CHESS GAME

Abstract

A chess game named Water Crystal for two opposed players to train intelligence and tactics, the chess game includes: —A checkerboard-style board partitioned by 12 horizontal lines and eleven vertical lines, divided in two symmetrical parts by a river, each part having a palace at the back rank center and patterns to help arrange pieces at the opening, a space, and a wooden bar at the end to help remember postponements; and—Two set of game pieces, each set having a color and including pieces named after the twelve zodiac animals and a Water Crystal piece, each having starting position, moving, and capturing rules, and where the starting positions of the two sets are symmetrical on the board.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention is related to the field of chess, i.e. products for brain training, particularly to a chess game to be played with a chess board and chess pieces under prescribed rules, more particularly to a new version of Chinese chess.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

There are many kinds of chess games in the world, where the most popular ones are chess, Chinese chess (Xiangqi) and Go chess, all are brain games based on ancient strategies and tactics, that is, based on cavalry, infantry, and artillery. Therefore, in traditional chess games, the pawns always follow the ancient strategy of placing pieces to oppose one another on the front line.

There are some solutions to improve chess and Chinese chess. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,982 discloses a variation of chess with an expanded board, U.S. Pat. No. 6,466,966 B1 discloses another variation with a narrowed board and PCT publication WO2011016637A3 discloses a variation of Chinese chess with added chess pieces and an expanded board.

Nevertheless, chess and Chinese chess, including variations thereof, may cause a feudal feeling because everything on the board is to protect the King or the General. Now in the modern time, King or General is no longer so meaningful because of great changes in the thinking and intelligence of modern human beings. Furthermore, war strategies and tactics have entirely changed thanks to the rapid development of advanced weapons for effective long-range attacks and minimal human damages. Principles of thinking and tactics as such have not yet been incorporated in any chess game.

Therefore, there is a demand for an intellectual game, particularly a chess game based on the principle of “lightning attack and tight defense” to keep up with the needs of social development and at the same time, to maintain the traditional identity of chess.

The invention provides a solution to satisfy the demand above.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

A purpose of the invention is to provide a new and modern chess game as a cultural sport suitable for the intelligence of modern people to train brain, and drill in flexible and effective thinking.

The invention reaches the purpose above by providing a new chess game for two opposed players, the game includes:

• • a checkerboard-style board partitioned by 12 horizontal lines and eleven vertical lines, divided in two symmetrical parts by a river, each part having a palace at the center and patterns to help arrange pieces at the opening, a space, and a wooden bar at the end to help remember postponements; and
  • two set of game pieces, each set having a color and including pieces named after the twelve zodiac animals and a Water Crystal piece, each having a specific starting position, specific moving and capturing rules, and where the starting positions of the two sets are symmetrical on the board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The invention will be described in details below in conjunction with the following drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the board;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the board with notes;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing the positioning of pieces on the board at the opening of a match;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing the moving rule of the Rat before crossing the river;

FIG. 5 is a schematic showing the moving rule of the Rat after crossing the river;

FIG. 6 is a schematic showing the moving rule of the Horse;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing how to block the Horse;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the control area of the Horse;

FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing the moving rule and the control area of the Goat;

FIG. 10 is a schematic showing the moving rule of the Cat;

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing the capturing rule of the Cat;

FIG. 12 is a schematic showing the moving rule of the Tiger;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the capturing rule of the Tiger;

FIG. 14 is a schematic showing the moving rule of the Buffalo;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram showing the capturing rule of the Buffalo;

FIG. 16 is a schematic showing the moving rule of the Snake;

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram showing the capturing rule of the Snake;

FIG. 18 is a schematic showing the moving rule of the Dragon;

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing the capturing rule of the Dragon;

FIG. 20 is a schematic showing the moving rule of the Rooster and the Monkey;

FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram showing the control area of the Rooster and the Monkey;

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram showing the capturing rule of the Rooster and the Monkey;

FIG. 23 is a schematic showing the moving rule of the Dog and the Pig;

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing the control area of the Dog and the Pig;

FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram showing the capturing rule of the Dog and the Pig;

FIG. 26 is a schematic showing the moving rule of the Dog and the Pig in Combat;

FIG. 27 is a schematic showing the moving rule of the Water Crystal;

