MODIFIED CHESS GAME

Abstract

A chess-like game having pieces and rules similar to conventional chess but which includes a new piece having powers and limitations not present in conventional chess pieces.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a board game and more particularly to a modified chess game.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

State of the Art

Traditional chess is a game requiring strategy. It provides the pleasure of analytical thought and has been used by schools to help develop analytical thinking. However, some players, including the great champion Capablanca, have felt a need for some modification of the conventional game of chess.

There are numerous prior art patents that disclose variations of the traditional game.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,093,237 issued to Gary Weiss in 1976 discloses a chess game that can be played by more than two players.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,553,756 issued to Robert L. Linnekin in 1983 discloses a chess game that is played with a circular board.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,666 issued to Timothy Adams in 1992 discloses a modified chess game that is played by four players.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,753 issued to Tom Yuen et al. in 1992 discloses a game similar to chess but which includes a number of pieces not found in chess. The rules for the game are quite different than those of traditional chess.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,484,157 issued to Michael King in 1994 discloses a chess game in which military pieces are substituted for the traditional chess pieces.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,662,329 issued to Richard Nason in 1997 discloses a chess game utilizing a three-dimensional game board.

U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,692,754; 5,901,957 and 6,095,523 each disclose modified chess games in which pieces with powers not provided to traditional pieces are included as part of the game.

The Encyclopedia of Chess Variants by D. B. Pritchard Published by Games & Puzzles Publications, P.O. Box 20, Godalming, Surrey GU8 4YP, United Kingdom. This provides information concerning other variations of traditional chess.

While numerous modifications of traditional chess have been provided, none have included the modifications provided by the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The game of the present invention is related to traditional chess but has an additional type of piece and rules that expand the powers of traditional chess pieces. The additional piece is labeled a ‘wizard’ for purposes of the present disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the game of the present invention can be had by referring to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating how a bishop can pass through the additional piece called the wizard (if the same color) and attack an opposing piece; and

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating permitted diagonal moves of a wizard of the modified chess game of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating permitted orthogonal moves of a wizard and how the wizard can capture opposing pieces in the modified chess game of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating how a bishop can use the wizard to move to different squares; and

FIG. 5 is a diagram similar to FIG. 4 illustrating the permissible movements of a bishop using a wizard in the modified chess game of the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a diagram similar to FIG. 5 but illustrating additional permissible moves of a bishop when the bishop has the option of using either of two wizards in the modified chess game of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating permissible movements of a knight using a wizard in the modified chess game of the present invention; and

FIG. 8 is a diagram similar to FIG. 7 but illustrating permissible moves of a knight using a wizard and permissible moves of a knight that are also allowed in conventional chess; and

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating permissible movements of a rook using a wizard in the modified chess game of the present invention; and

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating permissible movements of a queen using a wizard in the modified chess game of the present invention; and

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating permissible movements of a wizard in conjunction with another wizard; and

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the squares to which a wizard could move when involved with a knight in a maneuver referred to as ‘propelling’; and

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating the squares to which a wizard ‘propelled’ by a bishop could move; and

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating the squares to which a wizard propelled by a rook could move; and

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating the options involved when a queen could propel either of two wizards; and

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating various propelling options involving a pawn and wizard; and

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the various squares to which a king could move when castling; and

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating the ability of a king to castle king side where a wizard nullifies the checking power of an opposing piece; and

FIG. 19 shows the initial alignment of the pieces in the preferred embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1-19, a method of playing a modified chess game in accordance with the rules of the present invention is illustrated. The game board in the first preferred embodiment is in the form of a conventional chessboard with an additional two files/columns and the pieces are conventional pieces except for an additional type of piece designated herein as a wizard. A vertical column eight squares deep would make up a file. A rank or row would be comprised of ten squares running horizontal to the files. For the sake of description and better understanding, the files could be labeled A to J and the ranks 1 to 8. The square at the left hand corner of the player with the light colored pieces would be A1.

In the drawings the pieces are designated as follows:

• • W denotes the wizard piece
  • Q denotes a queen
  • B denotes a bishop
  • P denotes a pawn
  • K denotes a king
  • R denotes a rook
  • N denotes a knight

While the board is shown in the drawings as having squares all of the same color, it is intended, at least in the preferred embodiment that is now being described, that a two-color chessboard be used. The board is being shown as not including colored squares to avoid confusion in describing the position and movement of the pieces of the modified chess game of the present invention.

In general the rules of traditional chess apply to the modified chess game of the present invention unless otherwise noted.

The conventional pieces are provided except that an additional type of piece, a wizard W, is provided for each player, each player getting two such wizard pieces. The conventional pieces, in addition to having all of the traditional powers of movement, capture and promotion, have augmented powers as will be apparent as the description proceeds.

