Quaternity Chess

Abstract

A method for playing of the game of chess for two and more players played on a playing area (chess board) which has 144 playing squares arranged in a 12 by 12 matrix with four complete sets of traditional chess pieces, each set of a different colour played with modified rules including said four players sequentially taking turns in a clockwise or in a counterclockwise direction moving their said chess pieces; the advanced central pawns may, for their first move, take a direction either left or right, and thereafter are committed' to move in the initially adopted direction; before the advanced pawns are committed, they may defend or capture in any of the three directions forward, left or right; and the game proceeds until only one player remains with a king that has not been checkmated.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to provisional application 62/009,556, filed Jun. 9, 2014.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention--Quaternity Chess--relates generally to a chess game, more specifically to a method for playing a modified game of Chess for two, four or even more players and utilizing traditional chess pieces and a special playing board.

DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART

[0003] The present invention is connected with the traditional game of Chess. Chess is one of the oldest games in the world and it is a direct reflection of medieval times. The Chess pieces range from the king and queen, to the lower level which is represented by pawns. The traditional game of Chess follows standard rules for chessboard set-up, move ent of the various game pieces, and manner for winning the match.

[0004] Chess players and inventors have introduced means of adding additional players and means of introducing changes into the traditional game.

[0005] U.S. Pat. No 4,708,349 issued to Dan Shomer discloses a chess game which provides for play by two, three or four persons and played according to the conventional rules of chess as to movement and capturing of pieces, castling, check and checkmate. As in conventional chess, each player possesses an initial force of a king, a queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks and eight pawns. The game is played on a checkerboard having two hundred eight playing squares arranged in a central playing array of twelve bilaterally arranged rows having twelve squares per row and bordered by four smaller staging arrays, each of the staging arrays having eight bilaterally arranged rows of two squares per row,

[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,666 issued to Timothy J. Adams shows a four-player chess game includes a plurality of distinguishable sets of playing pieces including pieces equivalent to pawns, rooks, knights, bishops, queens and kings, It also includes a board having a main playing area made from a square matrix of eight-by-eight alternately coloured playing spaces with two additional rows of eight alternately coloured playing spaces adjacent each side of the main playing area, The game is played by placing each player's set of playing pieces on the game board so that each different set occupies two rows adjacent one side of the main playing area in conventional chess arrangements.

[0007] U.S. Pat. No 5,275,414 issued to Ryan K. Stephens et at discloses a method for playing team chess has been devised by using a modified chess board and using conventional chess rules. The game board has a square matrix of fourteen squares by fourteen squares. Four sets of conventional chess pieces are used each set containing one king, one queen, two bishops, two knights, two rooks and eight pawns. Each set of chess pieces differ in colour, with two sets of pieces having light colours representing one team and two sets of Chess pieces having dark colours representing the other team. The chess pieces move according to the conventional rules of chess. Each player's king must be checkmated two times by the opposing players before the player is removed from the game.

[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,334 issued to George William Duke in 1997 discloses an eight by ten board with two new "falcon" pieces. While the falcon pieces cannot jump over other pieces, in other manners tend to exhibit considerable freedom of movement.

[0009] U.S. Pat. No 6,481,716 issued to Edward A. Trice, shows a variant of chess that provides a rectangular chessboard having 80 contiguous playing squares disposed thereon. A plurality of conventional chess pieces that include two rooks, two bishops, two knights, a king, a queen, and eight pawns are provided for each player. A plurality of non-conventional chess pieces that include a chancellor, an archbishop, and two additional pawns are provided for each player.

[0010] U.S. Pat. No 6,416,056 issued to Alan J. Knieriemen discloses a chess board and game that use the standard pieces of king, queen, bishop, knight, rook and pawn as the first formation played on a board made up of triangular spaces. Three board variations are disclosed, each having a six-sided playing field divided to define a pattern of contiguous triangular spaces, such that each space is defined by three flats interconnected at three points. Each side of the playing field is defined entirely by one or more of the flats, and the entire playing field within the six sides is occupied by the spaces.

[0011] U.S. Pat. No 6,702,287 issued to Lee Pendexter, provides a board having alternating dark and light squares arrayed in a ten-row by eleven-column configuration. The sixteen pieces of the orthodox chess are all provided in each colour with the exception of the king being replaced by a super king and the addition of a ninth, tenth, and eleventh pawn and fifteen new super pieces.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] The present invention--Quaternity Chess--is connected with the method for playing of the game of chess for two and more players. All of the variants of Quaternity Chess are played on a playing area (chess board) which has 144 playing squares arranged in a 12 by 12 matrix with four complete sets of traditional chess pieces, each containing eight pawns, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, one queen and one king. Each set is to be of a different colour for example: the first set in white, the second set in red, the third set in green and the fourth set in black.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] In order to understand the disclosure and to see how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0014] FIG. 1 shows a scheme of a playing board with 144 playing squares.

