Board game apparatus

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a game embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged section on the line 2—2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a partial plan view of the playing pieces shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the game board of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a preferred relationship between the end colors of the playing pieces which diagram may be placed on the game board itself as a memory aid for the players.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a piece which may be used as a “wild” piece.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view with certain parts cut away showing a piece which may be used for playing the game on an ordinary board such as a checker or chess board.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the invention showing a simplified game board.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a mask which can be used on the structure shown in FIG. 8 for reducing the number of squares to simplify the game.

FIG. 10 is a view of an ordinary board, such as a checkerboard, which may be used with the pieces shown in FIGS. 7 and 11.

FIG. 11 is an enlarged view of pieces which may be used for playing the game on an ordinary game board.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In initially describing the game of the present invention, it will be assumed that pieces are used which have two different body colors and that each player will be provided vzith 12 such pieces. Thus one set of 12 pieces might have a body color of white and a second series of 12 pieces might have a body color of black. Further, it is assumed that each set of 12 pieces consists of pieces having differently colored ends but wherein the end colors are adjacent colors when the colors are laid out in the form of a wheel as a spectrum. It will be understood that instead of colors, letters, numbers or other indicia could be used.

Thus, referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, the game of the present invention includes a board generally designated 12 haVing a first home position 14 and a second home position 16. Each of the home position includes 12 pockets as at 18 for the reception of playing pieces. The playing pieces have a body color to designate the two players, such as white at 20 for one player and black at 22 for the other player. In addition, each player’s 12 pieces have two differently colored ends as, for example, the left-hand piece shown in FIG. 2 has an exposed orange end 24 and a concealed red end 26.

At the center of the board, a playing position is provided which in this case consists of a crosslike structure 28 having a series of pockets 30.

In addition, additional home positions 32 can be provided for more than two players and the game is provided with the usual cover 34.

In order to play the game, each player would ordinarily start with 12 pieces in his home position and then move, one of his pieces onto the playing board and at the time he moves his piece he shows and tells his opponent the bottom color of his piece. Thereafter, neither he nor his opponent can lift a piece to examine the color. Each player plays in turn and in order to play the game he either moves a piece from the home position onto the board or from the board onto the home position or he can move a piece, without inverting it, from one pocket to another or he can invert one of his pieces in the same pocket. The object of the game is to line up three (or some other number) of like colors face up and the first one to do this wins the game. In lining up the colors, one can use his opponent’s pieces as well as his own. Thus the game is one of both memory and skill.

In FIGS. 1 and 5 there is shown at 35 a spectrum color wheel which shows the preferred relationship between the colors of playing pieces. Thus, for instance, if a player sees that one end of a piece is red as at 36, he knows that the opposite end of the piece is either violet as at 38 or orange as at 4®. He knows that the opposite end is neither yellow as at 42, green as at 44 nor blue as at 46. The color wheel can be ytcluded as part of the game board as is shown in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 6 there is shown a “wild” piece. In this particular instance the Greek letter Tau is on the ends as at 48 but the piece is otherwise identical with the pieces heretofore described. By introducing a “wild” piece into the game, further interest and excitement are engendered.

In FIG 7 there is shown a form of playing piece which is adapted for use on an ordinary board such as a checker or chess board. Here there is a distinctive body color such as white shown at 50 but the end colors are inset such as the green at 52 and the blue at 54. In using a piece of this kind, it is

3,603,591 obvious that the end color is concealed when the piece is merely sitting on a flat surface so that it is not necessary to use a pocketed board as heretofore described.

A somewhat similar piece is shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 and here the pieces are thin but have a distinctive body color as at 56 and distinctive end colors as at 58 and 60. Again, the bottom end color is concealed when the pieces are on a flat surface such as an ordinary checkerboard 62.

In FIG. 8 a somewhat simplified form of the game is shown and one having a more compact configuration such as might be useful for a traveling game. Thus, case 64 has a center playing field 68 with pockets as previously described, and home position 70 and 72 which are also provided with pockets. In case one wishes to simplify the game, a simple grid as is shown in FIG. 9 as 74 can merely be dropped onto the playing board of FIG. 8. This reduces the number of pockets available and lends itself to either a quick game or to a children’s game where there are fewer positions in which to place the various pieces.

It is believed obvious in the foregoing that I have provided a simple, challenging game which gives much more interest than the ordinary game of checkers and which is somewhat less complex and demanding than chess and which lends itself to a fairly complex game for adults or as a relatively simple game for children.