Amusement devices: games – Board games – pieces – or boards therefor – Piece moves over board having pattern
Reexamination Certificate
1998-11-23
2001-01-09
Chapman, Jeanette (Department: 3711)
Amusement devices: games
Board games, pieces, or boards therefor
Piece moves over board having pattern
C273S255000, C273S258000, C273S262000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06170825
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There is a continuing market or need for board games of many types. This invention is a new type of intellectually challenging game such as chess but differs markedly from the original chess game and the many variations thereof in prior art. In chess the pieces have differing values and greatly differing capabilities and a game may essentially be won when one player captures a major piece, such as the king of the opponent.
In this game there are three different groups of pieces with each group having different capabilities but with similar worth to the player in his effort to capture the other player's pieces. The player wins by using the synergistic effect of having the proper pieces in the proper location at the proper time.
In this invention the power or directions in which a piece may capture and the mobility are separate concepts and these are varied to make each of the three groups of pieces have approximately the same worth in their use to capture the opposing player's pieces.
The playing board differs markedly from the familiar chess board in that there are no all powerful positions and all playing pieces are of similar worth. With experimentation the inventor has found that a two level board, each level with a playing field having a total of thirty seven blue plus white hexagons and with each player having a total of ten pieces the game is sufficiently complex to be interesting and intellectually challenging and may be concluded in one to two hours. A second embodiment has dual playing fields with sixty one hexagons and each player starts with eighteen pieces. A game on the second embodiment could require three to five hours to conclude.
In a preferred embodiment of the playing pieces each of the three types of movable pieces has a walnut or walnut colored side and a maple or maple colored side. One player starts with the walnut sides showing and the other player starts with the maple side showing. Each player attempts to capture the other player's pieces and as he does conscripts them for his own by simply turning them over.
At the start each player has four pieces called the Halberd that have six directions of capture but can move only one hexagon at a time; has four pieces called the Saebel that have four directions of capture and that can move two hexagons of the same color at a time; and has two pieces called the Lantz that can move up to six hexagons but is the most limited in its direction of capture. The names A, B, C or many other names could also be used for the playing pieces.
The concept of momentum is introduced by allowing a player who wins four or more pieces to move more pieces at a time. The equipment may be used for a single game or as a campaign of several games. In a campaign a player who is losing may choose to lose to cut his losses on a particular game since the winner of total number of pieces wins the campaign. With the sixty one hexagon playing board available the campaign could be played using both boards. In some embodiments the sixty one hexagon playing fields could be on the lower side of the boards having the thirty seven hexagon playing fields so that the more difficult second embodiment could be used by inverting the playing unit on different games of the campaign.
Obviously one of normal skill in the art could make changes in the playing field size, the number of playing pieces, and even the playing rules, we wish therefor only to be limited to the spirit and purpose as outlined in these specifications and claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The equipment of the invention comprises similar dual hexagon shaped playing fields composed of preferably white and blue hexagons, held on rectangles one above the other and separated for visibility. Each one of the small hexagons is identified with a letter or number to aid the player in making certain that a vertical move is properly made. Each player starts with an equal number of playing pieces. Each playing piece has the same color on one side and the same but differing color on the other side.
The object of the game is for a player to capture the opposing player's pieces. In a preferred embodiment each player has two pieces of one shape and one capability for movement and capture, has four pieces of a second shape and a second capability for movement and capture, and four pieces of a third shape and a third capability for movement and capture. Each player has ten pieces at the start of the game. When a player captures a piece he conscripts the piece for his own team by turning the piece over to his team's color and placing the conscripted piece in his own back row. A player must then guard his back row to be able to make use of the conscripted pieces. Each of the three types of pieces has differing move limitations and differing capture capabilities. The inventor intended for each piece to be of about the same worth to a player in his efforts to capture the opponent's pieces. To win a player must consider the capabilities of his pieces in their location on both playing fields, the capabilities of the opposing player's pieces in their location on both playing fields, the particular location of pieces that may capture by a vertical movement, and the immediate and longer range consequences of his contemplated movement of each movable piece. The thought processes may be likened to that of a local battle field commander or the owner of a business.
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Chapman Jeanette
Long Joseph F.
Mendiratta Vishu
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