GB2195902A - Apparatus for playing a game which simulates the game of snooker - Google Patents

Abstract

Board game apparatus for simulating the game of snooker has a board 1 with a playing area 2 representing a snooker table and divided into individual play locations 17 for ball markers 4,5,6 movable on the playing area, and random selection means 7,8 for determining the play locations to which the ball markers are to be moved during a game. The random selection means may be in the form of dice 7 and a set of lettered pieces 8 to produce a selection corresponding to individual play locations 17, which are arranged in an array of rows and columns, in order to determine the relative positions of each ball marker 4,5,6 after each shot in the game. The random selection means is also used to determine whether or not a given ball marker is hit or potted. The game described is in two parts, the players having first to circle the peripherals area 3 using playing elements 12, dice 7 and instruction cards 13, 14 to collect play money from piles 15. The game may also be devised for simulating pool or billiards. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Apparatus for playing a game which simulates the game of snooker This invention relates to apparatus for playing a board game which simulates the game of snooker, pool or the like.

Snooker, pool and to a lesser extent billiards are popular games which require a large expensive table. Consequently, a large room is required in which to play the game.

It is an aim of the present invention to provide apparatus which is relatively inexpensive and which enables a game of snooker, pool or the like to be closely simulated without requiring a large amount of space in which the game is to be played.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for playing a board game which simulates a game of snooker, pool or the like comprising a board having a playing area representing a snooker or pool table which is divided up into individual play locations, ball markers representing individual snooker or pool balls or the like which are movable on the playing area to different play locations, and random selection means for determining the play locations to which the ball markers are to be moved during a simulated game of snooker, pool or the like.

Preferably, the playing area is generally rectangular and is divided up by a grid of two orthogonal sets of parallel lines into an array of individual play locations, resulting in the play locations being rectangular in shape; square if the parallel lines are equally spaced.

However, other means may be provided for dividing the playing area, and the individual play locations may be of other convenient shapes, for example, circular or even irregular shapes. In an array of rows and columns, each row and each column may conveniently be labelled to facilitate identification of each play location, for example by letters and/or numbers provided along at least two adjacent sides of the rectangular playing area. Conveniently, the corner play locations represent corner pockets of the snooker or pool table, and the play locations halfway along two opposite sides of the playing area represent centre pockets.

The board bearing the playing area may be of any convenient size. It is desirable for it to be portable and able to be stored away easily.

Ideally it is arranged to be placed on a table for use. The board may be made from any one of several materials including wood, cardboard, plastics, cloth or paper and may be foldable to make it more compact for storage.

The outline of the playing area, the grid defining the play locations and, where present, the labels identifying rows and columns of play locations are preferably marked permanently on the board. For instance lines and letters and/or numbers may be printed or scored on the board.

The random selection means may comprise any convenient means for producing a random selection which corresponds to one of the play locations. For determining an individual play location in an array of rows and columns the random selection means preferably comprises first means for generating a letter or number which corresponds to one of the rows and second means for generating a number or letter which corresponds to one of the columns of the array. The random selection means, for instance, may comprise a die or dice suitably marked with letters or numbers and/or at least one set of lettered or numbered pieces from which one piece may be selected at random to generate a letter or number corresponding to a row or column of the array.

It is possible that other forms of random selection means may be provided, such as cards or at least one wheel or other spinning device with suitable markings corresponding to rows, columns or even individual play locations of the playing area.

The ball markers may take any convenient form which enables then to be moved easily from one play location to another. Preferably they are of colours corresponding to those of the balls they represent, i.e. for a simulated game of snooker there is provided a plurality of red ball markers, usually fifteen, a white or "cue" ball marker and six differently coloured ball markers.

The apparatus in accordance with the present invention may be used to play a game in which the relative positions of the ball markers on the playing area can change after every shot, thereby enabling a real game of snooker, pool or the like to be closely simulated.

A particular feature of a simulated game of snooker played on apparatus in accordance with the invention is that for a nominated red or coloured ball marker to be "hit" by the cue ball marker there has to be a direct line between that ball marker and the cue ball marker. Likewise, for a ball marker to be "potted"ere has to be a direct line between that ball marker and a play location representing one of the pockets. A ruler may be provided for determining whether the cue ball marker and a nominated ball marker are in positions in which the nominated ball marker can be "hit" or "potted".

Random selection means may be used to determine whether or not the nominated ball marker has been "hit" or "potted" before the subsequent positions of the remaining ball markers are determined. This random selection means may comprise the or part of the random selection means for determining the play locations to which the ball markers are to be moved.

