47 Ko, or txt format)
• My Game for 2000 A.D. and after (1972) (not available for download, please write us if you own it !)
• Enduring Spirit of Dasapada (1973 ?) (: soon ! , or txt format)
• Idea for a Personal Game (1973) (: soon ! , or txt format)
• Chessery for Duffer and Master (1973) (: soon ! , or txt format)

Here are some of the variants he created :

• Checkers Chess (1950s)
• Twin Orthodox Chess (1952)
• Rettah Chess (1952)
• Decimal Rettah Chess (1952)
• Alice Chess (1953)
• Twin Orthodox Chess (1953)
• Neutral King Chess (1953)
• Kinglet Chess (1953)
• Black and White Chess (1955)
• Racing Kings (1961)
• Unirexal Chess (1961)
• Gryphon Chess (1961)
• Damate (1961)
• Twin Chess (1961)
• Co-Regal Chess (1970)
• Dodo Chess (1970)
• Gorgona Chess (1970)
• Cheshire Cat Chess (1970)
• Decimal Oriental Chess (1971)
• Dabbabante Chess (1971)
• Gorgon Chess (1973)
• 2000 A.D. (1972)
• and so many ...

His influence over chess variant inventors is still very important. Philip Cohen invented Parton Chess in his honour in 1974.

Peter Vernon, Vernon's nephew, published a paper entitled "Reflections on Vernon Rylands Parton, inventor of Alice Chess" in Abstract Games Magazine, issue 8, Winter 2001, from which several informations have been reproduced here.

Thanks to Peter Aronson for some informations.