GB2121692A - Mathematical game apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The apparatus comprises a board with a field thirteen squares 1 by thirteen squares 1, including seven rows 2 intersecting seven columns 3. Distributed among the rows 2 and the columns 3 are thirty-six dark-coloured unusable squares 4. The apparatus also comprises one hundred and thirty-eight pieces 6 each carrying an arithmetical character, there being six of each of the numbers 1 to 9, twenty-five addition signs, twenty- five subtraction signs, twenty multiplication signs and fourteen division signs. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION A mathematical game According to the present invention, there is provided a mathematical game, comprising a series of spaces, and a plurality of mathematical characters from which various characters can be selected and entered in respective spaces of said series in attempts to obtain a desired mathematical result.

The series of spaces advantageously consists of parallel first lines of usable spaces and parallel second lines of usable spaces, such second lines intersecting the first lines; unusable spaces being distributed among the first and second lines of usable spaces.

The game is advantageously an arithmetical game, with the characters consisting of numbers insertable at the intersections of the lines and arithmetical signs insertable in the usable spaces among the intersections.

The intersecting lines can take the form of rows and columns on a rectangular field.

In order that the invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, reference will now be made, by way of example, to the accompanying drawing, which shows a plan view of a board and some of the pieces of a mathematical game.

Referring to the drawing, the board has a square playing field divided into squares 1, in fact the field is thirteen squares by thirteen squares. There are seven rows 2 of usable squares and seven columns 3 of usable squares intersecting the rows 2. The rows 2 are spaced one square apart, as are the columns 3. Distributed among the rows 2 and the columns 3 are thirty-six unusable squares 4. The unsusable squares 4 are dark in colour, in order to distinguish them from the usable squares, which are light in colour. The boundaries of the squares 1 are defined by dark intersecting lines 5.

The apparatus of the game also includes pieces, which each consist of a rectangular block carrying on only one face, which will be the top face in play, an arithmetical character.

There are one hundred and thirty-eight pieces, consisting of six of each of the numbers 1 to 9, twenty-five addition signs, twenty-five subtraction signs, twenty multiplication signs and fourteen division signs.

Furthermore six screening racks are provided in each of which pieces can be stood so as to be visible to the player but not to the other players.

The rules of the game are as follows:- 1. The game is for between two and six players, and its idea is for a player to try to complete as many rows or columns as possible each totalling 21.

2. At the start of the game, either all of the pieces are placed in a bag, or all of the pieces are placed face down. To decide which player plays first, all of the players draw one piece, the one drawing the highest numbered piece going first.

3. Each player starts by drawing ten pieces from a bag, in such a manner that he cannot tell the characters which he is drawing and then lays these ten pieces in his rack in such a manner that the other players cannot see which characters he has drawn.

4. Play starts from the top left-hand square of the board, either along the topmost row or down the leftmost column.

5. A player must choose to take his turn, or to pass, or to exchange two pieces. If he passes, he must take two more pieces from the bag. When no more pieces are left in the bag, he must play if he can; if he cannot, he misses his turn.

6. if the first player chooses to take his turn, he lays three pieces, that is a number piece in the top left-hand square, followed by either a sign piece in the next square along the topmost row and a number piece in the following square along the row, which is an intersection between the row and the second column, or a sign piece in the next square down the leftmost column, followed by a number piece in the following square down the column, which is an intersection between the column and the second row.

7. The first player then either picks another two pieces out of the bag, or exchanges two of his pieces for two of the pieces in the bag.

8. The next player may follow by laying down two pieces, which must be a sign and a number, and adding them in that order to one of the two numbers on the board, laying either along the topmost row or down the leftmost column. The next player then either picks two more pieces from the bag or exchanges two of his pieces for two of those in the bag.

9. Apart from play along the topmost row and the leftmost column, play can only continue where a number piece is a single square removed to the left from and another number piece a single square removed to above from the number piece being played, in which case the player concerned must play a number and two signs, that is to say one sign for the row and one sign for the column. Thus, assuming that, with reference to the drawing, nine pieces 6 have been laid along the topmost row and two pieces 6 have been laid down the leftmost column, and it is the turn of a player, that player can correctly lay the multiplication piece adjacent the 4 piece, the subtraction piece adjacent the 9 piece, and the 5 piece at the intersection shown, but he could not, for example, lay the multiplication piece and the 5 piece in the positions shown by means of dot-dash lines 6'.Thus, a gap must never be left between a number piece just played and the number pieces to above and to the left; these intermediate squares must always be filled with signs 10. When dividing, the quotient must always be a whole number.

11. When subtracting, the remainder must always be a positive number.

12. When a player totals 21 at the end of a row or a column, he scores ten points plus the total of the points for the pieces on that line. He also has an extra turn immediately.

1 3. The points are calculated as follows:addition piece = 1 point subtraction piece = 1 point multiplication piece = 2 points division piece = 3 points number x piece = x points 14. If a player totals 21 at any time partway along a row or column, he scores a bonus of ten points and has another turn immediately.

1 5. If a player completes a row or a column and the total is not 21, then the total number of points represented by the pieces on that line is deducted from his score.

1 6. At the end of the game, the sum of the points represented by each player's remaing pieces is deducted from his score.

1 7. The game is completed when either the board is full, or a stalemate has been reached in which no player can play, or one player has played all of his pieces and there is none left for him to pick up.

1 8. The winner of the game is the one who scores most points.

The board can be made out of wood, but is preferably made of cardboard. The characterbearing pieces are preferably of plastics. The six screening racks are also advantageously made of plastics.

It is permissible for the players to keep a record of the running total of each row or column, for example on a note pad, in order to save them from continually having to total up the rows and columns.

Claims (8)

1. A mathematical game, comprising a series of spaces, and a plurality of mathematical characters from which various characters can be selected and entered in respective spaces of said series in attempts to obtain a desired mathematical result.

2. A game as claimed in claim 1, wherein said series of spaces comprises parallel first lines of usable spaces, parallel second lines of usable spaces, said second lines intersecting said first lines, and unusable spaces distributed among said first lines and said second lines.

3. A game as claimed in claim 2, wherein the lines are in the form of rows and columns and are on a rectangular field.

4. A game as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein said characters consist of numbers insertable at the intersections of the lines, and arithmetical signs insertable in the usable spaces among said intersections.

5. A game as claimed in claim 4, wherein said numbers comprise a plurality of each of the numbers 1 to 9, a plurality of addition signs, a plurality of subtraction signs, a plurality of multiplication signs and a plurality of division signs.

6. A game as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the usable spaces are of an appearance which contrasts with the appearance of the unusable spaces.

7. A game as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the spaces are provided on a board, and the characters are provided on respective pieces.

8. A mathematical game, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawing.