US2192667A - Game - Google Patents

Description

C. L. SMITH March 5, 1940.

GAME

Filed July 24, 1939 m @Mi Charles.

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Patented Mar. 5, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to amusement devices, and more particularly to games.

This invention has as an object a novel game of simple construction which presents varied interesting opportunities for skillful play. Other objects will appear hereinafter.

My new game is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which the Fig. l is a plan view thereof;

Fig. 2 is aV section through the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

v Fig. 3 is a plan View of the numeral face of a playing piece;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the reverse side of the same piece;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the numeral face of another playing piece;

Fig. 6 is a plan View of the reverse side of the tile shown in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is the numbered face of a different form of playing piece.

My new game consists of a game board l and for each player a'duplicate set of elongated numbered playing pieces or tiles, which are most conveniently of rectangular form. The pieces of one set are designated by the numeral 2 and the pieces of the other set by the numeral 3. In the best embodiment of the game the set of playing pieces for each player includes an additional piece, one of which is indicated by the numeral 4 and the other by the numeral 5. These two pieces are distinguished from the remaining pieces of each set by a special character, F. D. in the present instance representing Flying Dome as the name of the piece. In the illustration shown, the numbered pieces bear the numbers 2, 3, 5, 5, 5, 5, 'l and 8 and these pieces, as are the pieces l and 5, appropriately differentiated on the side bearing the numeral or character, as by color of the character or back-ground, to distinguish one set of the playing pieces from those of the other set. The reverse face of all the playing pieces are plain colored, as indicated in Fig. 4, and these faces on the pieces of each set are of like color, the color on the pieces of one set being different from that on the other set as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 6.

The game board is provided with a plurality of rows of aligned stations 6 presenting a boundary l, formed by lines, an indentation or opening in the board or by an embossment, within which the playing pieces or tiles may be arranged either vertically or horizontally as shown in the drawing in the case of the two tiles numbered 3 and 8. These stations E preferably consist of cross-shaped openings extending into the face of the board, a convenient form of construction being to form the board of two laminae, the upper one I3 being formed with the cross-shaped openings extending entirely through and the lower one M forming a backing supporting the pieces when placed in the openings.

A convenient method of making the game board consists in providing lines 8, 9, IB and ll forming a series of right angled parallelograms, and forming the cross-shaped openings in the corners and in the middle of each side eicept in the case of the innermost square or rectangle bounded by line I l where the cross-shaped opening is placed in the center. This arrangement presents the cross-shaped openings in vertical and horizontal rows each of which contains at least three openings or contains at least a multiple of three. The center vertical and horizontal rows in the drawing contain '7 openings and all other rows have three openings. Each playing station or cross-shaped opening 6, except the center one, is preferably surrounded by a circle or other figure and these circles connected by lines indicating the direction or line of play. For this purpose the lines l5 joining the center opening with those surrounding it are required in addition to lines 8, 9 and I0 forming the boundaries of the previously mentioned squares or rectangles. The board is provided at the sides with openings, the numeral I2 indicating the opening vacated by the two playing pieces in the playing stations, for receiving the playing pieces before the game begins.

The game may be played by using both the numbered and plain colored sides of the playing pieces or it may be simplied by using either one of these sides. One method of play involving both sides of playing pieces of the kind shown in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6 is as follows.

The players alternately place one of their tiles with the numeral facing up in any cross-shaped opening and either in a vertical or in a horizontal position. Each player attempts to get, against the blocking tactics of his opponent, three of his pieces in three successive openings joined by the previously mentioned lines with the further requirements that the pieces be all vertically or all horizontally aligned and that the numbers total a given number. This total is a scoring combination and credits the player with one point. I prefer to use playing pieces numbered as illustrated and let the player score when he obtains any one of the totals 10, l5 or 20.

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After all numbered tiles are on the board each player in turn may move his piece one space or may jump one tile, either his own or an opponents in attempt to make a scoring combination or to obstruct the opponents chances. Tiles jumped are not removed from the board. But in either moving or in jumping the player piece must always reverse its previous position. That is, a piece positioned vertically in a cross-shaped opening must be positioned horizontally in the opening to which it has moved or jumped. No scoring combination is made with the same three tiles in the same way twice in succession.

After one player has scored iive points, all the playing pieces are turned over as they lie on the board, thus giving each player eight plain colored tiles. Each player then places the piece bearing the special character', labeled F. D. in the present instance, and the play continues as before in an effort to make or prevent a scoring combination. This piece has a greater latitude in movement than the other pieces and is privileged to move to any opening on the board, but in moving it must also reverse its former posi tion and cannot reverse its position without moving to another opening. Each scoring com bination, which is now made by three successive aligned pieces of the same player, or by two of such tiles aligned with the piece marked F. D., now credits the player with one point and also the privilege of removing one of his opponents pieces, except the mentioned special piece, from the board. Three aligned pieces of thesame color appearing from the act of turning over the tiles does not count toward the score. When a players strength has been reduced to three pieces, two plain colored ones and they special piece, the player so handicapped may move any of his three pieces without any restriction whatever to make or prevent a scoring combination. For each such combination the handicapped player is credited with two points and the privilege of `removing one of the opponents pieces except the special piece. When one player has been reduced to two pieces, a plain colored one and the 'special piece, the game is ended and the player with the greater number of points wins. The above described game, which I have called Whichway is capable oi a .great many variations designed either to complicate or to simplify the possibilities offered for skillful and ingenious play. Thus the 4rirethod outlined above may be changed to play the special piece iinmediately after the play with the numbered pieces is completed, the special piece always being assumed to total with any two numbers one of the previously mentioned totals, or the plain sides of the pieces only may be used, the special piece being played just after the players have placed the other pieces. Another method consists in using, with or without the special piece, only the numbered faces of the tiles. The tile shown in Fig. '7, designated by the numeral I6 is a convenient form. When the gaine is played in this manner it is desirable that the two pieces of the two players be distinguished but it is not necessary that the opposite sides of the tiles be dierently colored.

claim:

l. In a gaine, a game board provided With a plurality of cross shaped openings having vertical and horizontal arms, said openings being ar. ranged in rows on the board, each row containi1' ing at least three of said Openings with the Vertical and horizontal arms aligned, and playing pieces shaped to t in said openings to ll substantially the entire space across the same in the vertical or horizontal direction only whereby said playing pieces may be positioned interchangeably in either direction in said cross shaped openings to position said playing pieces in groups of three in either vertical or horizontal alignment.

2. In a game, a gaine board provided with cross shaped openings having vertical and horizontal arms, said openings having their vertical and horizontal arms aligned and being arranged on the board at the corners and middle points of the sides of each of a series of successive smaller paralleiograms one within the other, and playing pieces shaped to nt in said openings to fill substantially the entire space across the same in the vertical or horizontal direction only whereby said playing pieces may be positioned inter changeably in either direction in said cross shaped openings to position said playing pieces in groups of .three in either vertical or horizontal alignment.

3. The game set forth in claim l in which the playing pieces consist of two sets carrying numbers on one side and in which the pieces of each set are of like vcolor on at least o-ne side but of different color from that on at least one side of the pieces of the other set.

CHARLES LYNN SMITH.

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