FIG. 28 is a schematic showing the moving rule of the Water Crystal at another position;

FIG. 29 is a schematic diagram showing the capturing rule of the Water Crystal;

FIG. 30 is a schematic diagram showing the default position of the Sky Eye;

FIG. 31 is a schematic diagram showing an option of how to activate the Sky Eye;

FIG. 32 and FIG. 33 is a schematic diagram showing activities of the Sky Eye;

FIG. 34 is a schematic diagram showing the protection area of the Sky Eye after Boost;

FIG. 35 is a schematic diagram showing how to weaken the opponent's Sky Eye;

FIG. 36 is a schematic diagram showing how to revive captured pieces under protection of the Sky Eye;

FIG. 37 is a schematic diagram showing how to bring a piece back after revival;

FIG. 38 is a schematic diagram showing the Observe status of a piece after revival;

FIG. 39 is a schematic diagram showing the status of a piece unprotected after the Sky Eye is disabled; and

FIG. 40 is a schematic diagram of the international version of the chess game according to an embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As shown in FIG. 1, the board is rectangular and possibly made of wood, plastic, paper, or fabric, or shown on a display of a smart device such as computer, tablet, or smart phone, etc. with a checkerboard style of twelve horizontal lines and eleven vertical lines. Horizontal lines are marked from ‘a’ to ‘k’ and vertical lines from 0 to 10. Squares on the board may be filled with checkered pattern to assist players in calculating diagonal moves. At the center of the board (amid lines ‘e’ and ‘f’) is a river, dividing the board into two symmetrical parts.

Each side has a square palace of 4 squares formed by vertical lines 4, 5, 6 and the last horizontal line. The palace is drawn with two diagonals for guiding the moves of defensive pieces (Rooster, Dog, Pig, and Monkey). Besides, plus signs (+) are drawn aside vertical lines 2, 5, and 8 to assist the arrangement of key pieces at the opening of a match. Finally, the chess game of the present invention includes postponements of move and correspondingly on the board, at the end of each part, there is a space and a wood bar (brown with a white or grey spot) to assist to remember the postponements.

Each player has an army of twelve basic pieces and a special one named the Water Crystal. In an embodiment, the twelve basic pieces are named after twelve zodiac animals, making it easy to remember. Unlike the chess games known in the art, the chess game named “Water Crystal chess” game of the present invention categorize basic pieces into three groups, namely the attack group consisting of the Dragon, the Buffalo, and the Tiger, the defense group of the Rooster, the Dog, the Pig, and the Monkey; and the versatile group of the remaining pieces.

In an embodiment, the names, symbols, values and moving rules of basic pieces are as given in Table 1 below. It is noteworthy that in actual embodiments, piece may take any graphic form, providing that it is easy to differentiate one another, to remember their moving and capturing rules or control areas.

TABLE 1
Basic pieces of the chess game of the invention
Name and
Notation	Symbol	Value	Moving and capturing rules (in brief)
Water Crystal (W)		++	Move one point, horizontally or vertically. Not allowed to leave the palace.
Rat (A)		1	Move one point vertically forward; move vertically or horizontally (1 point) after passing the river; Not allowed to move backward. Cannot be captured at the starting position.
Horse (H)		4	Move one point orthogonally and then one point diagonally away from former position; Blockaded by any piece at the vertically/horizontally adjacent point (not allowed to move that way).
Goat (G)		5	Move similarly to the Horse, without getting blockaded.
Buffalo (B)		10	Move vertically or horizontally any distance of the board; blockaded by any ally piece on the path; directly capture the nearest opponent's piece.
Snake (S)		7	Move diagonally any distance of the board; blockaded by any ally piece on the path; directly capture the nearest opponent's pieces on the path.
Dragon (D)		15	Move any distance in any direction; blockaded by any ally piece on the path; directly capture the nearest opponent's pieces on the path.
Cat (C)		6	Move similarly to the Buffalo without ability of direct capture; only capture by jumping over single piece on the path; not allowed to jump without capture.
Tiger (T)		8	Move and capture similarly to the Cat yet it can be boosted: allowed to jump to capture diagonally (not allowed to move diagonally and to jump without capture).
Dog (Dg) and Pig (P)		3	Move diagonally one point within the palace. In ‘Combat’ it can leave the palace, and cross the river to attack. In ‘Combat,’ it is allowed to move one point in any direction.
Rooster (R) and Monkey (M)		2	Move diagonally one or two points without passing the river. In ‘Combat’ it is allowed to cross the river to attack (still move diagonally one or two points).
The Sky Eye (E)			Stand still before getting activated. Move backward/forward one point after getting activated; and move horizontally and vertically any distance of the board after Boost.