Preferably, scoring means are also provided for indicating the scores of players during a simulated game of snooker, pool or the like.

The present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawing which is a plan view of board game apparatus in accordance with the invention.

The apparatus illustrated in the drawing comprises a rectangular board 1 having a central playing area 2 of generally oblong rectangular shape and an outer playing area 3 around the periphery of the board 1, and several pieces of playing equipment comprising a set of ball marker discs 4, 5 and 6, at least two dice 7, a set of twenty-one lettered pieces 8, a ruler 9, a pegging board 10, scoring pegs 11, playing elements 12 for the outer playing area 3, two packs of cards 13 and 14 and sheets of paper 15 representing bank notes of different denominations.

The central playing area 2 represents a snooker table and is divided by a grid 16 of two orthogonal sets of equally spaced parallel lines into an array of 231 individual play locations 17 made up of eleven columns and twenty-one rows. The columns are labelled by numbers 2 to 12 provided along a shorter side of the rectangular playing area and the rows are labelled by letters A to U provided along a longer side of the rectangular central playing area 2. The corner play locations A2, A12, U2 and U12 represent corner pockets of the snooker table and the play locations in the outer columns half-way along the longer sides, K2 and K12 represent centre pockets of the snooker table.

Besides the grid 16, the central playing area 2 is also marked with a baulk line 18, a "D" 19 and spots for ball locations which correspond to the locations of the coloured balls at the start of a game of snooker. The set of coloured ball marker discs comprises fifteen red discs 4 corresponding to the red balls in a snooker game, a white disc 5 corresponding to the "cue ball" and six coloured discs 6 corresponding to the coloured balls in a snooker game, namely yellow, green, brown, blue, pink and black. The twenty-one lettered pieces 8 bear letters A to U which correspond to the labelled rows of the central playing area 2.

The outer playing area 3 around the periphery of the board 1 is marked into individual playing sections 20, each bearing a written instruction, and is used, in conjunction with the playing elements 12, the two packs of cards which are designated "RED BALL" cards 13 and "WHITE BALL" cards 14, the bank notes 15 and one of the dice 7, to play a first part of a two-part game as will be described below.

In the first part of the game involving the outer playing area 3 each player selects one of the playing elements 12 and is given bank notes 15 equivalent to a specified sum of money. Starting from a predetermined "START" section 22 the players progress around the outer playing area 3 by shaking a die 7 in turn, by moving the playing element 12 forward the appropriate number of sections and by following the instructions on the section on which the playing element 12 lands. When a player lands on a "RED BALL" or "WHITE BALL" section 21 the player has to take a "RED BALL" card 13 or a "WHITE BALL" card 14 and follow the instructions thereon. Most of the instructions on the sections and on the cards 13 and 14 relate to the gaining or losing of money.The objects of the first part of the game are to acquire as large a sum of money as possible and to be the first or second player to reach a predetermined "FINAL" section. As indicated in the drawing the predetermined "START" and "FINAL" sections are provided on adjacent playing sections 22 and 23 respectively.

When two players have reached the "FINAL" section 23, the first part of the game is interrupted or concluded and those two players play the second part of the game on the central playing area 2 in the manner described below.

In the second part of the game, a game is played which simulates a game of snooker using the central playing area 2, the ball marker discs 4, 5 and 6, the two dice 7, the lettered pieces 8 and the ruler 9 which is preferably made of clear plastics material. The lettered pieces 8 may be contained within a bag (not shown) or other container or they may be placed face down in a tray on or off the board. The drawing shows the start of the second part of the game in which the ball marker discs 4, 5 and 6 are placed on the central playing area 2 at ball locations corresponding to the positions of balls at the start of a game of snooker.

