Do you find it Odd when a Queen is an Upside Down Castle ?

Most sets do now.

You definitely want to be careful about using upside down Rooks.  It depends on which rules the tournament you are playing in follows:

FIDE - If the tournament is FIDE rated, even if played in the United States, they are obligated, no exceptions, to play under FIDE rules.  FIDE rules state when it comes to promotion:

• If you push a pawn to the 8th rank (1st rank for Black), and hit the clock without making it anything, it's an illegal move, opponent gets 2 minutes unless it's the 2nd illegal move of the game by that player, in which case he forfeits the game, and it is then forced to be promoted to a Queen, regardless as to whether or not that creates a stalemate.
• "Declaring" a piece for the pawn is not "promoting" it.  So pushing a7-a8 and saying "Knight", leaving it as a pawn there, and hitting the clock, is still an illegal move, and if it's White's first illegal move of the game, Black gets 2 minutes and it is automatically a Queen.
• Upside-down Rooks are Rooks!  An upside-down Rook can never be used to represent a Queen.  If no Queen is available, you must stop the clock, and ask the arbiter/director to find you a Queen.  If you put an upside down Rook on the board, hit the clock, opponent moves, and then you move the upside down Rook diagonally, you just made an illegal move!

USCF - One thing I hate about USCF is that they have different rules than FIDE.  When it comes to promotion, here's what's different about USCF vs FIDE:

• If you push a pawn to the 8th rank and not physically put a piece there, the opponent can hit the clock back without making a move, and the promoter is forced to put a piece there instead of a pawn.  I once actually won on time because my opponent wouldn't physically put a new piece there, would leave it a pawn, and I just slapped the clock back at him without moving.  The violator is not penalized via illegal move, and 2 minutes are not added to the opponent's clock, but again, the opponent is under no obligation to make a move, can hit the clock back at the first player, and is under no obligation to explain why he hit the clock back.  It is the promoter's responsibility to figure out that he must place a piece there, and if his clock runs out, so be it!
• If you don't have a second Queen, you can use a Rook, placing it upside-down, to represent a Queen.  An upside-down Rook can ONLY represent a Queen, NOT a third Knight or third Bishop.  If you need a third knight, you must stop the clock to get a director to find you a Knight of whatever color you are playing as.

cxxcxxcxcxxx

Good brain stuzzicadenti

stuzzicadenti wrote:

no other piece can stand upside down therefore it should be a queen for its super powers.

I agree

CoolRandomStar wrote:

CHess should come with a extra queen

Bring a spare queen with you. 

You might also be able to sneak it onto the board without promoting against one of the weaker opponents. 

I believe it was 'House of Staunton' that started manufacturing sets with four queens, if I'm not mistaken. As one above me noted, it's now pretty much standard.

I have seen an upsite rook with a pawn on top. It is a bit unstable though, especially in blitz.

I carry an extra black and a white Queen in my chess kit. I have only needed it once in fifty years in tournaments OTB. Newest chess set come with extra Queens or they are offered for sale.

I think that the practice of providing an extra queen (and extra pawn) must have started in the last 20 years or so. During the 1980's and earlier, none of the chess sets had extra queens, and the standard practice in the US was to use upside down rooks. At least that was my experience when I was an active chess player in the 80's. I stopped playing for 20 years or so, and started back up when my oldest son started playing in high school about 3-4 years ago. I bought a few tournament chess sets when my kids decided to play in USCF tournaments. Much to my surprise, all of the chess sets came with extra queens and pawns.

I have never used a rook as a queen. Cheeky bit!

Poor rook,It must be sick after the game

lolz.

CoolRandomStar wrote:

Poor rook,It must be sick after the game

Nauseas and vomiting. Pity!

So if you're playing USCF rules, push a pawn to the 8th, and still have your queen and both rooks on the board, you have to send someone for an extra queen anyway, I guess.

Regards,

Lou

That's the rumor....but is it the fact ? 

It depends on which tournament you are playing FIDE or USCF.

I think you are not allowed to use an upside down rook in other Federations for a 2nd queen.

You are allowed to have 8 more queens . . .

One for each pawn . . .