Patent Application
20140062021
The present invention relates generally to a chess game variant and a method of playing the same, and, particularly, with chess pieces having convertible top portions to provide visible indication of conversion of the chess piece.
The game of chess 1 (Prior Art
In traditional chess, the object of the game is to remove the pieces controlled by one's opponent and maneuver the opposing king into checkmate. During the course of game play special moves are possible such as castling, en passant, and promotion of a chess piece. Today there are many variations on the traditional game of Western chess.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,000,698 to Woodward proposed a form of chess in which captured pieces can be used by the captor. In the game described in this patent, the rules of Western chess and Shogi are combined with an entirely new chess piece design involving an upright stem with a shape denoting the piece's denomination and a direction indicator that identifies the ownership of the piece.
Shogi, often called Japanese chess, dates back to the 16th century. The game is played with 20 flat, wedge-shaped pieces not differing in color on a board of 9 rows and 9 columns. Pieces in Shogi, which differ in size, are marked on their surface with Chinese characters, have other markings on their reverse side, and can be promoted when a piece is turned over. Promotion occurs when a piece reaches the three ranks (or promotion zone) on the far side where the opponent's pieces were set up at the start of the game. The pieces for each player include one king, one rook, one bishop, two gold generals, two silver generals, two knights, two lances, and nine pawns. Ownership of the piece is determined by the direction toward which the piece is pointing, that is, the smaller end points toward one's opponent.
What distinguishes Shogi is its “drop rule,” which allows players to return to the board pieces captured from an opponent and use them as one's own. Once captured, a piece may be held “in hand” on a wooden stand at the bottom right corner of the board, then returned to play anywhere on the board. Each drop counts as a move by the player. But a drop cannot capture an opponent's piece. And a drop in the promotion zone does not lead to immediate promotion. Two restrictions must not be violated. First, a pawn cannot be placed on the same column as another unpromoted pawn; and, secondly, a pawn cannot be dropped to bring about an immediate checkmate. Furthermore, in order for pawns, knights and lances to have freedom to move legally, they cannot be dropped on the farthest rank, nor can a knight be placed on the penultimate rank.
The present invention is directed to a board game for two players that is an improvement to the traditional game of Western chess and Shogi. In the present invention, the board game includes a traditional 64 bi-tonal (e.g., black and white) checkerboard with eight rows and eight columns. Each player has a set of board playing pieces, where the first set of playing pieces is one color and the other set is a different color. Similar to traditional chess, each player has eight pawns, two castles or rooks, two knights, two bishops, one queen, and one king, where the playing pieces are ranked from lowest (pawns) to the highest rank (the king) and the other playing pieces are ranked in descending order: the queen, bishops, knights, and the castles (or rooks). These playing pieces are readily identifiable by size and shape and each playing piece has a top and bottom portion.
However, different from Western chess or Shoji, the top portion of each pawn, castle, knight, bishop, and queen of each playing set is removable from its respective bottom portion. Each playing set further includes an additional top portion for each pawn, castle, knight, bishop, and queen that has a different color than the original top portion. According to one aspect of the invention, the additional top portions are the same color as the opposing player's original playing pieces. Further, each additional top portion may be the same size and shape of the original top portion, such that the new top portion of a playing piece may look exactly like the original top portion for that same playing piece, save that the color of the top is different than the bottom portion of the playing piece.
In one form of the invention, each top portion, regardless of whether it's an original top portion or the additional top portion, of a playing piece includes a lower surface and an outwardly-extending protuberance. Each bottom portion includes an upper surface in which a slot or opening of a size to receive the protuberance of the top portion is defined. Each top portion is capable of being seated atop of its corresponding bottom portion by inserting the protuberance of the top portion into the slot of the bottom portion and where the lower surface of the top portion closely confronts the upper surface of the bottom portion.
