WO1988004945A1

WO1988004945A1 - A chess board game

Info

Publication number: WO1988004945A1
Application number: PCT/GB1988/000002
Authority: WO
Inventors: George Reginald Robinson
Original assignee: George Reginald Robinson
Priority date: 1987-01-09
Filing date: 1988-01-05
Publication date: 1988-07-14
Also published as: AU1083388A; GB2199506A; GB2199506B; GB8700455D0

Abstract

A chess board game for two, three or four players, includes a playing surface (1) having two hundred and fifty six squares arranged in sixteen bilaterally alternately light and dark coloured rows having sixteen playing squares per row, at which the players may sit at respective corners, and a set of chessmen providing for each player nine Pawns (4) and twelve pieces made up of one King (5), one Queen (6), four Bishops (7), four Knights (8) and two Castles (9), with the object of the game being to capture the or each opponent player's King (5).

Description

A CHESS BOARD GAME

This invention relates to a chess board game suitable for two, three or four players and to a method for playing such a game.

Conventional chess board games employ a chess board of sixty four squares arranged in eight rows of eight squares coloured alternately light and dark. The chessmen provided for such a board for the use of two^' players comprise eight Pawns and eight pieces per player with the object of the game being to capture or checkmate the opponents King. Many proposals have been made to modify this basic game by introducing fewer or more pieces, or varying the number of playing squares either to make the game more difficult or to allow more than two players to play the game at once. Some of these proposed modified chess games employ a conventional sixty four square playing surface of square shape and this necessarily limits the number of moves available to a player, particularly if the game is intended to be played with more than two players. Other proposed modified chess games employ playing surfaces with more than sixty four squares but these are usually arranged to provide a cruciform plan playing surface with the extra squares arranged around a conventional sixty four square playing surface to provide the arms of the cross. Whilst this layout can increase the number of players able to play the game it also has the undesirable effect of reducing the number of playing squares available to them.

There is thus a need for a generally improved chess board game which can be used by two, three or four players in a relatively simple manner.

According to the present invention there is provided a chess board game for two, three or four players, including a playing surface having two hundred and fifty six squares arranged in sixteen bilaterally alternately light and dark coloured rows having sixteen playing squares per row, at which the players may sit at respective corners, and a set of chessmen providing for each player nine Pawns and twelve pieces made up of one King, one Queen, four Bishops, four Knights and two Castles, with the object of the game being to capture the or each opponent players King.

Preferably the Pawns and Pieces are coloured differently for each player.

Advantageously the Pawns and Pieces comprise four sub-sets, each coloured White, Green, Black and Red respectively. For a better understanding of the present invention and to show how the same may be carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying single figure drawing which shows diagrammatically in plan view a playing surface of a chess board game according to one embodiment of the present invention on which are set out in one corner one sub-set of Pawns and Pieces.

A chess board game according to the present invention is intended for use by two, three or four players. Basically the game includes a playing surface 1, conveniently in the form of a board, folding or otherwise, of rigid or semi-rigid sheet material such as cardboard, wood, plastics or the like. The playing surface 1 has two hundred and fifty six squares arranged in sixteen bilaterally alternately light and dark coloured rows having sixteen playing squares per row. Thus, as illustrated, there are one hundred and twenty eight light or white coloured playing squares 2 and one hundred and twenty eight dark or black coloured playing squares 3. Such a board like playing surface 1 is conveniently square in form as illustrated and in use the players sit one at each of the respective corners of the playing surface.

The game also includes a set of chessmen providing for each player nine Pawns 4, twelve Pieces made up of one King 5, one Queen 6, four Bishops 7, four Knights 8, and two Castles 9.

The Pawns and Pieces are coloured differently for each player, for example, as shown in figure 1, those at corner A being white, those at corner B being green, those at corner C being black and those at corner D being red. Thus the Pawns and Pieces making up the set of chessmen comprise four sub-sets each coloured white, green, black and red respectively.

