US3843130A - Chess game for two,three or four players - Google Patents

Abstract

In addition to a basic playing area of 64 playing squares arranged in eight bilaterally alternately colored rows having eight playing squares per row, the checkerboard of the game has three additional such rows on each side of the basic playing area, the innermost of which carry the pawns, the intermediate of which carry the conventional royalty pieces, and the outermost of which consist of two playing squares apiece that are coextensive with the middlemost squares of the intermediate rows, and carry two additional royalty pieces selected from the group consisting of queens, knights, bishops and castles.

Description

[451 Oct. 22, 1974 1 CHESS GAME FOR TWO, THREE OR FOUR PLAYERS Inventor: Karl R. Whitney, .113, 25605 SE.

242nd St., Maple Valley, Wash. 98038 [22] Filed: May 29, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 364,737

52 US. Cl. 273/131 KP [51] Int. Cl. A631 3/02 [58] Field of Search 273/131 [56] References Cited FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 18,266 0/1895 Great Britain 273/131 K 214,636 8/1941 Switzerland 273/131 B 1,030,519 5/1966 Great Britain 273/131 KP Primary ExaminerDelbert B. Lowe Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Christensen, OConnor, Garrison & Havelka [5 7] ABSTRACT In addition to a basic playing area of 64 playing squares arranged in eight bilaterally alternately c01- ored rows having eight playing squares per row, the checkerboard of the game has three additional such rows on each side of the basic playing area, the innermost of which carry the pawns, the intermediate of which carry the conventional royalty pieces, and the outermost of which consist of two playing squares apiece that are coextensive with the middlemost squares of the intermediate rows, and carry two additional royalty pieces selected from the group consisting of queens, knights, bishops and castles;

3 Claims, 1 Drawing Figure AGQQ PATENTED um 22 m4 CHESS GAME FOR TWO, THREE OR FOUR PLAYERS FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a chess game which is played in substantially conventional fashion, but improved by virtue of providing for play between or among two, three or four players. The players may play as individuals, or they may play as partners, including two playing as partners against a third or four playing as two sets of partners against one another.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing which illustrates a presently preferred embodiment of the same.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the game comprises a generally square-shaped checkerboard 2 having a symmetrical outline and 136 playing squares 4 of equal size therein, 64 of which are arranged at the center of the board to form a basic playing area 6 having 8 playing squares per side. The remaining 72 playing squares are arranged around the periphery of this basic playing area, and are formed in three additional rows 8 on each side of the area, the innermost 8' and intermediate 8" of which rows have eight playing squares apiece and are coextensive with the respective sides of the area, whereas the outermost rows 8" have only two playing squares apiece and are coextensive with the middlemost squares of the intermediate rows 8". In the horizontal and vertical crosswise directions of the board, the playing squares 4 are alternately black and white, or some other pair of contrasting colors, whereas in the diagonal crosswise directions of the board the squares are of the same color in alternate rows, which of course, is not unlike a traditional chessboard. Moreover, as in traditional chess, the game is played using sets of so-called chessmen 10, each of which comprises pawns P and a group of royalty pieces consisting ofa king K, a queen O, bishops B, knights Kn and-castles C. However, unlike traditional chess, four sets of chessmen are employed, and each comprises four knights Kn in addition to the usual king, queen, two bishops, two castles and eight pawns. Initially, the king, queen, bishops, castles, and two of the knights of the respective sets, are arranged in single file on the intermeidate rows 8" of the peripheral playing squares, whereas the two remaining knights of the respective sets are arranged in single file on the outermost rows 8" of the peripheral playing squares. The pawns of the respective sets are arranged in single file on the innermost rows 8' of the peripheral playing squares. Thus, when play commences, each player has eighteen chessmen, including ten royalty pieces, four of which are of the same description. Also, when play commences, all of the chessmen are positioned outside of the basic playing area 6.

The increased number of royalty pieces enables th game to be played by up to four people, that is, one on each side of the board. Moreover, the increased num' ber enables four people to play under a set of rules whereby no one player can be quickly overcome by the others, even where two or more players team up against him. Alternatively, the players can pair off with one another as partners, and the defeat of one partner will not prevent the other from continuing.