The wizard cannot capture or be captured by anything except an opposing wizard. Other pieces, including another wizard, are able to ‘pass through’ a wizard of the same color, i.e., move along the piece's normal line of movement as if the wizard were not there; but opposing pieces, other than a wizard (or a knight), are unable to pass through or over a wizard of another color. Thus a wizard acts as a shield for pieces of its own color but allows pieces of the other color to be attacked. FIG. 1 illustrates this by showing a bishop B attacking an opposing queen Q through a wizard W while the queen Q cannot move through the wizard W to attack the bishop B since the bishop B is shielded by wizard W. The bishop and the wizard are the same color. The square on which the moving piece lands, however, must be a square to which the piece could have moved if the wizard had not been in between. The power of a king or pawn to pass through a wizard is more restricted than that of other pieces. The king may pass through only when castling. A pawn may pass through only on its first move. As in regular chess, a pawn may move to the fourth rank/row on its first move, and in this variant it may pass through a wizard on the third rank to do so.

The wizard is able to move one square in any direction to an unoccupied adjacent square. The wizard is also able to move by hopping or leaping over its own adjacent or opposing adjacent pieces either diagonally as in checkers or orthogonally (along a rank or file), but not orthogonally and diagonally on the same turn. The wizard is able to make multiple leaps in a given turn and by leaping could even move forward, backward, and sideways orthogonally on the same turn or diagonally forward and backward. The wizard is able to capture an opposing wizard by leaping over it and landing on the square beyond if that square is unoccupied. But capturing is not obligatory when making such a leap. FIG. 2 illustrates a wizard W leaping diagonally and wizard W as shown in FIG. 2 moves from one corner of the board to almost the opposite corner moving over the opposing pawns P, queen Q and king K and its own pieces bishop B and rook R. The moving wizard and the other pieces of that player are shown as lighter than the opposing player's pieces. FIG. 3 illustrates the wizard W leaping orthogonally to capture an opposing wizard W at the end. As shown in FIG. 3 the wizard W captures the opposing wizard W with its final leap having first leaped over two of its own rooks R, and an opposing queen Q, bishop B, rook R and pawn P. Again, the moving wizard and the other pieces of that player are shown as lighter than the opposing player's pieces.

As described in more detail below, a bishop, knight, rook or queen may ‘bounce’ or ricochet off one of its own wizards. This maneuver is also referred to as a ‘wizard bounce’ although the other piece ricochets off a stationary wizard. Kings and pawns cannot bounce. A wizard may bounce off a wizard of the same color if the first wizard initially moves one square (no hop) to get to the square occupied by the second wizard, bounces at a right angle to its prior line of movement, and ends adjacent to the second wizard. There is a limit of one bounce to a turn no matter what type of piece bounces. Captures can be made at the end of a bounce except by a wizard bouncing off another wizard.

As best seen in FIG. 4, once during a player's turn, a bishop B can bounce off one of its own wizards W, so that the bishop B comes to the square occupied by the wizard W and then moves off at a right angle. Note as illustrated in FIG. 4, the bishop B can bounce off the wizard W in one of two possible directions. FIG. 5 illustrates the squares X to which a bishop B could move under conventional rules and the squares X to which it could move using a wizard W. The Xs denoting squares accessible through a wizard bounce are lighter in tone than those denoting those accessible through conventional movement.

FIG. 6 illustrates the options open to the bishop B using conventional movement or bouncing off of one of either of the two wizards each denoted with a W. The bishop B could move to squares denoted with darker toned Xs using the conventional rules and to squares denoted by lighter toned Xs by bouncing off either wizard marked W. The Xs denoting squares accessible through a wizard bounce are lighter in tone than those denoting those accessible through conventional movement.

As best seen in FIG. 7, a knight N can make a wizard bounce by coming to a square occupied by one of the wizards W and then making a further knight move to any one of the squares X. A player can make only one wizard bounce on a given turn. FIG. 8 illustrates the squares X to which a knight N could move by bouncing off of a wizard W and the squares C to which it could move under conventional rules. The diagram illustrates the greatly increased range and power of the knight N under the game of the present invention.

As best seen in FIG. 9, a rook (R) can bounce by moving to a square occupied by one of its own wizards (W) and then moving at a right angle. The rook moves to a square occupied by one of its own wizards and then moves off that square at a right angle. Two possible trajectories are shown. Since, in this instance, the rook approaches the wizard square along a file, when it comes to the wizard square it can bounce and move in either direction along the rank on which the wizard sits.

