[3][4] Many of Parton's variants were inspired by the fictional characters and stories in the works of Lewis Carroll.

After completing mathematics at Chester Teaching College, Parton returned to his father's school to give private instruction to older children in Latin, French, German, English, shorthand, typing, bookkeeping, and mathematics.

In 1960 Parton moved from Cannock to Liverpool, into a terraced house near Penny Lane, and published a series of nine monographs from 1961 to 1974 (also 1975 posthumously) detailing his inventions.

I have distinct memories of sitting on his knee and listening to these [Lewis Carroll] stories, and not a book in sight.

I saw Vern often until about 1950, frequently accompanying him to his favorite location, the town library, or to the tobacconist, he having become a smoker.

Each side has six pieces: king (K), queen (Q), bishop (B), unicorn (U), knight (N), and rook (R); and twelve pawns.

From D. B. Pritchard's Popular Chess Variants (2000):[8] This wonderful game, appropriately named after Lewis Carroll's eponymous heroine, was the inspiration of Vernon Parton.

Each player has a standard set of pieces in their own colour, including an extra king,[b] but no pawns.

Players take turns, in clockwise rotation around the board, placing one of their pieces on any vacant square.

[e] Boyer remarked that the variant yields "magnificent games" because there are two directions of attack and two points to defend.

Since castling is impossible in Cheshire Cat Chess (pieces which normally clear a path for castling cause needed squares to "disappear"), Parton permits the kings to be moved like queens once per game, on their first move.

"It will be seen that difficulties for a 'checkmate' of the hostile Queen must chiefly arise from her great mobility which enables her to escape to safety with some degree of ease, in contrast with the King's poor slow power to move out of grave dangers.

When he attacks the hostile co-regal Queen, he is obliged to give the polite word 'check' as warning!"

10.Qxc6 Qc3 11.Qh6 Rxe1 12.Rxe1 Qxe1 13.Kf5 Qe7 14.Qe6 Qb7 15.Kg6 Nc5 16.Qf7 Ka6 17.Kh7 Ka7 18.Rg8 (18.Kg8 only draws) 1–0 Parton suggests also that play can be extended to a "double course", where a player wins by being first to go to the eighth rank and then return to the first.

Played on a regular chessboard, this variant is a simple race game: the first player to reach a square on the last rank with his king is the winner.

(Pritchard 2000:14) Also known as imperial fiddlesticks, there is no checking or checkmate in kinglet chess – kings are treated like any normal piece.

The balance between rushing to capture Fiddlesticks [pawns] quickly and fear of becoming defenceless thereby, (loss of major pieces) seems to be subtle and delicate."

A player may have no more than four knights, four bishops, four rooks, or two queens on the board at any one time, but may have as many as fifteen kings.

Until a player has captured an enemy piece, he is forbidden to move his king sideways or backwards."

(Parton 1974:17) To win the game, a player must capture all his opponent's pieces, including the king.

[z] Kings cannot occupy adjacent squares, since it would result in giving check to the opponent (in violation of the rules).

If players agree, pawns can also move one step diagonally forward (to facilitate opening lines).

Parton gives several variations, although Decimal Rettah is "possibly the earlier version and arguably the better" (Pritchard 1994:82).

(Parton 1970a, Part I:9) For each turn players decide their moves, write them down secretly, then disclose them.

They adjust the position accordingly, using the following rules of resolution when needed: In Synchronistic Chess, simultaneous checkmate is possible.

[aj][ak] A king has no royal powers and is considered a normal man; a player wins by eliminating all the opponent's men.

Also known as half-queen's chess, the game introduces two additional pawns and two new pieces per side, the "ugly-named Biok and Roshop".

[ao] As a result, the Roshop "has the great advantage of being able to change from one colour system of squares to the other when required" (Parton 1974:5).

Parton defines an extension having no additional pawns and a pair of Bioks and Roshops per player.

Also known as Black and White Marseillais chess, this game follows a simple rule: each player makes two moves per turn, first with a man standing on a white (light) square, then with a man standing on a black (dark) square.