Under the rules, the players move their respective chessmen in traditional fashion, including moving the pawns out two squares initially if desired, and using the pawns to take the chessmen of other players by moving them diagonally rather than straight ahead. Also, where their pawns reach the intermediate rows of the peripheral squares on the opposing sides of the board, the players can exchange them for royalty pieces as in traditional chess. Apart from these old rules, however, the players follow certain new rules relating to the checkmate of a king and to the pairing off of players as partners. These new rules vary, moreover, depending on whether one or the other of two versions of the game is played.

According to one version of the game, every player plays as an individual, with one player moving first and then each of the others moving in consecutive order around the board in counterclockwise direction. If thereafter, during the course of the game, any players king is put in check, that player must get out of check immediately, regardless of whose turn comes next in the order of play. For example, if the king of the player at the top of the board in the drawing is put in check by the player opposite him, that is, the player at the bottom of the board, then it is the topmost players move for purposes of getting out of check; and after his move, it is the move of the player to the right of the bottommost player, that is, it is the move of the player at the right-hand side of the board. In this way, the player whose king is in check effectively has two moves per round of moves, so that the act of checkmating another players king gains no advantage for the aggressor, unless the checkmated player is unable to escape check, not only with respect to the pieces 10 of the aggressor, but also with respect to the pieces of the two other players. The exception, of course, is where thecheckmated player would have moved next anyway, in which event he gets but a single move, and that is needed to escape check.

If by chance a player checkmates the kings of two or more other players, then the latter players must get out of check in the order of their regular turns, although again each may have two moves per round of moves, so that by the time the situation is unscrambled, there can be a complete. change in the complexion of the game. Of course, where the man who gets out of check has an additional move before the man who checked him, it is possible that the original aggressor may have the tables turned on him" in that he in turn may become checkmated or may lose a valuable piecethrough the extra move of the checkmated player. This is particularly important where two or more players team up against a single player, since they will find it harder to place that one player-in check, and to hold him there, notwithstanding their combined power.

When an aggressor places another players king in check, and the latter player is unable to escape, then the checkmated players king is removed from the board and the aggressor has the options of either adoptimg all of the checkmated players pieces in their existing situation, and playing them himself, or adopting both the checkmated player and his pieces, and allowing the checkmated player to play the pieces as he chooses, but of course, to the end of aiding the aggressor in his efforts to win. Under this latter option, moreover, each of the two players continues to take his appropriate turn in each round of moves, and moves only his own original pieces. On the other hand, where the aggressor chooses to move both sets of pieces himself, then he may do so only on his turn, so that the number of turns is effectively reduced by one, for example, to three instead of four. Alternatively, this latter rule may be limited to the situation where either the aggressor or the checkmated player has only three or less royalty pieces left at the time of the checkmate, that is, in addition to his king.

When one player defeats two other players, then he moves turn for turn with the fourth player, while the two defeated players drop out of the game and allow the two remaining players to complete it.

Where each of two players defeats another player, then either rule may be applied. That is, each of the remaining players may move both of his sets in one turn, or each may take alternate turns in which he moves one set at a time.

As suggested earlier, two players may team up against another. However, in doing so, they risk that either may expose himself to the fourth player. Also, the addition of two royalty pieces to each players set of pieces, gives the players greater ability to protect themselves against a combined attack, so that what begins as a combined attack by two or more players may turn into a situation in which one of the combined players loses patience with the others, or cannot resist the opportunity to remove pieces of those with whom he is cooperating, and accordingly turns against them in the midst of the attack. This often happens where one of the combined players starts to lose a greater number of' pieces than his teammates, and becomes fearful of weakening his position vis-a-vis his own teammates.