Unlike pieces of other chess games, each piece of the chess game of the invention further has a certain value as shown in Table 1. The effect of the values will be explained in the paragraph of chess rules below.

Furthermore, some pieces have special interactions with the river, i.e. the space between horizontal lines e and f), namely:

• • The Rat after crossing the river can also move horizontally one point, still it is not allowed to move backward) (see also Table 1).
  • Defensive pieces are not allowed to cross the river before Combat (to be explained later).

Chess Rules

Opening

At the opening, pieces are arranged at their starting/default positions as shown in FIG. 2.

Players and Results

A match of the “Water Crystal chess” of the invention is played between two players. One plays the army of white pieces, another plays the army of grey pieces, and the two take turns making moves. When it is his/her turn, the player can move any of his/her pieces in compliance with its moving/capturing rules as well as with special rules of the chess set (to be explained later).

Players' goal is to find any way to move their army on the board in compliance with rules to capture the opponent's Water Crystal piece (also called “Check”) and at the same time, keep their own Water Crystal piece safe (i.e. not “be in Check”).

A convention is that a match always begins with a move of a white piece.

In the “Water Crystal chess” of the invention, “Check” means a player's piece can directly move to capture the opponent's Water Crystal piece in the next turn. The player in Check must move any of his/her pieces to bring his/her Water Crystal piece out of danger. “Checkmate” means a player in Check has no legal move to avoid Check. Checkmate will at once terminate the match and award victory to the player who has just made the Check move.

Furthermore, a player can win by preventing the opponent from making any legal move. That is, when a player in his/her turn can make no legal move without permission for postponement (see more details in the section of “Postponement” below), he/she is defeated and the player who has made the last legal move (i.e., the opponent) is the winner. Additionally, at anytime, after judging the situation and finding no better move, a player can admit defeat and award the victory to the opponent.

Finally, a game results in a draw when both players have insufficient pieces to checkmate the opponent or when both players agree to a draw. An example of insufficient pieces is as follows: a game reaches its final stage and each player has only one attack piece left (for instance, a piece such as Water Crystal and Horse, or Rat). In this situation, the match ends in a dead draw as no one can defeat the opponent. A match also results in a draw when both players agree then rearrange pieces to their starting positions.

The chess game of the invention may have unlimited time for thinking and calculating moves. In another embodiment, for instance, in the blitz or rapid versions, the time for thinking before a move may be limited to increase the excitement as well as the level of challenge for players.

Moving Rules

For moving pieces, players should abide by four moving rules as follows:

• • (i) After a move, the piece should be located at a point, i.e. the intersection of a vertical line and a horizontal line. That means all pieces cannot move out of the board or into the blank areas.
  • (ii) Any move of a piece should comply with its moving rules. For example, the Rat can only move vertically when it has not crossed the river and the Buffalo can move vertically or horizontally (see Table 1).
  • (iii) Either player cannot make any move that brings his/her Water Crystal piece to danger (i.e. put himself/herself in Check). For example, during a game, when his/her Water Crystal and Horse, and his/her opponent's Buffalo are positioned in a vertical line (the Horse blocks the attack of the Buffalo), moving the Horse to any position will open a direct attack to the Water Crystal (i.e. Check). Therefore, moving the Horse in this situation is not legal or it can be considered as a defeat (as agreed between players).
  • (iv) No pieces are allowed to move through any other piece, and it is only allowed to capture only one opponent's piece, the nearest one on the legal path, except that the Cat and the Tiger are allowed to jump over another piece (called detonator) to capture the nearest opponent's piece (jumping without capturing is not allowed).