In addition to the game board and novel sets of playing pieces, the invention further includes a method of playing a game in which each piece is intended to move as in traditional Western chess. For example, a king can move only one square, but in any direction. A queen can move in any direction (up, down, right, left, and diagonal) and travel as many squares within that direction as is available or capable of capturing an opponent's piece. A bishop can only move diagonally. One of the two bishops is moveable within one (color) tone of squares on the board; the other bishop can only move on the other (color) tone. A knight can only move within an “L” shaped configuration such as two squares over and one square “up” or one square over and two squares “up” so that it must always move to a square tone different than the square tone it moved from. A castle can only move vertically or horizontally. And a pawn can only move one space directly ahead except for two exceptions: (1) a pawn can move two squares on its first move and (2) when a pawn captures a piece, it can only do so by moving diagonally forward one square.
Each side sets up its playing pieces as shown in the prior art FIG. 1 with a first player, playing with the lighter color playing pieces, having its king on square 1e, the queen on 1d, the bishops on C1 and F1, the knights on B1 and G1, and the castles on A1 and H1. A row of pawns are placed along row 2 (A2-H2). The second player, playing with the darker color playing pieces at the opposite end of the game board, sets up its playing pieces likewise with its king at square 8e, its queen at 8d, and so on.
Each side takes turn moving one of its respective playing pieces. Similar to Western chess, players strategically capture opponents playing pieces in order to ultimately capture the other player's king. Playing pieces are captured when a playing piece, played in turn, moves onto a square occupied by the other's playing piece. When a player can capture the other player's king, it is called “check.” If the player whose king is in check can move its king to a position of safety during its turn or can move another playing piece to block the otherwise capture of the king, the king is then “out of check” and the game continues. But if a player checks its opponent's king and that player can no longer move its king out of check or another playing piece cannot block the checking piece, “check mate” is declared and the player that check mated the other's king is the winner.
In traditional Western chess, captured pieces are removed from the playing area of the board. The lone exception in Western chess is when a player's pawn is “promoted”—a situation whereby a player has successfully moved a single pawn completely across the game board to the other player's first row (e.g., row 8 for the first player or row 1 for the second player). Once a player promotes a pawn, that player regains a previously captured piece and replaces the promoted pawn with the newly recaptured piece (oftentimes the highest ranked piece that was previously captured, such as a queen if available). The new piece begins on the square to which the pawn advanced as was promoted thereby giving the player that promoted pawn a higher ranked piece that may be able to move in a strategic direction closer to where the opponent's king may be situated.
Unlike traditional Western chess, the present invention allows the player who captures an opponent's piece to remove the top portion of the captured piece, such as removing the top portion protuberance from the slot of the bottom portion, and replacing it with a new top portion. Thus, the newly converted piece exhibits visual indication that the captured piece is now a converted piece. The net effect is that the otherwise captured piece does not leave the board, but is now converted to an additional playing piece for the player who made the capture. These converted playing pieces return to their original column (or alternatively row or alternatively original playing square).
This fundamentally changes the dynamics of the game. In a practical sense, there are more playing pieces on the board. It is both harder to get at the other's king as there is not the inevitable reduction of one or both side's pieces as those pieces leave the board. In another sense, the game may be faster as there is less of a “playing field” and one side or another is always losing playing pieces to the other side.
Given that the Western chess is, an allegory for medieval battle, including capturing pieces (taking prisoners) and removing them (sending them to the dungeon or worse), the method of play in the present invention is philosophically different. Instead of “taking prisoners” and sending them off such that they are incapable of battle unless in rare circumstances (promotion of a pawn to a higher ranked piece), the “converted” piece is asked to join the other side. From this perspective, the side that is converting pieces is more analogous to a leader “converting” a person or persons to its point of view. The game itself is not one of battle and annihilation, but one of persuasion such that the opponents king is captured when too many of the other king's team and converts have pressured the other side's leader (king) such that it must move from the pressure, but can no longer move (maintain an old position) within the network of people, including converts and those having contrary and evolving views.
