AU709530B2 - Gaming apparatus - Google Patents

Description

"GAMING APPARATUS" This invention relates to gaming apparatus.

The invention has particular but not exclusive application to a game board for playing chess or chesslike games and for illustrative purposes reference will be made to such application.

As used herein the expression "chess-like game" means a game played on a game board having an array of playing spaces on which playing pieces are moved.

The game of chess is well known and a number of variants to traditional chess have been proposed.

The present invention aims to provide an alternative to known chess and chess-like games.

This invention in one aspect resides broadly in gaming apparatus for playing chess or chess-like games, the gaming apparatus including a game board including:an array of playing spaces located on the surface S 20 thereof, the playing spaces being adapted to have a playing piece positioned thereon; :'of a plurality of start indicia proximate selected ones of the playing spaces for indicating the starting position of the playing pieces of each player of the 25 game, and a plurality of object indicia proximate selected ones of the playing spaces for indicating the positions "at which the playing pieces of each player of the game are upgraded.

The start indicia and object indicia may all be identical but it is preferred that the start indicia and S" object indicia for each player are substantially similar to each other and different to the start indicia and object indicia for the other players.

The start indicia and object indicia for each player may take any form adapted to distinguish them from those of other players. It is preferred that the start indicia and object indicia for each player are colour markings.

Alternatively the start indicia and object indicia for each player can take the form of shaped markers. The shaped markers can be distinguishing printing on the game board and in one preferred embodiment the shaped markers extend above the surface of the game board. Suitably the shaped markers are in the form of castellations.

The game board may be of any shape although it is preferred that the game board is of symmetrical shape and that the start indicia and object indicia for each player are disposed opposite each other about the periphery of the game board. The game board can be of rectangular or cruciform shape but suitably it is square, each player's start indicia extending along substantially half the length of two adjoining sides of the game board and that player's object indicia extending along substantially the length of the opposite two adjoining sides of the board game.

It is preferred that the gaming apparatus includes a plurality of playing pieces for each player, the playing 20 pieces for each player having player indicia which are substantially identical to the start indicia and object indicia for that player.

The game board may also include directional indicia for indicating the directions in which selected playing pieces move when the game is played. Suitable directional indicia are provided for selected playing pieces of each player and include arrows or the like for indicating the direction of the moves a piece may take *and are substantially identical to the player indicia for 30 that player.

In another aspect this invention resides broadly in gaming apparatus including a data processing assembly for playing a chess-like game, said data processing assembly including:player control means for players to control the playing of the game; display means for displaying playing pieces and their location on the playing spaces of a game board; memory means for storing control data representative of the rules of said game and for storing data representative of the location of the playing pieces, and program means for programming the data processing assembly to display on the display means a representation of a game board including:an array of playing spaces located on the surface thereof, the playing spaces being adapted to display a playing piece thereon; a plurality of start indicia proximate selected ones of the playing spaces for indicating the starting position of the playing pieces of each player of the game, and a plurality of object indicia proximate selected ones of the playing spaces for indicating the positions i at which the playing pieces of each player of the game S. are upgraded.

The data processing assembly may be customised for 20 dedicated use. However it is preferred that player control means, display means and memory means are included in a micro-computer. Suitably the program means includes a programmable disc or other computer-readable *programmable data storage means programmed to display a representation of a game board as described above and in '"accordance with a suitable software programme.

Preferably the programmable disc or other computerreadable data storage means is a staple commercial *product. As used herein, the expression "staple o 30 commercial product" has the same meaning as that in Section 117 of the Patents Act 1990.

In order that this invention may be more easily understood and put into practical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention, wherein:- FIG 1 is a perspective view of a game board having castellated indicia; FIG 2 is a plan view of a game board having colour coded indicia; FIG 3 is a plan view showing the schematic arrangement of chess pieces on the game board of FIG 2; FIG 4 is a block diagram of a data processing assembly for playing a chess-like game, and FIG 5 illustrates the ways in which certain playing pieces can move and capture other playing pieces.

As can be seen in FIG 1, a game board 11 suitable for playing a chess-like game has a nine-by-nine array of black squares 12 and white squares 13. Around the external border of the game board are located four start indicia in the form of castellated borders 14-15, 16-17, 18-19 and 20-21. Each border is characterised by a distinctive and differently configured castellation and each occupies approximately half of the adjoining sides at each of the four corners of game board 11. The four start indicia indicate the starting positions for the playing pieces of each player as seen in FIG 6.

Around the edges of the outermost playing spaces are 20 located a double row of castellations which constitute object indicia in a manner to be described. The object indicia are in the form of castellated borders 22, 23, 24 and 25. Each border is characterised by a distinctive and differently configured castellation corresponding to one of the outer castellated borders 14-15, 16-17, 18-19 and 20-21 which constitute the start indicia. Each castellated inner border 22 through 25 occupies all of adjoining sides at each of the four corners of game board 11. The four object indicia indicate the playing 30 locations at which the playing pieces of a player can be "queened" or promoted. It will be seen that each of the four castellated object indicia the are positioned diagonally the corresponding start indicia.