Combat

Compared to conventional chess games, the chess game of the invention contains an entirely different feature called Combat. It is to push the intensity and drama of the game. Combat is a mode that occurs on the next move after all three strongest attack pieces (Dragon, Buffalo, and Tiger) of both players are already captured. In Combat, all defense pieces (Rooster, Monkey, Dog, and Pig) are allowed to leave the palace and cross the river. Particularly, the Dog and the Pig are upgraded and allowed to move vertically, horizontally, and diagonally, one point per move (see details in the Chess Pieces).

Notation for Moves

Players can record moves of a match, using the coordinate system and chess piece names. A move can be recorded as follows:

[First Letter of Chess Piece Name][Coordinates after the Move, Number Before Letter]

For example, the White army starts by moving the Dragon four points to the right. The Grey army responds by moving the Horse to 7f. The move can be recorded as follows: 1. D9b-H7f

Moving rules of every piece will be described below.

Versatile Pieces

Rat

The Rat (A) can move vertically one point each move. After crossing the river, it can move vertically or horizontally 1 point. It is not allowed to move backward. It cannot be captured at its default position. The value of the Rat is 1.

FIG. 4 shows moves of the Rat before and after crossing the river. After crossing the river, since the white Rat is still in its default position, the grey Rat cannot capture it, and can only move to the left or to the right.

Horse

Horse (H) can move one point orthogonally and then one point diagonally away from former position. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the Horse can move from 5g to 6g, then to 7f or 7h; or from 5g to 5f, then to 4e or 6e.

The Horse can be blockaded (not allowed to move in that direction) by a piece vertically or horizontally adjacent to its side as shown in FIG. 7 by the location and dashed circles and the grey Snake.

As such, if not blockaded by any ally or opponent piece, the Horse can control 8 squares as shown in FIG. 8. The value of the Horse is 4.

Goat

The Goat (G) can move like the Horse without getting blockaded. Therefore, in most cases (except the case when it is positioned on the edge), the Goat can control 8 squares as shown in FIG. 9. The value of the Goat is 5, that is higher than that of the Horse as it is not blockaded, but lower than those of other pieces as it is slow.

Long-Range Attack Pieces

Cat

The Cat (C) can move any distance vertically or horizontally on the board as shown in FIG. 10. The Cat cannot directly capture and instead, it must jump over a piece to capture another on the path, and it is not allowed to jump without capture. As shown in FIG. 11, Cat may capture the white Dragon (move C2h) or the white Snake (move C6e) because there is a detonator on the two paths. The Cat is not allowed to capture the white Horse (9h) because there are two pieces therebetween.

The value of the Cat is 6, that is higher than the Goat and the Horse thanks to its long range yet it is lower than other attack pieces as it requires a detonator.

Tiger

The Tiger (T) can move and capture like the Cat yet it is boosted, that is it is allowed to capture diagonally but it is not allowed to move diagonally and jump without capture as shown respectively in FIG. 12 and FIG. 13, where FIG. 12 shows the moving of the Tiger. As shown in FIG. 13, the Tiger can capture the opponent's piece like the Cat, that is to jump over a detonator to capture. Nevertheless, the Tiger can capture not only horizontally and vertically but also diagonally, for example, T2d—jump over the grey Rat to capture the white Horse at 2d.

The value of the Tiger is 8, that is higher than the Snake and the Cat but lower than the Buffalo as it requires a detonator.

Buffalo

The Buffalo (B) can move any distance horizontally and vertically in the board as shown in FIG. 14. The Buffalo can be blockaded by any ally piece or it can capture the nearest piece of the opponent on its path. For example, the grey Buffalo can capture the white Buffalo by the move B8h yet it cannot capture the white Snake or the white Dragon as it is blockaded by ally pieces as shown in FIG. 15.

The value of the Buffalo is 10 thanks to its large control scope and it is only lower than the Dragon.

Snake

The Snake (S) can move any distance diagonally on the board until it is blockaded by an ally piece as shown in FIG. 16. The Snake can directly capture a piece on its path as shown in FIG. 17, accordingly, it can move S9i to capture the white Buffalo, yet it cannot capture the white Tiger or white Monkey because it is blockaded by an ally piece.

The value of the Snake is 7, that is higher than the Cat but lower than the Tiger.

Dragon

The Dragon (D) can move any distance horizontally, vertically, and diagonally in the board until it is blockaded by an ally piece as shown in FIG. 18. The Dragon can capture the nearest opponent's piece on its path as shown in FIG. 19, where the grey Dragon can capture the white Horse (D2g), the Monkey (D4d), or the Tiger (D9e), yet it cannot capture the white Buffalo (9i) as it is blockaded by the grey Horse.

