BOARD GAME
A board for playing games, especially strategy games and in particular variants on the game of chess, which is rotationally asymmetric in orders greater than 2, such that different players have differently sized “home” playing areas. The main embodiment is a four player board, with variants which have additional diagonals to allow attacking routes against players adjacent to each other. A number of rule variants for four player chess are disclosed.
The game of chess has been possibly the most popular game in the world for more than a thousand years. Variants of the game have been played in India and China long before the development of the modern game as we know it.
One of the reasons for the games enduring popularity is its adaption from earlier forms. The precursor to modern chess “Chaturanga” was a very slow game, suitable for the slow pace of life of the medieval world, but unattractive to the modern mind. Rule changes made in fifteenth century Italy revitalized the game and maintained its popularity in a new era.
Much more recently, three and four player versions of chess have appeared. These have introduced a more social element to the games. Now interactions between the competitors involve more than just pitting their wits against each other. Alliances, either permanent or shifting become a part of the strategic make-up of the game. Players may be vulnerable if pieces are exchanged with one of their opponents, in case it makes them vulnerable if alliances shift. Great care is needed in the design of the game to ensure fairness and to ensure a dynamic game. It is perhaps for these reasons that the multiplayer versions have not achieved the popularity of the two player game.
The current invention is just such a way of ensuring fairness and a dynamic game, by providing asymmetry between opposing players and additional lines of attack between adjacent players. Just as the rule changes between Chaturanga and modern chess revitalized the two player game, it is proposed that the variants on the board and rules herein described will revitalize the four player game.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONAccordingly, in a first aspect of the invention, the present invention provides a board for playing games, the board comprising a plurality of playing areas, each playing area located on a point of a grid, wherein the grid is rotationally asymmetric in order greater than two.
Preferably, the points of the grid are substantially regularly spaced in two dimensions.
Preferably, the playing areas are square.
Preferably, the playing areas are alternately coloured black and white in chequered fashion.
Preferably the board comprises a substantially rectangular central section.
Preferably the board comprises at least one line of playing areas appended to at least one edge of the central section.
Preferably the board comprises a plurality of lines of playing areas appended to each edge of the board.
Preferably each appended line of playing areas comprises the same number of playing areas as there are present in an edge row of the central area to which it is appended.
Preferably the board comprises a plurality of playing areas located adjacent to the appended rows.
In another aspect, the invention provides a game played using a board as claimed in any previous claim, played by a plurality of players.
Preferably the game uses at least one set of conventional chess pieces.
Preferably the conventional chess pieces are initially placed in the appended lines of playing areas.
Preferably the initial arrangement of the pieces is the same as in conventional chess.
Optionally the initial arrangement of the pieces follows the procedure of Fischer random chess.
Preferably the game comprises four sets of conventional chess pieces.
Preferably the pieces are moved as in conventional chess.
More preferably the pieces are moved as in conventional chess, except that a knight may move three playing areas in a first direction and then one square laterally or 1 square in a first direction and three squares laterally as well as the conventional knight move.
Yet more preferably the pieces are moved as in conventional chess, except that a pawn may be moved three squares forward on its initial move by at least one of the players.
Yet more preferably the pieces are moved as in conventional chess, except that the move of a pawn into one of the four central playing areas allows the promotion of said pawn to one of a Queen, rook, knight or bishop.
Preferably the board includes a communications link.
Preferably the board includes means to electronically record a move.
Preferably the means to record a move comprises a touch sensitive board.
Preferably the communications link is the internet.
The above and other aspects of the invention will now be described by way of example only, with reference to the following drawings:
In its broadest scope, the present invention provides a board for playing games which is rotationally asymmetric in order greater than two. The board is divided into playing areas on which pieces may stand and move to and from in the course of the game.
The board comprises alternating black and white squares, located on points of a regular grid.
A problem exists with the arrangement of the board in
The majority of games of chess between players of a good standard began with the double move of either the pawn in front of the King or the pawn in front of the Queen. Either of these moves increases control of the strategically important centre of the board and allows the development of a bishop and the Queen. Ideally, both central pawns are quickly advanced.
One solution to this would be to extend the “home” areas 801 and drop the pieces back further away from each other. This solution is illustrated in
One solution to this problem would be to use an enlarged square board as disclosed in US2006/0279042. This type of board is illustrated in
In one aspect of the invention there is provided a rotationally asymmetric board, with short and long sides. This aspect of the invention addresses the problem of the early opposition of Queens and bishops.
