US521737A - smith - Google Patents

Description

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I H. W. 0. SMITH. r

- GAME BOARD OR APPARATUS.

No. 521,737. Patented June 19, 1894.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2,

(No Model.)

H. W. 0. SMITH. GAME BOARD 0R APPARATUS.

1N0. 521,737. Patentd June 19,1894.

Z gsses. I

UNIT STATES PATENT Futon.

GAME BOARD OR APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 521,737, dated June 19, 1894. Application filed September 5. 1892- Serial No. 445,143. (No model.) Patented in England July 27, 1892, No. 13,662.

i To all whom it may concern.-

is for, two players.

- his pieces; in this consists the defense.

'Be it known that I, HENRY WILLIAM CROQME SMITH, a subjectof the Queenof Great Britain and a burgess of the city of Bristol, residing at Stone House, Grove Road, Redland, Bristol, within the borough of Bristol, England, have invented a new Game Board or Apparatus, v(for which I have ob-' tained a patent in Great Britain,No. 13,662, dated July 27, 1892,) of which the following is a specification.

I call this game, the game of kastellet but any other name may be applied thereto. It It is played on a board, with two similar sets of pieces, the two sets being distinguished by their color, e. g. black and white. In this account of thegame, the word cover is used in the sense following. A piece is said to cover a position on the board, when this position, supposing it were unoccupied and otherwise unrestricted would be a possible position for the piece on its next move.

The distinguishing and essential feature of this game is as follows: The point is a single position on the board, which it is each players object to maintain covered by one or more of The attack consists in an endeavor on the part of each player to break down this defense of his opponent by capturing his piece or pieces which cover the point: and when a player thus loses his command or cover of the point, and cannot by his next move cover the point, he is placed horsde combat, and has no right of move, his opponent winning the game. The winning of the game therefore consists in bringing about such a situation of the pieces on the board that the winner is left with sole command or cover of the point. The pieces may not be played into the point, which may be occupied by a neutral piece (called the Roy) as a visible reminder of this. i

The apparatus and mode of carrying the game into effect shall be as follows: To facilitate explanation a diagram is appended in which the numerals and letters are for reference only. i i

The board-Figure 1 of the diagram represents this on a reduced scale and Fig. 2 represents the playing pieces; the board con tains sixty-one positions arranged in the order of a symmetrical pattern of regular and equal hexagons: the'positions however are not necessarily hexagonal in shape for while still preserving the same order, they might be circular, &c.' The central position marked R in *the diagram isthepoint: this being a nonplaying position constitutes, I believe/anessential difference between this board and others which may have been produced of a somewhat similar pattern. The board thus arranged presents six equal sides, each side having in it five positions. Two opposite sides are selected as the back lines of the players. In the diagram, the positions numbered 1, 2, 3, 4., 5 are taken as the back-line positions ofone player: and those numbered 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, as the back line positions of the other player.

The meow-Each set of men contains three classes of pieces, named flags, maces, lances, distinguished by their shapes or otherwise. The accompanying drawing (Fig. 2) represents convenient and appropriate pieces in which a represents the pieces called herein flags being five in number; 0 represents the pieces called herein maces, being four in number; 1) represents the pieces called herein lances, being three in number, and d represents the piece called herein the bar being one in number. I do not confine myself to any particular shape, style or designation of pieces, as pieces of any design or name may be used.

' The flags-Each player has five flags, and these occupy at the commencement of the game, the five back line positions of the player; The move of the flag is from the position occupied at any stage of the game to either of the two positions in front (rightwise or leftwise) toward the opponents back line: 6. g. the flag occupying 58 can move to 52 or 53; when on 53 it can move to 46 or 47; when. occupying 39, covers the point, but can move to 31 only, &c.

The maces.These are four in number in tion: 6. g. a mace of either player when on 41 can move to any one of the six positions 32, 33, 40, 42, 48, 4E). \Vhen on a position adjacent to the point, e. g. on 30, it covers the point, and has only five possible moves.

The Za nces.-Each player has three lances, and they occupy at the commencement of the game positions in his third row of positions, one on the central position of this row, and one on each side of this: viz: in diagram, 15, 14, 16 forthe player at the top of the board: and 46,45, 47 for the player at the bottom of the board. The move of a lance is, from its position at any stage of the game, along a line between two positions adjacent to this position and to one anotherto the position next beyond; e. g. the lance on 47 can move to any one of the six positions 31, 38, 41, 52, 55, 59. It is to be observed that the three lances belonging to one set can only enter certain positions, and the positions,into which one can play, cannot be entered by the other two; thus the lance occupying 47 can only enter twenty-one positions,viz: 47, 59, 55,41, 34, 25, 31, 16, 11, 4, 8, 1,13, 22, 29,19,35,44,,5o,52,3s. So the lance occupying can enter twenty-one positions only. The two side lances cannot cover the point. The center lance of each set of three, on commencement of play, covers the point, and is distinguished as the Roy lance: it will befound that the Roylance can enter eighteen positions only excluding the point. It desirable the board may be colored in three colors in accordance with these moves of the lances.

The bar.-If a player succeed in playing one of his flags into the central position of his opponents back line of positions and the flag is not captured by one of the opponents pieces, the player may as a subsequent move exchange the flag for a piece called the bar. The exchange is to count as a distinct move.

On the exchange being made, the bar may be placed on any vacant playing position on the board at the players option: but Where placed it remains during the rest of the game, its sole function being to bar or block the position it occupies, and that not only to the opponent but also to the player gaining it.

Having fully described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A game board hexagonal in form, divided into sixty-one positions, the central position being the point of attack and defense, substantially as described and shown.

2. A game board hexagonal in form, divided into sixty-one positions, each of the six sides having on it five positions, the central point being the position of attack and defense, and being a non-playing position, substantially as described and shown.

3. A game and apparatus consisting of a game board hexagonal in form, divided into sixty-one positions the central position being the point of attack and defense, and three sets of pieces for each player; one set consisting of five in number, one set of four and one set or" three, substantially as and for the purposes described.

4. A game apparatus consisting of a game board hexagonal in form, divided into sixtyone positions the central position being the point of attack and defense, and three sets of pieces for each player; one set consisting of five in number, one set of four and oneset of three, and one additional piece for each player, substantially as and for the purposes described.

HEN lY WILLIAM CROOME SMITH.

Witnesses:

Jnsstn VERNON llrronms, HENRY LEE.

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