The value of the Dragon is 15, that is highest as it has the largest control scope.

Defense Pieces

Monkey and Rooster

The Monkey (M) and the Rooster (R) can move diagonally one or two points each move, they are not allowed to cross the river and they can be blockaded by another piece as shown in FIG. 20 and FIG. 21. In ‘Combat,’ they are allowed to cross the river to attack, yet they can only move one or two points diagonally. The Monkey and the Rooster can capture the nearest opponent's piece on their diagonal paths (maximum 2 points) as shown in FIG. 22, where the Rooster can capture the Horse (R9h) but cannot capture the Snake (5h) as it is blockaded by the Cat (6i).

The values of the Monkey and the Rooster are 2.

Dog and Pig

The Dog (Dg) and the Pig (P) can move diagonally one point within the palace as shown in FIG. 23. Nevertheless, in Combat, the Dog and the Pig may leave the palace, cross the river to attacking as shown in FIG. 23 and FIG. 24. In ‘Combat’ they can move one point in any direction. The Dog and the Rooster can capture the opponent's piece on their path as shown in FIG. 25, where the Dog can capture the Snake by the move Dg6h.

In Combat, the Dog and the Pig can move one point horizontally, vertically, or diagonally and capture the opponent's piece as shown in FIG. 26, where the Dog can capture the Horse (Dg6e) or the Rooster (Dg5c).

The values of the Dog and the Pig are 3.

Water Crystal

Water Crystal (W) can move one point, horizontally or vertically within the palace. The Water Crystal is invaluable and a player must protect his/her own Water Crystal pieces.

The Water Crystal can move to the left, to the right, or forward from its default position as shown in FIG. 27 and to the left, to the right, forward, or backward from the center position as shown in FIG. 28.

The Water Crystal can capture the opponent's piece on its path. As shown in FIG. 29, the Water Crystal can capture the Horse by the move W5i.

Sky Eye

In addition to the basic pieces mentioned above, in another embodiment, each army on the chess game of the invention may further include a thirteenth piece name the Sky Eye to add value to the player's strategic skills and drastic to the game as well.

A characteristic of the Sky Eye (E) is that it cannot capture or get captured.

Due to its special nature, the Sky Eye can have a thin, flat shape and a diameter larger than all other pieces.

At the Opening of a match, the Sky Eye is positioned at its default place, that is 09 (for white army) and kl (for grey army) as shown in FIG. 30.

The Sky Eye can move one point forward or backward but after Boost, from the then position, it can move forward, backward, to the left or to the right and stop freely as arranged by the player on the vertical or horizontal line to the end of the board without getting blockaded by any other piece.

The Sky Eye is an invisible piece as it is allowed to move through and stand at the same position of another piece (neither blockade nor getting blockaded). In case that the chess game of the invention is played in a physical board, the Sky Eye should be placed beneath a piece (if any) on the same position.

To start up the Sky Eye, a player must obtain 5 score, i.e. capture some opponent's pieces of the total value of 5, then the Sky Eye is allowed to enter the board at its default position (then it is called Watcher).

Besides, for moving the Sky Eye, a player should meet one of the three conditions as follows:

• • Immediately after a capture;
  • Immediately after a Check; or
  • Immediately after the opponent's postponement. In the case, the player may move any piece at the same time with the Sky Eye.

The Sky Eye can also revive ally pieces in its control area, that is on the vertical and horizontal lines that intersect at the position guarded by the Sky Eye.

If the opponent's Sky Eye is located on the same vertical/horizontal line of the player's Sky Eye, both are disabled, that means they can no longer revive ally pieces on that vertical/horizontal line.

If the two Sky Eye pieces guard a single position (overlapping), both are disabled on both vertical and horizontal lines (see details below). In this case, for example:

The grey army actively uses a turn to move its Sky Eye on the same vertical or horizontal line to place it on the opponent's Sky Eye. After that move, the grey army is considered to have abandoned the Sky Eye (in the next turn, if possible, the grey army may not use that piece) and the two Sky Eye pieces are then disabled. If it is the turn that the white army may move the Sky Eye, it may withdraw the grey Sky Eye, and move the white Sky Eye. That is, the power of this piece (the white Sky Eye) is fully restored and the grey Sky Eye is disabled indefinitely.