As can be seen in FIG 2, instead of castellated indicia seen in FIG 1, colour coded indicia can be provided. Thus start indicia 32 and object indicia 36 are coloured white, start indicia 33 and object indicia 37 are coloured black, start indicia 34 and object indicia 38 are coloured red and start indicia 35 and object indicia 39 are coloured grey.

Both FIGS 1 and 2 illustrate corner directional indicators 26 having "move" arrows 27 for indicating the direction in which pieces can move without capturing the playing pieces of another player and "take" arrows 28 for indicating the direction in which pieces can move if the playing pieces of another player are to be captured.

Each directional indicator 26 carries a suitable indicial to correspond to the start and object indicia for each player.

Fig 4 illustrates a block diagram of a data processing assembly for playing a chess-like game. A microcomputer 45 includes a central processing unit 41, memory 42, display means 43 in the form of a VDU and a player controller 40 in the form of mouse, keyboard, joystick or screen pen. The microcomputer is programmed by programmable disc 44 programmed to store the rules of ".the game in memory 42, store in memory the position of the playing pieces as represented on a representation of a game board as described above on VDU screen 43, and reposition the playing pieces on the game board representation in accordance with control moves made by each player through the player control means In use the game is played according to the rules of chess but has some exceptions. The following description of the rules and manner of playing the game will refer to the embodiment in which the indicia are colour coded.

This game is played by four people each one 30 controlling the pieces of one colour (white, red, black or grey) and all acting independently of each other. The objective of each player is to be the only survivor of the game.

Any player may take the pieces of another player. A player is knocked out of the game only by having his King taken by the piece of another player. A player need not announce that he has the King of another player in check, ie a position where the King can be taken. A player may willingly move his King into check, or if already in check may choose to stay in check. Once a player's King is taken all of his pieces are immediately removed from the board. The same applies if a player resigns.

Other exceptions to the rules of chess concern Pawns. FIG 5 describes how Pawns move, take and are Queened or promoted. Note that the direction of movement of Pawns work is related to the corner of the board of their colour. The arrows 27 marked "move" indicate the directions (in relation to the board) in which Pawns may move. A Pawn may not move in this manner into a square occupied by another piece. Pawns may only move in the indicated directions irrespective of where they are on the board. Pawns may only ever move one square.

The arrows 28 marked "take" indicate the directions in which Pawns may take pieces, irrespective of where they are on the board. A Pawn diagram 26 is located in each corner of the board and illustrates for ease of reference how Pawns move or take.

Around the outside of the board there are coloured stripes, in the squares next to these stripes Pawns may be Queened, provided that stripe is the Pawn's colour.

Note that a colour's Queening stripe is in the two ranks opposite its corner.

FIG 3 shows how the pieces are set up in the beginning of the game. The playing pieces for each player are colour coded to correspond with the coloured coded indicia associated with each player and positioned as shown in the board quarter bounded by the appropriate 30 start indicia.

It will be realised that Pawns in playing chess in accordance with the above rules have virtually twice the value of Pawns in ordinary chess.

Players may talk openly and make agreements during the game, but nobody is bound to any such agreements and players may lie and backstab as they please. If a player is knocked out of the game he may no longer comment on the game or give advice to another player. As an option 8 rule players may agree to a "no table talk rule", in which no player may give advice or make deals with other players.

For a 3-player game one colour is ignored. For example the grey pieces can be omitted, and neither white or black may Queen a Pawn on a back rank square in the grey corner.

To play tournaments of this game, all players are listed and scoring is based on receiving 4 points for every 4 player game won, 3 points for every 3 player game won, 1 point for every drawn game survived, and zero for every game lost. A tournament may be played over a limited number of games, or over a long term with an unlimited number of contestants. To determine a player's long term score, the total score over the total number of games played.

It will be realised that a chess-like game played in accordance with the above description on a game board in accordance with the invention provides a useful, 20 interesting and challenging variation to the conventional game of chess.

It will of course be realised that whilst the above has been given by way of an illustrative example of this invention, all such and other modifications and variations hereto, as would be apparent to persons Sskilled in the art, are deemed to fall within the broad scope and ambit of this invention as is hereinafter claimed.

oC.

C THE CLAIMS DEFINING THE INVENTION ARE AS FOLLOWS:- 1. Gaming apparatus for playing chess or chess-like games, said gaming apparatus including a game board including:an array of playing spaces located on the surface thereof, said playing spaces being adapted to have a, playing piece positioned thereon; a plurality of start indicia proximate selected ones of said playing spaces for indicating the starting position of the playing pieces of each player of the game, and a plurality of object indicia proximate selected ones of said playing spaces for indicating the positions at which the playing pieces of each player of the game are upgraded.

oeooi 2. Gaming apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Sstart indicia and object indicia for each player are 20 substantially similar to each other and different to the start indicia and object indicia for the other players.

Gaming apparatus as claimed in claim 2, and including a plurality of playing pieces for each player, the playing pieces for each player having player indicia which are substantially identical to said start indicia and object indicia for that player.

4. A gaming apparatus substantially as herein described =oo ~30 with reference to the accompanying Figures.

DATED this FIFTEENTH day of SEPTEMBER 1997.

SCORPION GAMES PTY LTD PIZZEYS PATENT AND TRADE MARK ATTORNEYS