The player who breaks first nominates one of the outer red discs 4 to be "hit". He then throws the two dice 7 to determine his "shot", i.e. whether the disc has been hit, and if so, whether it has been hit with a desired degree of strength and accuracy. if the sum of the two dice 7 thrown is seven, the player is deemed to have played his shot perfectly and he is allowed to place both the nominated red disc and the white marker disc 5 on any vacant desired ball location apart from the corner and centre pocket locations. If the sum of the two dice thrown is from two to six the nominated red disc is deemed to be hit with less skill and the player is allowed to place the red disc on any vacant ball location apart from the pocket locations and he can choose in which horizontal row of ball locations the white disc 5 has landed; the player must then throw the dice 7 to determine in which ball location of that row the white disc 5 has landed. If the sum of the two dice 7 thrown is from eight to eleven, the nominated red disc is deemed to be hit, but only with very little skill. The player then takes a lettered piece 8 and throws the dice 7 to determine in which row and column the red disc has landed, and he takes similar action to determine where the white disc 5 has landed.If the sum of the two dice 7 thrown is twelve, the nominated red disc is said to have been missed and the player then takes a lettered piece 8 and throws the dice 7 to determine where the white disc has landed. Then, if the white disc 5 lands on a vacant ball location or on a ball location occupied by one of the coloured ball marker discs 6 a "foul" shot is adjudged to have been made, whereas if the white marker disc 5 lands on a ball location occupied by a red marker disc 4, no foul shot is adjudged to have been made. When a disc lands on a ball location occupied by another ball marker disc, that other disc is displaced and the player takes one of the lettered pieces 8 and throws the dice 7 to determine where that other ball marker disc lands.

At the start of the simulated snooker game not all of the red discs 4 are clearly positioned within an individual ball location, but when the first red disc is "hit" a minimum of four other red discs are moved to other neighbouring vacant ball locations, so as to break up the "pack" of red discs 4. This action is preferably taken before the position of the white disc 5 is established.

The "potting" of ball marker discs in the simulated game of snooker is determined as follows. To pot a disc there has to be a direct line between the white disc 5 and the red or coloured disc to be potted and between that disc and a pocket location A2, A12, K2, K12, U2 or U12. The ruler 9 may be used to determine whether or not a nominated marker disc can be potted. The ruler 9 may be pointed at one end for this purpose. The player then throws the dice 7 to determine whether the nominated disc is potted. If the sum of the two dice thrown is from two to eleven, the disc is said to have been potted. Red discs are removed from the central playing area 2 when potted and, as in snooker, until all the red discs have been potted the- coloured marker discs are replaced onto their appropriate spots after being potted.If the sum of the two dice thrown is twelve, the disc is adjudged not to have been potted.

Other more complicated snooker "potting" shots can also be simulated, such as "plant on" shots and "double" shots. For a "planton" shot, two red discs have to be in a direct line with one of the pocket locations, and the white disc 5 has to be in line with a first one of those red discs. The two dice 7 are then thrown to determine whether or not the second red disc is potted in the manner described above. The first red disc is placed on the play location previously occupied by the second red disc. A "double" shot, when a nominated ball is potted off a cushion, can also be simulated if the discs are in appropriate play locations on the playing area 2. To pot a disc in a simulated "double" shot, the player must throw between two and six with the dice 7. If the player throws between seven and twelve, the pot is missed.

After a pot is missed, the subsequent positions of the white disc 5 and of the red or coloured marker disc are determined by another throw of the dice 7 and by taking a lettered piece 8 as described above. After potting a marker disc the player is allowed to choose a horizontal row in which he wishes the white disc 5 to land. The player then throws the dice 7 to determine in which play location in that row the white disc lands. Play then continues, as in snooker, with the potting of a coloured ball marker 6 following the potting of a red ball marker 4 until a pot is missed or until a player is unable to pot another disc and he has to play a safety shot.

It is then the other player's turn to play a shot. Also any marker disc which lands on one of the pocket locations is deemed to be potted and if the white marker disc or the wrong coloured disc is potted in this manner, a foul is committed. When all the red discs have been potted, the coloured discs have to be potted in sequence and removed from the playing area as in real snooker. Points obtained when balls are potted and penalty points given when foul shots are made are recorded on the scoreboard 10 with the scoring pegs 11.

Snookers can also be simulated in the following manner. If the white disc 5 lands on a ball location where it is obscured from the red or coloured disc to be hit next, the player taking the next shot is "snookered". The player then throws the dice to determine whether or not he has hit that red or coloured disc. If the sum of the dice thrown is the same as the number of the column in which the red or coloured disc is situated the disc is deemed to be hit and the player has escaped from the snooker. The player then throws the dice 7 and picks a lettered piece 8 to determine where the disc lands and the white disc 5 is placed on the play location from which the red or coloured disc has been moved.If, however, the sum of the disc on the first throw is not the same as the number of the column in which the red or coloured disc is situated, the disc is deemed to have been missed and a foul is committed. The white disc 5 is then placed on the play location in the row in which the red or coloured disc is situated and in the column to which the number of the thrown dice relates. If that play location is occupied by another marker disc, that other marker disc is then displaced to another ball location determined by a lettered piece 8 picked from the set and by another throw of the dice 7. If the player is snookered on a red disc and the white disc lands on another red disc in the same row as the nominated red disc, no foul is committed.If the other red disc is situated in the "pack" of red discs and does not fully occupy the play location on which the white disc lands, the player pushes the white disc up to the red disc, until the white disc fully occupies this location. If the two discs remain touching after this action is complete, then a "touching-ball" situation arises. The next player is then allowed to choose a horizontal row in which he wishes the white disc 5 to land. The player then throws the dice 7 to determine in which play location in that row the white disc lands.