At the opening of a match, it is default that the Sky Eye is positioned at 09 (for white army) and kl (grey army). At that time, the Sky Eye has no power and is not allowed to move. When a player captures an opponent's piece, he/she charges power to his/her Sky Eye by the value of the piece just captured. An example of activation of the Sky Eye is shown in FIG. 30, where it is the turn, the white Goat captures the grey Snake (with value of 8) (move D7e), and charges the score (i.e., 8) to the Sky Eye. Then the white army has a power higher than 5, and it is allowed to bring the Skye Eye to the activated status in the board in the same turn.

Activation

When the total score, i.e. the power, exceeds 5, the Sky Eye can be activated. Then the player can launch the Sky Eye to the starting position at 1a or 9a (for the white army) and 1j or 9j (for the grey army) as shown in FIG. 31. Then the Sky Eye has sufficient power still its moving is limited (only one point forward or backward).

To be allowed to move freely, the player should get the power of at least 9, i.e. 9 scores, for Boosting the Sky Eye.

Boost

When the total score is 10 or more, the Sky Eye is Boosted, then it has sufficient power and its moving is no longer limited (i.e. vertically or horizontally from the then position). Thus, when the player has 5-9 score, they just can move sky Eye in limited fashion (only one point forward or backward). But when the player has a score of 10 or more, the Sky Eye is boosted and its moving is no longer limited (i.e. vertically or horizontally from the then position).

Activities of the Sky Eye are illustrated with more details in FIGS. 32-34.

As shown in the drawings, the white Goat captures the grey Snake, thereby activating the Sky Eye as shown in FIG. 32, then the grey Tiger moves one point backward to avoid the white Snake (T8f).

The white Goat may use that opportunity to capture the grey Horse to get sufficient score for boosting the Sky Eye and move the Sky Eye to 9g to protect both the Tiger and the Goat as shown in FIG. 34.

Then the grey Goat may capture the white Tiger, getting sufficient score to activate the Sky Eye and select 9j to disable the white Sky Eye, weakening the white Goat and the white Snake as shown in FIG. 35.

Competence of the Sky Eye

The competence of the Sky Eye is brought into play on the vertical or horizontal line from its position. A piece captured in the control area of the Sky Eye is protected as follows:

The captured piece returns to the outside of the board (i.e. border, 0 or 10) to wait for revival. The player may place the to-be-revived piece on line 0 or 10 in a waiting status. And it is the turn (not necessarily the next turn), the player may bring that piece back to the board, on line 1 or 9, or a to e for the white piece, and from j to f for the grey one.

As shown in FIG. 36, the white Tiger waits at line 10 to return after getting captured. And when it is the turn, the player with the white army may use it to return the white Tiger back to position 9b as shown in FIG. 37.

The just-returned piece is called a Watcher and the opponent player is not allowed to capture it, and at the same time, before it makes the first move, the Watcher is not allowed to capture any opponent's piece. And after the first move, the Watcher is returned to its normal state.

An example of the status of a Watcher is shown in FIG. 38, accordingly, the white Tiger may use the white Snake as a detonator to protect the Goat; In this situation, the just-returned white Tiger is not allowed to capture the grey Dragon if the white Goat is captured.

A player can disable the competence of the two Sky Eye pieces in part or in full as follows:

• • Moving his/her Sky Eye to the same vertical or horizontal line of the opponent's Sky Eye. Then both Sky Eye pieces have no competence on the vertical or horizontal line.
  • Moving his/her Sky Eye to the same position of the opponent's Sky Eye. Then both Sky Eye pieces are disabled (i.e. not allowed to revive any captured piece).

An example of the disabled status of the Sky Eye is shown in FIG. 39, accordingly, both Sky Eye pieces are disabled and therefore not allowed to revive any captured piece on line 9. More specifically, when captured by the grey Dragon, the white Goat (D9f) is not revived because the Sky Eye has been disabled.

