The Rose Concept
The Rose concept is one of many attempts to do this in a way that not only ensures the Chess variants that embody it are as similar to orthodox Chess as possible, but also encourages a player to learn about Chess variants and other games playable on designs which are within a family of board games. There is no right or wrong solution. Rose Chess is not better than other variants, but it does claim to demonstrate the potential of the triangular lattice array better than other forms of Fairy Chess. The darkest series of cells on any Rose board are symmetrical on six axes and include the centre cell. The two series of cells on an orthodox Chess board are symmetrical about two axes. When White sits at any of the six sides on a Rose board, this side then becomes "South" as in orthodox Chess. In Rose Chess the men of both players (and for all players in games for three players) are start out along ranks nearest the player concerned, as in orthodox Chess, in a way that is stable in the first moves. A Rose file is at right-angles to a Rose rank as in orthodox Chess. A Rose file is any row with its cells all in the same series in any of three directions (eg. in Rose Chess the vertical file d2, e4, f6, g8, h10 includes the centre cell f6). A Rose rank is any row of adjacent cells placed in any of three directions. Horizontal ranks are numbered from 1 at South to 11 at North. Backward-slash ranks are given a letter a-h, then j-l. (There's no "i" in Rose Board notation so as to avoid misprints or misreading a record). These Rose ranks slant upwards from South at 60o up to North-West.
Rose notation (see Diagram 00) is the only notation system used by Chess variants which is almost the same as FIDE's orthodox Chess alphanumeric notation and descriptive notation. The standard initials for Chess men are used in Rose descriptive notation: K King, Q Queen, R Rook, B Bishop, N Knight, P Pawn.
The Rose Board system of notation is suitable for all Chess variants based on the triangular lattice array. Rose notation can be used to record any Rose game, whether it is played from the side or corner of the board, or is in three dimensions.
The Rose concept allows for some games to be played with the corner at South (eg. Rose Corner Chess, Rose Hip-Hop).
The Rose concept applies to any board design for the triangular lattice array whether the cells are hexagons (eg. the various forms of hexagonal Chess, or Rose Shogi), spots (eg. Rose Draughts, Rose Chess), or intersections of lines (eg. Rose Go, Rose Chinese Chess).
In Rose Chess a Pawn moves, captures and may be promoted almost as a Pawn does in orthodox Chess. The rules relating to a King are also as similar to orthodox Chess as possible.
In Rose Chess both Queens start on the same series of cell. In Rose Chess White's Queen's Bishop starts on a1 and may move only on that series of 30 files. White's King's Bishop starts on f1 and may move only on the other series of 30 files. Either player's third Bishop may move on 30 cells and the centre cell f6, and so may capture their opposite man at the first move but would be captured on doing so by the Queen or King.
All Rose Board games are designed as games for two players. The Rose Board is also designed for games for three or more people to play the same kind of game, usually on the same Rose board (eg. Rose Draughts for 3, Q (Kew), Rose hip-Hop).
Oriental Rose Chess variants derive from Chinese Chess, Go (both use intersections) and Shogi (rectangles) and use Rose Board notation.
Any other Rose game that is not so like Chess is designed to encourage a player to be aware of, understand and enjoy any other game playable on a Rose board. In doing so, the player may become aware of how board games and real life interact.
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Author: Michael Jameson.
Web page created: 2009-08-03. Web page last updated: 2009-08-03