As illustrated in figure 1, on which only the layout of one sub-set has been shown for convenience, with the other sub-sets merely being indicated for convenience by the layout of their King 5 and Queen 6, the Pawns 4 and Pieces are laid out as shown with six Pawns 4 being laid in line diagonally across one corner as the outermost row relative to the corner, then the next diagonal row nearer the corner A is made up of a Knight 8, then three Pawns 4, and then a Knight 8, the next diagonal row nearer the corner A is made up of a Castle 9, then two Knights 8, and a Castle 9, the next diagonal row nearer the corner A is made up of a Bishop 7, then the Queen 6, and a Bishop 7, the next diagonal row nearer the corner is made up of two Bishops 7 and the final row comprising the corner playing square is occupied by the King 5.

The object of the game is to capture or checkmate the opponent players King 5. No matter how many players are playing the game the players can toss for colour and then make their moves in turn clockwise with White always starting. Each Pawn 4 can be moved one or optionally two square^'s parallel to the edge of the playing surface 1 away from its base corner on its first move and thereafter moved one square in any direction. The King 5 can be moved one square in any direction. The Queen 6 can be moved any number of squares in a straight line parallel to the side edges of the playing surface 1. The Castles 9 can be moved any number of squares in a straight line parallel to or at right angles to the side edges of the playing surface 1, forward, backwards or sideways with respect to the base corner. The Bishops 7 can be moved any number of squares diagonally of the playing surface 1 but a Bishop 7 must always stay on a square of the same colour as that on which it was initially set. The Knights 8 may move as in conventional chess as a combination of one square forward or backward then two squares sideways relative to the side edges of the playing service 1 or one square sideways then two squares forward or backward relative to the side edges of the playing service 1. A Knight 8 always moves to a square of the opposite colour to that on which it is initially set.

A capture is made by moving a Pawn 4 or Piece onto a playing square occupied by an opponents Pawn or Piece which is then removed from the playing service 1. To this end a Pawn 4 can capture one playing square diagonally forward towards the nearest opponent players Pawn or Piece. However a Knight may capture and recapture in all directions for as many times as is possible in the same move.

As in conventional chess a King 5 that is attacked, in other words is in a position to be taken on the next move, is said to be in Check. A player whose King 5 is in Check must on his next move remove his King from Check in one of the following ways. Firstly he can capture the attacking Pawn or Piece. Secondly he can interpose a Pawn or Piece between the attacing Pawn or Piece and the King. Thirdly he can move the King. If he is not able to make any of these moves then his King is Checkmated. It may then be taken by the attacking Pawn or Piece of an opponent which moves to the playing square occupied by the captured King which is then removed from the playing surface 1. At this point all Pawns and Pieces of the captured Kings colour become the property of the capturing colour. For example if White checkmates Red and captures the Red King then Red Pawns and Pieces join forces with the White Pawns and Pieces and jointly carry on attacking Black and Green. Points are awarded for the various captures and to this end each Pawn and Piece has a value as follows. A Pawn has a value of one point. A Knight and a Bishop each have a value of three points. A Castle has a value of five points. A Queen has a value of 10 points and a King has a value of 50 points. A Check represents a gain of 15 points to the colour making the Check. Thus if White takes a Red Bishop, White gains three points from Red. For each Check 15 points are awarded to the colour making the Check from the colour in Check.

The tactical manner of making moves is similar as in conventional chess. However it is advisable to remember in the initial stages of a game that one player can be playing upto three other players at once and not just one as in conventional chess making the game of the present application more dangerous than conventional chess and more difficult to play. As a further variation one or more players may operate in conjunction as a team or ^an agreed number of moves or for a complete game. This increases the skill necessary and the danger involved for the various players.

Claims

CLAIMS :

1. A chess board game for two, three or four players, including a playing surface having two hundred and fifty six squares arranged in sixteen bilaterally alternately light and dark coloured rows having sixteen playing squares per row, at which the players may sit at respective corners, and a set of chessmen providing for each player nine Pawns and twelve pieces made up of one King, one Queen, four Bishops, four Knights and two Castles, with the object of the game being to capture the or each opponent player's King.

2. A chess board game according to claim 1, wherein the Pawns and Pieces are coloured differently for each player.

3. A chess board game according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the Pawns and Pieces comprise four sub-sets, each coloured White, Green, Black and Red respectively.

4. A chessboard game according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the playing surface is a board of rigid or semi- rigid sheet material.

5. A chess board game according to claim 4, wherein the board is made of cardboard, wood or plastics.

6. A chess board game substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.