US679988A - Game and apparatus for playing same. - Google Patents

Description

Patented Aug. 6,19ol. J. s. PAUL. GAME AND APPARATUS FOR PLAYING SAME.

(Application filed Apr. 12, 1901.)

(No Modal.)

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` UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN S. PAUL, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

` GAME AND APPARATUS FOR PLAYING SAM E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 679,988, dated August 6, 1901.

Application filed April l2, 1901. Serial No. 55.535. (No model.)

To (LZZ whom. it may concern,.-

Beit known that I, JOHN S. PAUL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Game and Apparatus for Playing the Same, of which the -following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to devise a game and to produce the apparatus for playing the same-a game that may be played by any number of persons from two to nine, that is of sufficient difficulty to require mental application, developing keen perception, and that produces sufficient excitement to insure the lively interest of the players.

In the accompanying drawings, Figures l, 2, 3, 4, and 5 are face views of cards used in playingr this game. Fig. 6 represents the checkers arranged as they would appear when placed upon the card shown in the next preceding figure. Fig. 7 is a face view of a card, showing in dotted lines the direction in which moves must be made. Fig. 8 shows a card partially blocked. Fig. 9 shows a card blockaded. Fig. 10 illustrates the card shown in the next preceding figure, the checker upon square No. 5 having been turned up and interchanged with the checker upon square No. 8. Fig. l1 is a perspective view of one of the checkers used in playing this game.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The apparatus for playing the game herein described consists in a series of cards or boards A, numbered from 2 to 10,inclusive, the number of each card being printed neXt below it 2 and 3 counting fromleft to right, those next below 4, 5, and 6, and the squares of the lower row 7, 8, 9, and 10. Each square A also bears a large figure A2, printed upon its face,

the arrangement of which iigures A2 varies `lines in Fig. 7.

3 bears the figure 3 in square No.1. When 10 is reached in the figures A2 upon the squares, the figures 1, 2, 3, duc., follow until each of the ten squares of the card has a figure. For each card A, I provide a set of ten checkers or markers B, each checkel bearing upon one of its faces a number of the series from l to l0,inclusive, increasing regularly by one throughout the series.

On beginning the game the lead is determined in any suitable manner, as by mixing the cards, holding them face downward, and permitting each person to draw one. The lead goes to the person who draws the card `bearing the highest serial number. The cards are then distributed among the players. This may be done by shuffling, each player drawing acard, the leader drawing last. Each player then selects ten checkers bearing the numbers l to 10, inclusive, and places them, with their figured faces upward, each upon the square bearinga large figure corresponding with the figure upon the checker. The game is played by interchanging two checkers upon the card of each player. The lead goes in rotation from right to left, and the leader may interchange checkers only upon diagonally adjacent squares, the moves being limited to those which follow the dotted The other players, however, following the lead of the leader are obliged to interchange the checkers upon their cards that bear upon their faces the same igures as those interchanged by the leader. When a checker is moved to a square whose serial number corresponds with the figure upon the face of the checker, said checker is inverted, or turned down, and is said to be home After a checker is home it cannot be moved by the leader nor by a player following the leader it' said player finds one or both ot' the numbers moved by the leader turned down upon his own card. This latter general rule is made subject to the special rule governing hlockades.

In playing the game each player endeavors to interchange the checkers upon his card so IOO 4ing the result.

that they will all be turned down before any o-ther player succeeds in accomplishing the same result, and toward this end he moves his own checkers not only with a view to reach this end directly, but so that his fellowplayers shall be obliged in following his lead to turn down those checkersupon their cards which will prevent a diagonal interchange of some of their checkers when the lead falls to them. (See Fig. 8.) Owing to the rule governing the direction in which the checkers may be moved from one square to anotherto Wit,diagonally-it frequently happens that a player cannot make any move-as, for instance, when the checkers are arranged as on the card represen ted in Fig. 9. This is called a blockade, and when the cards of all the players are in this condition it is necessary in order to continue the game to-provide a Way hy which changes may be resumed.

Therefore when all cards become blocked the player who has the lead may turn up one played checker and interchange it with an un played one or turn up and interchange two played checkers. The leader in a blocked game must make one ofthe moves just indicated, and succeeding players may follow suit or lrefuse to play. As each player in turn becomes the leader, he may break the blockade upon his card asjust described. In each blockade there is but one opportunity extended to each player to break the lblockade, and if Aany player neglects to take advantage of it he loses all plays subsequent to his blockade until all other cards are once more blocked, which constitutes another blockade, and this latter is opened in the manner just described:

`The game is not considered blocked so long as any player can change, even if one player should have two or more changes in succession. It sometimes happens that a player may interchange two checkers without affect- If such is the only move which he can make, his card is considered blocked. As each player succeeds in putting all of his checkers home he drops out of the game, and if more than two werepiaying the remaining players continue in the same way until all but one have completed or until one, two, or more players have finished, according to the preference of the players. If only two persons are playing, the first to succeed in placing all ot'his checkers home is out and is the Winner. In counting, where a series of games is to be played, he scores one point. If more than two are playing, the first one out scores as many points less one as there are persons playing-that is to say, if nine are playing the first player out scores eight, the next seven, and so on. The last, who is defeated, scores nothing. Where it is decided that the game shall end when three players areout, the first one out scores three points, the second two, and the third one. When on account of the large number playing it is impossible to keep watch of all the moves made, a record showing the changes may be kept and the outcome verified by again making them on the Winners card. In playing the succeeding games of a series the cards are mixed and drawn, as at first, or the card of each player may be passed to the next player on his right at the beginning of each game of the series.

While I have shown the cards and the.

checkers With figures upon their faces, it is clear that names or characters might readily be substituted.

I claim as my invention 1. A game apparatus consisting of a plurality of cards or boards having a series of- Spaces arranged upon each of the cards, each of which spaces bears a gure or character, which gures or characters are repeated on each card but are differently arranged upon each and a checker or marker for each space.

2. A game apparatus consisting of a plurality of cards or boards having a series of spaces arranged in uniform order upon all the cards, each of which spaces bears one figure or character of a series, which figures or characters appearindividually in rotation upon a given space of each'of the cards of the series; and a checker or marker for each space.

3. A game apparatus consisting of a plurality of cards or boards having a series of spaces arranged in uniform order upon all the cards, which spaces are uniformly numbered throughout the series of cards, and bear one figure or character ofa series,which figures or characters appear individually in `regular rotation upon any given space of all JOHN S. PAUL.

Witnesses:

L. L. MILLER, GEO. L. CHINDAHL.

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