In another embodiment, the chess game named Water Crystal of the invention is converted into an international version named “The Battle for Water” with the pieces of the same moving and capturing rules and control areas, except that their names and images are changed as shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2
Name and image of pieces in an international version
	Vietnamese version	International version	Notation
	Water Crystal	Water Crystal	*
	Rat	Mine	M
	Buffalo	Tank	T
	Tiger	Artillery	A
	Cat	Cannon	C
	Dragon	Rocket	R
	Snake	Submarine	S
	Horse	Helicopter	H
	Goat	Drone	D
	Monkey and Rooster	Pistol	P
	Dog and Pig	Shield	SH
	The Sky Eye	God Eye	E

The chess game of the present invention is inspired by the modern world with everything to satisfy ordinary and essential demands, and in general, everything related to serving human life conveniently, rapidly, diversified with countless choices to satisfy even the most demanding customers.

In term of entertainment services, one of the top indispensable candidates are abundant cyber games with many genres, all are ready to serve all people, from infants and teenagers to elderlies. That is a technological world with real emotions from fast-paced and thrilling sounds and images.

The intellectual sport of chess is not an outsider in the era of rapidly advancing entertainment technologies. With that spirit, the chess game named Water Crystal was built on the background of “fight fast win fast,” incorporating moving rules of pieces based on traditional chess games. That interwoven combination together with the improvements of the board and some properties of pieces create a certain level of difficulty to players. Since pieces have various moving patterns, players need to be highly focused, otherwise pieces are easily captured. Therefore, in addition to fierce fighting, the chess game of the present invention include humanistic values as follows:

Regarding the battle on the board, the arrangement of pieces is simplified. Since an army includes only one Rat (in place of pawns) at the center of the support for the Water Crystal, i.e. the row of pawns is not an obstruction in place, the deployment of pieces is optimized with attack pieces possibly launched immediately, skipping the opening. The fierce opposition right at the very beginning can create a feeling of excitement and stimulation, leading to an uncompromising rencontre of fighting and planning, methods, and strategies.

New players can play using flooding attacks to defend without having to think deeply and a game can end rapidly as an online game. Seasoned players can think deeply and figure highly complicated battle-array and strategies, retaining the nature of essence of chess match genre, and more importantly, using their vision and strategies (for example, to plan for a position of the Sky Eye to gain the upper hand and preserve the army when sacrifice is needed).

In short, this intellectual sport is just playing a game of chess, yet intellectual competition in it is extremely fierce from the nature of battle, how to attack, and to defend to save the territory against the opponent's infiltration into the palace.

The chess game of the present invention, particularly the Sky Eye piece, is built based on the philosophy of life such as “no try no gain,” meaning that in a match, when a player reaches a certain value, it is obviously a result of work, and that diligence, whether it is intellectual or not, deserves to be rewarded. The most precious reward is the protection by the Sky Eye: (1) According to Eastern philosophy, if you have ambition and work hard, sooner or later success will come, and you will receive unexpected support from life; (2) According to Western philosophy, when you achieve a goal, you get results that make it easier for you to achieve the next goal.

Returning to the chess game, players have the right of whether to receive the protection or not. As in the law of nature with a gain in each loss, both Sky Eye pieces are disabled with either player places its Sky Eye on the opponent's one. All living things must compete to survive as life is inherently harsh. In times of danger, any rash act, intentional or unintentional, to harm the opponent is a misfortune. There is an ancient saying that “God does not destroy us; we just harm ourselves.”

As such, the invention incorporates advantages of Chinese chess in new moves, new pieces, and some complicated rules to evolve and train the mind to develop thinking.

The chess game named Water Crystal of the invention can give players new aspects of battle strategies, life, traditions, and their meanings in an era of increasingly advanced technologies.

Claims

1. A chess game for two opposed players, the game comprising: a board partitioned by twelve horizontal lines and eleven vertical lines, divided in two symmetrical parts by a blank called river, each part having a palace at a center and patterns to help arrange pieces at an opening, a space, and a wooden bar at an end to help remember postponements; andtwo set of game pieces, each set having a color and including pieces named after twelve zodiac animals and a Water Crystal piece, each of the two sets of game pieces and the Water Crystal having a specific starting position, specific moving and capturing rules, and where starting positions of the two sets of game pieces are symmetrical on the board.

2. A chess game as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that there is additionally a chess piece name Sky Eye with a function of protecting other pieces.