In a second aspect of the invention there is provided additional playing areas 1101 placed between the adjacent home areas to provide additional diagonals for early attack between adjacent players without the increased exposure of the Kings inherent in the solution in
Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to
In an embodiment, the board may be used with four sets of conventional chess pieces, usually each of a different colour. Alternatively, it may be used with other pieces, such as draughts pieces, Chinese chess or other variants. Where conventional chess pieces are used, then the starting positions of the pieces are located on the board as shown in
In an embodiment, the standard rules of chess are used. In an alternative embodiment, the knight may move 3 squares in any direction followed by a movement of a single square in a direction perpendicular to the first direction of movement. In a further embodiment, the initial pawn move may be three squares. In yet another embodiment, pawn promotion may take place in the central four squares of the board. The person skilled in the art will appreciate that other variants are possible in the movement of the pieces, such as those in the original Indian form of the game “Chaturanga” or any variant thereof.
The person skilled in the art will appreciate that there are multiple arrangements of the rotationally asymmetric board which may be used. Four playing chess boards according to further embodiments of the invention are shown in
The skilled person will also readily see that the rotationally asymmetric board according to the invention affords itself easily to other variants of the game. The invention is not limited to versions of the game in which there are equal numbers of pieces for each player.
It is contemplated that the board provides a component of a gaming system in which a communications link is provided to the board. The board may include means to electronically record a move, for example the means to record a move may comprise a touch sensitive board although other suitable means are also contemplated. The communication means may comprise the internet or other suitable means.
Claims
1. A board for playing games, the board comprising a plurality of playing areas, each playing area located on a point of a grid, said grid comprising a plurality of regularly spaced rows of aligned and regularly spaced points;
- the grid being arranged such that rows located at the periphery of the grid have fewer points than rows located adjacent to the centre of the grid; and
- wherein the grid is rotationally asymmetric in order greater than two.
2. A board as claimed in claim 1 wherein the grid is substantially octagonal.
3. A board as claimed in claim 2 in which the playing areas are square.
4. A board as claimed in claim 1 in which the playing areas are alternately coloured black and white in chequered fashion.
5. A board as claimed in claim 4 comprising a substantially rectangular central section.
6. A board as claimed in claim 5 further comprising at least one line of playing areas appended to at least one edge of the central section.
7. A board as claimed in claim 6 comprising a plurality of lines of playing areas appended to each edge of the board.
8. A board as claimed in claim 7 wherein each appended line of playing areas comprises the same number of playing areas as there are present in an edge row of the central area to which it is appended.
9. A board as claimed in claim 8 further comprising a plurality of playing areas located adjacent to the appended rows.
10. A game played using a board as claimed in claim 9, played by a plurality of players.
11. A game as claimed in claim 10, comprising at least one set of conventional chess pieces.
12. A game as claimed in claim 11 wherein the at least one set of conventional chess pieces are initially placed in the appended lines of playing areas.
13. A game as claimed in claim 12 wherein the initial arrangement of the pieces is the same as in conventional chess.
14. A game as claimed in claim 12 wherein the initial arrangement of the pieces follows the procedure of Fischer random chess.
15. A game as claimed in claim 11 comprising four sets of conventional chess pieces, wherein the pieces are moved as in conventional chess.
16. (canceled)
17. A game as claimed in claim 11 wherein the pieces are moved as in conventional chess, except that a knight may move three playing areas in a first direction and then one square laterally or one square in a first direction and three squares laterally as well as the conventional knight move.
18. A game as claimed in claim 11 wherein a pawn may be moved three squares forward on its initial move by at least one of the players.
19. A game as claimed in claim 18, wherein the pieces are moved as in conventional chess, except that the move of a pawn into one of the four central playing areas allows the promotion of said pawn to one of a Queen, rook, knight or bishop.
20.-22. (canceled)
23. A gaming system comprising a board as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a communications link including a communications path over the Internet.
24.-26. (canceled)
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 19, 2012
Publication Date: Nov 13, 2014
Inventor: Jason Bennett (Tunbridge Wells, Kent)
Application Number: 14/366,607
International Classification: A63F 3/02 (20060101);