Something About March Hares (and Very Extended Connections)

Far from the warren crowd.

March is over half over, but I overheard someone in the curbside pickup line asking whether the month came in like a lion or a lamb. Ah! I didn’t know or think people knew this phrase any longer. Or if they did, they were at least using it freely with no understanding from whence it came. Still, wasn’t this person here two-dozen days ago to experience the weather for themselves?

From what I read, the phrase stems from an English proverb describing typical March weather:

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb

In short, if March weather begins badly - roaring like a lion – it should end nice and calm – frolicking freely like a lamb. How often do lambs start March, and when was the last time the month ended with a lion? Are there other animals associated with March weather? Should there be?

What about March Hares? Or do those appear in between the lions and lambs? Perhaps these creatures are angry about being referenced between the other two? Well, no, not really. It’s not that type of “mad.”  To be as “mad as a March hare” is an English phrase derived from the observed antics, said to occur during the seasonal breeding season of the European hare. The term can allude to any other animal or person who behaves excitable and unpredictable.

You are probably aware of the March Hare featured in Alice in Wonderland and identified during the tea party as the Mad Hatter’s associate. But here’s something I didn’t know. There’s March Hare chess! Another post this week about chess?  Check!

Vernon Rylands Parton (1897-1974) was an English chess enthusiast and prolific chess variant inventor, his most renowned variant being Alice chess. A chess variant is a game related to, derived from, or inspired by chess, and Parton’s variants were inspired by the fictional characters and stories in the works of Lewis Carroll. In March Hare chess, a player makes two moves for each turn: he first moves one of his own pieces, then one of his opponent’s pieces. Rules stipulate the following:

• If a player moves one of his pawns, he may move any enemy piece, including the enemy king.
• If a player moves his queen, rook, bishop, or knight, he must move an enemy pawn.
• If a player moves his king, he may move any enemy piece except the king.
• When a player is in check, he must get out of check immediately on his turn by moving one of his own men. If he cannot legally do so, he loses the game.

Hmmm... I should probably go off and do something else. Maybe I’ll come up with a Bellairsian chess variant.

Ideas?