A queen can bounce by moving to a square occupied by a wizard of the same color and then moving off at a right angle. If the queen moves to the wizard along a diagonal, it can bounce only along a diagonal. If it moves to the wizard square orthogonally, i.e., along a rank or file, it must bounce along a rank or file. For instance, if it came to the wizard along a file, it could bounce by then turning at a right angle and moving along the rank on which the wizard is situated. The queen cannot approach the wizard square diagonally and then bounce orthogonally or vice versa. In understanding this restriction, it may help to remember that in orthodox chess a queen may move like a bishop or like a rook but not both ways on the same turn. FIG. 10 illustrates this distinction. In FIG. 10, when the queen (Q) approaches the square occupied by the wizard marked W₁, it moves orthogonally, like a rook along a file and must move orthogonally like a rook along a rank in order to bounce. In contrast, the queen (Q) moves diagonally like a bishop to the square occupied by the wizard marked W₂ and hence must move diagonally at a right angle to the original line of movement when it bounces.

A wizard may make a bounce by moving one square to a square occupied by another wizard of the same color and then moving off at a right angle. It cannot hop or capture on the same turn. FIG. 11 shows two examples of a wizard bouncing off another wizard of the same color. The wizard marked W1 moves one square along a diagonal to the square occupied by the wizard marked W2, bounces off W2, and moves one square at a right angle along another diagonal, ending up on either of the next nearest squares on that second diagonal. The wizard labeled W3 moves one square along a file to the square occupied by the wizard labeled W4, bounces off of W4, and moves one square at a right angle along the rank on which W4 is sitting, ending up on that rank on either of the two squares adjacent to the square of W4.

A knight, bishop, rook or queen can ‘propel’ a wizard of the same color. This could be considered a two part turn. First the piece moves unto the square of the wizard, and then the wizard moves as though it were that piece. However, a propelled wizard is not allowed to capture on that turn. A propelled wizard could move forward, backward, or sideways. It may, for instance, follow in reverse the trajectory of the propelling piece and land on the square originally occupied by that piece or further back.

FIG. 12 shows the squares, marked X, to which a wizard (W) could move if propelled by a knight (N). Note this includes the square on which the knight was previously situated.

FIG. 13 shows the squares, marked X, to which a wizard (W) propelled by a bishop (B) could move. Note that this includes the square the bishop occupied at the beginning of the turn.

FIG. 14 shows the squares, marked X, to which a wizard (W) propelled by a rook (R) could move. Note that this includes the square the rook occupied at the beginning of the turn.

A wizard propelled by a queen would move diagonally like a bishop if the queen had come to the wizard square along a diagonal like a bishop and like a rook if the queen had come along a rank or file. FIG. 15 shows the queen (Q) having the option of propelling either of two wizards, W₁ and W₂. If propelled, W₁ could move to the square previously occupied by the queen or any of the squares labeled X1. On the other hand, if the queen moves to the square occupied by W₂, W₂ could move to the square occupied previously by the queen or to any of the squares marked X₂.

A king cannot propel a wizard.

A wizard cannot propel another wizard per se, but a wizard passing through or bouncing off another wizard could have a similar effect.

A pawn may propel a wizard but only on the pawn's first move and only one or two squares vertically forward along the same file. The propelled wizard would end up on the square just in front of the pawn. For example, if a pawn is at square A2 and a wizard of the same color at square A3, the pawn could move to A3 and propel the wizard to A4, or move to A4 and propel the wizard to A5. If a pawn is at square A2 and a wizard at A4, the pawn may move to A4 and propel the wizard to A5. Neither the pawn nor the wizard could move through or capture other pieces that turn. FIG. 16 shows various propelling options involving a pawn and a wizard. In the first file (column), the pawn is initially on the second rank and the wizard on the third rank. The pawn moves up one square to the third rank and propels the wizard to the fourth rank. In the second file, the pawn is initially on the second rank and the wizard on the third rank. The pawn moves up two squares to the fourth rank and propels the wizard to the fifth rank. In the third file, the pawn is initially on the second rank and the wizard on the fourth rank. The pawn moves up two squares and propels the wizard to the fifth rank.

A piece that can propel as described above, may come to the wizard square by means of a bounce and then propel the wizard. A bounce may proceed a propelling on the same turn. Likewise, a propelled wizard may bounce in the same manner the propelling piece would bounce. But there may not be more than one bounce or one propelling on a given turn.

The capture of an enemy piece, including a pawn, ends the player's turn.

A player shall have the right to castle as in conventional chess with a castling rook ending up adjacent to the castled king, but the player has the option to place the king one, two or three squares from the side edge of the board with the rook adjacent if castling queen side and one or two squares from the side edge with the rook adjacent if castling king side. To castle, the king moves at least two squares and cannot move into a corner. The rook moves to a square adjacent to the king but closer to the center of the rank. As in conventional chess, neither the king nor the rook involved can have moved prior to castling. FIG. 17 illustrates the squares, marked X, to which the king (K) could move when castling.

Castling may be done through a wizard of the same color, but this is the only time a king can pass through a wizard and the wizard may not move on that turn. The position of the wizard may limit castling options. For instance, if the wizard is at I1, the king may castle king side but only with the king ending at H1 and the rook at G1 since the wizard occupies I1.