The simulated game of snooker is played in the above-described manner, following the normal rules of snooker, where applicable, until all of the red and coloured ball marker discs 4 and 6 have been "potted". The player winning the simulated game of snooker is deemed to be the snooker champion and is awarded a large sum of money from the bank notes 15, whilst the loser receives a lesser sum of money.

Following the second part of the game, i.e.

the simulated game of snooker, all the playing elements 12 are returned to the "START" playing section 22 and the first part of the game is repeated until two players reach the "FINAL" playing section 23, when another simulated game of snooker is played. The two-part game is concluded when one player has gained a predetermined sum of money; that player being the winner of the game.

It will be appreciated that many modifications may be made to the apparatus for playing the board game described above. For instance, the dice 7 and/or the set of lettered pieces 8 which constitute random selection means for determining play locations to which the ball markers 4, 5 and 6 are to be moved during the simulated game of snooker may be replaced by other appropriate random selection means, for instance spinning wheels, or a set of lettered cards. Also, the central playing area 2 may be provided on a separate board, cloth, sheet or the like which is removable from the board 1 having the outer playing area 3 marked thereon. This enables the simulated game of snooker to be played separately from and, possibly even simultaneously with, the first part of the game. The ball markers 4, 5 and 6 may also take other forms.

The simulated game of snooker as described above may be a self-contained game in itself, in which case the outer playing area 3, the "red ball" and "white ball'' cards 13 and 14, the playing elements 12 and the bank notes 15 are not required. Likewise the first part of the game may form a self-contained game in itself.

Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the manner in which the simulated game of snooker is played may differ from that described above. For instance, different sums of the two dice 7 thrown may determine whether or not ball markers have been "hit" or "potted" and whether a "snooker" is successful or not. Under certain circumstances a player may choose certain areas of the playing area 2, for instance, one half of the playing area, in which he wishes the white disc 5 to land with the exact play location in a row being determined by a throw of a single dice, thereby simulating positional play more closely.

The above-described apparatus may also be modified and adapted for playing other "snooker-type" games such as pool or billiards. For pool the twenty-one red and coloured ball markers 4 and 6 would need to be replaced by fifteen ball markers consisting of seven of one colour, seven of another colour and one biack ball marker, with the rules for playing the simulated game suitably adapted.

Claims (15)

1. Apparatus for playing a board game simulating a game of snooker, pool or the like comprising a board having a playing area representing a snooker or pool table which is divided up into individual play locations, ball markers representing individual snooker or pool balls or the like which are movable on the playing area to different play locations, and random selection means for determining the play locations to which the ball markers are to be moved during a simulated game of snooker, pool or the like.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, in which the playing area is generally rectangular.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the individual play locations are circular or irregular in shape.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 2, in which the playing area is divided by a grid of two orthogonal sets of parallel lines into an array of individual play locations.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 4, in which each row and column of the array is labelled to facilitate identification of each play location.

6. Apparatus as claimed in any of claims 2 to 5, in which the corner play locations represent corner pockets of the table, and play locations halfway along two opposite sides of the playing area represent centre pockets.

7. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the random selection means produces a random selection corresponding to individual play locations.

8. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, in which the ball markers include a cue ball marker and object ball markers corresponding in number and colour to the balls of the game to be simulated.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8, including a ruler for determining whether there is a direct line between the cue ball marker and a nominated ball marker, or between a nomi nated ball maker and a pocket play location, in order to determine for a given shot whether or not a nominated ball marker can be hit or potted.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9, in which the random selection means is used to determine the relative positions of ball markers in the playing area after each shot.

11. Apparatus as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10, in which the random selection means is used to determine whether or not a nominated ball marker has been hit or potted.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 5 and any of claims 6 to 11, in which the random selection means comprises first means for generating a row identifier, and second means for generating a column identifier.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 12, in which the random selection means comprises a die or dice and/or at least one set of marked pieces from which one piece may be selected at random.

14. Apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim, including scoring means for indicating the scores of players during a simulated game.

15. Apparatus for playing a board game simulating a game of snooker, pool or the like substantially as described herein with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.