The other version of the game is one in which the four players divide into pairs of partners. The partners need not oppose one another across the board, so that many variations are possible around the board. The rule as to commencing the game varies somewhat from individual play. After one player moves first, the player across from him on the boardmoves second, followed by the player to the second players left, and finally the fourth-player. Thereafter, the rules remain somewhat the same as in individual play, although the players continue to move in this same irregular order. The rule requiring that a player get out of check immediately is normally discarded, however, so that each player merely takes his turn, notwithstanding that there is a checkmate. Also, in order to prevail, either pair of partners must take both kings of the opposing pair of partthat his set of pieces is thereafter combined with that of his partner, so as to make one set only. The three remaining players then continue to play in turn, although the combined sets of the one partnership are treated as a single set so that any piece of the combined sets may be moved at each turn of the remaining partnenCompare this with individual play, and the option recited above with respect to it.

Queens, bishops, or castles may be used as additional royalty pieces, in lieu of knights. Also, the additional pieces need not be the same. For example, each player may have an additional queen and an additional knight, or some other such combination. in fact, players may be given a choice of additional pieces, with a restriction against adding more than one queen, or against adding any queens at all. Knights are preferred because of their ability to leap over other pieces.

I claim:

1. A chess game for two, three or four players comprising a relatively enlarged checkerboard having a basic playing area consisting of 64 playing squares arranged in 8 bilaterally, alternately colored, successively adjoining rows having 8 playing squares per row, and an additional peripheral playing area around the basic playing area, consisting of three additional rows adjoining each side of the basic playing area, the innermost and intermediate of which additional rows consist of 8 playing squares apiece'and are coextensive with the respective sides of the basic playing area, and the outermost of which additional rows consist of two playing squares apiece and are coextensive with the middlemost squares of the intermediate rows, and a relatively enlarged set of conventional chess pieces initially disposed on the additional peripheral playing area of the checkerboard for each player, consisting of the usual 8 ners. This is tosay, when one pair of partners takes one visually distinguishable royalty pieces initially disposed.

on the squares of the intermediate additional row on one side of the basic playing area, 8 visually identical pawns initially disposed on the squares of the innermost additional row on said one side of the basic playing area, and two additional said royalty pieces initially disposed on the squares of the outermost additional row on saidone side of the basic playing area, and selected from the group consisting of queens, knights, bishops and castles, saidroyalty pieces on the aforesaid intermediate additional row being arranged in conventional order end to end of the row, with the king and queen being disposed on the aforesaid middlemost squares of the row, and all of said royalty pieces and said pawns being permitted to move on the checkerboardin conventional fashion. 1

2. The chess game according to claim 1 wherein the two additional royalty pieces are similar.

3. The chess game according to claim 1 wherein the two additional royalty pieces are knights.

Claims (3)

1. A chess game for two, three or four players comprising a relatively enlarged checkerboard having a basic playing area consisting of 64 playing squares arranged in 8 bilateRally, alternately colored, successively adjoining rows having 8 playing squares per row, and an additional peripheral playing area around the basic playing area, consisting of three additional rows adjoining each side of the basic playing area, the innermost and intermediate of which additional rows consist of 8 playing squares apiece and are coextensive with the respective sides of the basic playing area, and the outermost of which additional rows consist of two playing squares apiece and are coextensive with the middlemost squares of the intermediate rows, and a relatively enlarged set of conventional chess pieces initially disposed on the additional peripheral playing area of the checkerboard for each player, consisting of the usual 8 visually distinguishable royalty pieces initially disposed on the squares of the intermediate additional row on one side of the basic playing area, 8 visually identical pawns initially disposed on the squares of the innermost additional row on said one side of the basic playing area, and two additional said royalty pieces initially disposed on the squares of the outermost additional row on said one side of the basic playing area, and selected from the group consisting of queens, knights, bishops and castles, said royalty pieces on the aforesaid intermediate additional row being arranged in conventional order end to end of the row, with the king and queen being disposed on the aforesaid middlemost squares of the row, and all of said royalty pieces and said pawns being permitted to move on the checkerboard in conventional fashion.

2. The chess game according to claim 1 wherein the two additional royalty pieces are similar.

3. The chess game according to claim 1 wherein the two additional royalty pieces are knights.

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