As in conventional chess, a player may not castle when the king is in check or when the king would have to pass through a square where it would be in check. But a king may pass through a square to castle if a wizard of the same color occupies that square even if an opposing piece would otherwise check the king on that square. The wizard occupying the square nullifies the check. FIG. 18 shows the ability of the king (K) to move through one of its own wizards (W) when castling. It also shows that the king can move through the square protected by the wizard that occupies it. The wizard nullifies the attack by the opposing bishop (B). If the wizard were not there, the king could not castle since it would be passing through check. But the wizard rather than the bishop controls that square.

A pawn can promote to a wizard when it reaches the other side of the board.

In the preferred embodiment, the board is a rectangle eight squares deep by ten squares wide. The size of the board could be varied however without departing from the invention. For instance, the board could be ten squares wide but nine or ten squares deep.

As shown in FIG. 19, the initial alignment of the pieces in the preferred embodiment is the same as in conventional chess except that wizards shall be placed between the rooks and knights and additional pawns shall be placed in front of the wizards. The alignment could be varied, however, without departing from the invention. In FIG. 19, P denotes a pawn, R denotes a rook, W denotes a wizard, N denotes a knight, B denotes a bishop, Q denotes a queen, and K denotes a king.

Although several variations and modifications of the present invention have been described, it should be apparent to one skilled in the art that other modifications could be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Claims

1. A chess-like game comprising: a) playing pieces including pawns, a king, a queen, rooks, bishops and knights and opposing playing pieces including pawns, a king, a queen, rooks, bishops and knights that are similar to those in orthodox or traditional chess and have all of the powers of movement, capture, and promotion that their counterparts in traditional chess have;b) an additional type of piece, referred to here as a wizard, which cannot capture or be captured by anything except an opposing wizard; andc) a playing board in the form of a conventional chess board but with an additional two files or columns so that the board is ten squares wide and eight squares deep; andd) an initial alignment of the pieces as in conventional chess except that wizards shall be placed between the rooks and knights and additional pawns shall be placed in front of the wizards.

2. The game of claim 1 wherein: a) the playing pieces are able to move along the piece's normal line of movement through the wizard as if the wizard were not there; andb) opposing playing pieces, other than a wizard or a knight, being unable to pass through or over a wizard of another color; andc) a king can pass through a wizard only when castling; andd) a pawn can pass through a wizard only on the pawn's first move.

3. The game of claim 1 wherein the wizard is able to move one square in any direction to an unoccupied adjacent square.

4. The game of claim 1 wherein: a) the wizard is able to move by leaping over adjacent pieces either diagonally or orthogonally but not orthogonally and diagonally on the same turn; andb) the wizard is able to make multiple leaps in a given turn and by leaping being able to move forward, backward, and sideways orthogonally on the same turn or diagonally forward and backward; andc) the wizard being able to capture an opposing wizard by leaping over it and landing on the square beyond if that square is unoccupied; andd) a wizard may leap over an opposing wizard but the player with the leaping wizard may decline to capture the opposing wizard.

5. The game of claim 1 wherein: a) the bishop being able to bounce off of one of its own wizards, so that the bishop comes to the square occupied by the wizard and then moves off at a right angle; andb) the knight being able to bounce off of a wizard by coming to a square occupied a wizard of the same color as the knight and then making a further knight move from said square; andc) the rook being able to bounce off of a wizard by coming to a square occupied by a wizard of the same color as the rook and then moving off at a right angle; andd) the queen being able to bounce off of a wizard by coming to a square occupied a wizard of the same color as the queen and then moving off at a right angle; ande) the wizard being able to bounce off of another wizard by moving one square to a square occupied by another wizard of the same color as the moving wizard and then moving off at a right angle one further square; andf) a player being able to make only one bounce on a given turn.

6. The game of claim 1 wherein capture of an enemy piece, including a pawn, ends the player's turn.

7. The game of as defined in claim 1 wherein: a.) a player being able to castle as in conventional chess with the castling rook ending up adjacent to the castled king, but the player, if castling queen side, has the option to place the king one, two or three squares from the side edge of the board with the rook adjacent, and, if castling king side, has the option to place the king one or two squares from the side edge of the board with the rook adjacent; andb.) castling may be done through a wizard of the same color, but this is the only time a king can pass through a wizard and the wizard may not move on that turn; andc.) the position of the wizard may limit castling options as neither the king nor the rook may occupy the same square as the wizard; andd.) a king may pass through a square to castle if a wizard of the same color occupies that square even if an opposing piece would otherwise check the king on that square as the wizard occupying the square nullifies the check.

8. A kit for converting a traditional chess game to the chess like game of claim 1, the kit including the wizard and the playing board.