Three Player Chess-Type Game

1. Field of The Invention

The present invention is directed to modifications and improvements relating to games played with moveable pieces and particularly to a chess type game which provides play potential for three players.

2. Description of The Related Art

The conventional chess board of today provides a playing board surface for two players and consists of a square game board divided into sixty-four smaller squares of alternating, e.g., black and white, color. Two sets of play pieces, one being a first color, e.g, white, and one being a second color, e.g., black, are provided for movement on the game board according to conventional chess game rules.

I am not aware of any chess type board game which provides play potential for three individual players on the same game board.

Reflecting the popularity of chess, the present invention provides a chess type game which provides play potential for three players. The game incorporates an equilateral triangular shaped playing board with each side thereof having adjacent home areas from which the game pieces start play. Conventional chess pieces are utilized with the exception being that there are three sets of playing pieces. A red set, a white set and a blue set, or other three set collection of playing pieces wherein the respective sets are of differing colors, are used in place of the usual black and white sets play pieces. The game board of the invention in a preferred embodiment provides a playing surface composed of 64 smaller equilateral triangles with each side of the triangular game board having twelve rectangular (e.g., square) "home area" spaces.

In such preferred embodiment of the invention, each player has twelve game pieces of a particular color, i.e., six pawns, two rooks, two bishops, one queen and one king. The game of the present invention preferably does not use knight pieces as does the conventional game of chess. The game pieces begin play from their own "home area". The object is to win by checkmating one's opponents, or by reaching one's respective pinnacle with the king.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the preferred embodiment of the game board.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the game board of FIG. 1 with the board areas labeled for a clearer understanding thereof.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the game board of FIG. 1 with the game pieces labeled by and illustrated in their starting positions in their "home areas".

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an alternative game form wherein only pawns are used with each player having twelve pawns positioned in starting position in their "home areas".

As shown in FIG. 1, a game board 10 is provided having a generally flat top playing surface 11 in the shape of an equilateral triangle. The triangular playing surface 11 is divided into sixty-four smaller equilateral triangle playing spaces 15. Each side of the equilateral triangle has formed as an integral extension thereof a "home area". Side 11a has an associated "home area" 12, side 11b has an associated "home area" 13, and side 11c has an associated "home area" 14.

Each "home area" is divided into two rectangular rows with six rectangular game piece spaces 16 in each row. Triangular playing surface 11 and "home area" 12, 13, 14 together form the overall playing surface of the game board 10.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 2 for a description and explanation of the various game board playing surface markings, triangles 21, 22, 23 are respectively labeled white, red and blue and are referred to as "pinnacles" of their respective colors. The pinnacles are equilateral triangle-shaped playing spaces which are located at each of the apices of the equilateral triangle-shaped playing surface. Each of these apex playing spaces has one side within the interior of the equilateral triangle-shaped playing surface and two sides along the edge of the equilateral triangle-shaped playing surface. The home area playing surface at each side of the equilateral triangle-shaped playing surface extends from one end of an interior side of an apex playing space to one end of an interior side of another apex playing space. "Diamond triangles" 24, 25, 26, are situated adjacent triangles 21, 22, 23. Together, pinnacle triangle 21 and diamond triangle 24 form "diamond zone" 31. Pinnacle triangle 22 and diamond triangle 25 together form diamond zone 32. Pinnacle triangle 23 and diamond triangle 26 together form diamond zone 33. Dotted triangles 38, as marked on the playing surface "side edge" triangles of the game board 10, are located adjacent the respective "home areas" 12, 13 and 14. Further, at the center of the game board 10 is provided an equilateral triangle 41 known as the "center position," which is a strategic location on the game board.

Each player has twelve game pieces. While not illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, each player has six pawns (P), two rooks (R), two bishops (B), one queen (Q), and one king (K). Unlike conventional chess, the game of the present invention preferably does not employ any knight game pieces. For game set-up, at the initation of play, each player's game pieces are positioned in their respective home area positions, illustrated in FIG. 3. Each player begins play from their own home area, with the game objective being to win by checkmating one's opponents, or by reaching one's own respective pinnacle, opposite one's own home area, with one's king piece.

The following description in Table I will set forth the game pieces, moves, and applicable rules of the basic game according to one embodiment of the present invention.

The game board and playing pieces of the board game of the present invention may also be employed to play a number of variations of the basic game described above.

These game variations are described in Table II below with reference to the additional rules applicable thereto.

In an alternative game, denominated "PAWNCHIZE," six extra pawns per player are employed instead of the two rooks, two bishops, queen and king used in the embodiments of Tables I and II, and play is conducted according to the rules set out in Table III below.

The above description of the preferred and alternative embodiments of this invention is intended to be illustrative only and not in any way limiting as regards the scope and utility of the present invention. Other embodiments of this invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the above disclosure.