These and other advantages will become more apparent upon review of the Drawings, the Detailed Description of the Invention, and the Claims.
Like reference numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the several views of the drawings, wherein:
Referring to
Each set 18 is similar to Western chess in that each includes a king 110, a queen 112, two bishops 114, two knights 116, two castles 118 (also called rooks), and eight pawns 120. Each playing piece is ranked where the king is of the highest rank. Next highest is the queen, then the bishops, the knights, the castles, and then the pawns, which are of the lowest rank. Each playing piece has a top portion 122 and a bottom portion 124. Each playing piece is visually identifiable by its rank. While many different sizes and shapes may be envisioned, the traditional Staunton style chess pieces are illustrated as representative pieces.
Unlike Western chess, however, each top portion 122 for at least the queen, bishop, knight, castle, and pawn playing pieces, is removable from its corresponding bottom portion 124 in the present invention. Each player also has a second set of top portions 126 that are interchangeable with the original top portions 122 and are configured to engage with the original bottom portions 124. These second set (or new) top portions are of a different color or tone than the original top portion. As illustrated in
Referring particularly to
Referring also to
Alternatively, and not illustrated, the invention may encompass where a bottom portion of a playing piece includes a protuberance that extends upwardly and the top portion includes a slot or opening of a size and shape to receive the protuberance from the bottom portion. Other common mechanical joining of the top and bottom portions may be configured (e.g., twist screw top, tongue and groove, hook and latch, hook and loop fasteners) and still be encompassed in the claims of the present invention.
Referring again to
Referring now to
Similar to Western chess, players take turns moving one piece at a time. Each player strategizes how to move its pieces such that it attacks (put into “check”) the other player's king.
Also similar to Western chess, the object of the game is to “checkmate” the king and that person is declared the winner. Checkmate is the state in which the king is otherwise in a “captured” state (placed into check by the other player through at least one playing piece) but where the king cannot move into another square or otherwise move one of its playing pieces to otherwise block being in check. This is the final state where the king is fully captured and the game ends.
In play, if a player moves its playing piece to one occupied by the opponent's piece it would be “captured” under Western chess rules. The piece would be removed from the board and the player whose playing piece was captured and removed must play with one less playing piece. But in the present invention, the playing piece is “converted,” not captured. The playing piece's original top portion 122 is removed and replaced with the new top portion 126. The new top portion provides visual indication that it is a converted piece. Here, conversion means that the playing piece stays on the board and remains a playing piece of the same rank, but is now a playing piece for the player that converted it.
If a pawn starts the game at D2, and subsequently makes various moves and later converted, and given a differently colored top portion, it should be returned to square D2 (or alternatively any other available square space in column 2, any available space D1 through D8). If square D2 or the other square spaces in column D are already occupied, then the converted piece should be kept off to one side of the board until a space opens for it to safely occupy, as in Shogi. (See for example,
Alternatively, the game can be played where a converted piece is replaced anywhere there is a space from the original row (as opposed to column).
As illustrated in
According to one aspect of the game, the new top portions correspond to two colors (or tones) of the playing piece sets. The player that converts an opponent's playing piece removes the top portion of the converted piece and replaces it with a new top portion having the same color (or tone) as the player's pieces. In such manner, the top portion is the same color as the rest of the original top and bottom portions so as to quickly make a converted piece identifiable.
The present invention game of “conversion” as opposed to “capture” provides a distinct change in game philosophy. Conversion is not based on “annihilation,” but can be characterized as persuasion and be a metaphor for more peaceful coexistence and a philosophy that is based on communication, rather than domination.
The illustrated embodiments are only examples of the present invention and, therefore, are non-limitive. It is to be understood that many changes in the particular structure, materials, and features of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is the Applicant's intention that his patent rights not be limited by the particular embodiments illustrated and described herein, but rather by the following claims interpreted according to accepted doctrines of claim interpretation, including the Doctrine of Equivalents and Reversal of Parts.