[0015] FIG. 2 shows a scheme of the initial position of all pieces on the playing board.

[0016] FIGS. 3, 3a, and 3b shows schemes for two advanced Central pawns of different colours of which:

[0017] FIG. 3 shows a position for Committed pawns after the first moves of REDS e8-f8 and GREENS h5-g8,

[0018] FIG. 3a shows a position for Committed pawns after the first moves of WHITES e5-e6 and REDS e8-f8; and

[0019] FIG. 3b shows a position after the first moves of WHITES e6-e6 and REDS e8-f8.

[0020] FIGS. 4, and 4a show schemes for both "non-committed" advanced pawns of different colours of which:

[0021] FIG. 4 shows a position for non-committed pawns e5 and e8 and the same for pawns h8 and h5; and

[0022] FIG. 4a shows a position for non-committed pawns d4 and d9 and the same for pawns i4 and i9.

[0023] FIG. 5 shows a scheme of the situation when the opposing pieces are protected by another players pieces--the white pawn e7 defends the green pawn g6 from the red bishop b9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Method of Playing:

[0024] In the preferred embodiment of the invention--Quaternity Chess--it is a method for playing a modified game of Chess for four players. Quaternity Chess uses four complete sets of traditional Chess pieces and a board of 12 by 12 squares of alternating colours black and white, it is shown on FIG. 1. The squares are identified in twelve rows (called ranks and denoted with numbers 1 to 12) and twelve columns (called files and denoted with letters a to l).

[0025] Each player sets up his pieces in a different corner of the board, using the formation shown on FIG. 2. Each set of chess pieces includes eight pawns P, two rocks R, two knights Kn. two bishops B, a queen Q, and a king K. The chess pieces are placed in starting arrangement whereby the two rooks of each colour are in respective positions a4, d1; a9, d12; i12, l9; i1, l4; the two knights of each colour are in respective positions b4, c4; d10, d11; j9, k9; i2, i3; the two bishops of each colour are in respective positions d2, d3; b9, c9; i10, i11; j4, k4; the queen of each colour is in respective position b2; b11; k11; k2; the king of each colour is in respective position a1; a12; l12; l1; the two advanced central pawns of each colour are in respective positions d4, e5; d9, e8; i9, h8 and i4, h5 and the remaining six pawns of each colour are in respective positions a5, b5, c5, e3, e2, e1; a8, b8, c8, e10, e11, e12; h10, h12, j8, k8, l8; h1, h2, h3, k5, l5.

[0026] The movement of the pieces is identical to those of traditional Chess, adopted by FIDE (World Chess Federation) with some slight differences:

[0027] The initial double (two square) pawn move is not permissible.

[0028] The Castling move is not permissible.

[0029] The two advanced central pawns of each colour, positions on FIG. 2 d4,e5 (white); d9.e8 (red); i9,h8 (green) and i4, h5 (black) may, for their first move, take a direction either left or right (FIGS. 3, 3a, 3b). Thereafter they are said to be "committed" and must only move in the initially adopted direction. On FIG. 3b the different possible moves for the white pawns e1, d4, e6, b5 and for the red pawn f8 are shown.

[0030] Until the advanced pawns are "committed", they may defend or capture three directions (see FIG. 4, 4a).

[0031] The player with the white pieces usually moves first.

[0032] Each player then takes his turn in a clockwise direction (white-red-green-black in our example, FIG. 2), or if agreed between players--counterclockwise (white-black-green-red, FIG. 2).

[0033] Each player may only make one move per turn.

[0034] The game then develops as the opponents develop their pieces and come into direct or indirect conflict as in traditional chess.

[0035] The game proceeds until only one player remains alive (that is his King remains uncheck mated).

[0036] A draw can be offered by a player who has the turn to play at any time in the game. To be effective, a draw must be agreed by all the live players, If any one of the live players declines the draw, then play continues.

[0037] It is not permitted to resign.

[0038] When a player is checkmated, his king is removed from the board and his remaining pieces become the property of the player that checkmated him.

[0039] Players have only one move per turn, regardless of how many sets of pieces they have captured.

[0040] In the case of a combined checkmate involving the pieces of one or more players, the pieces become the property of the last player to complete the mate.

Advantages of Invention Quaternity Chess:

[0041] Two, four and more players can be involved:

[0042] With two players each player plays with two opposite sets of pieces.

[0043] With four players--the preferred embodiment, as described above.

[0044] With eight players--the players form four teams, two players in a teat in this example.

[0045] The traditional chess is a silent individual play, which often puts off people who otherwise might be interested. Quaternity Chess provides for a possibility of a team play.

[0046] Quaternity Chess contains widely known traditional pieces and moves of the pieces, so no learning of new moves, new pieces or complex theoretical ideas is necessary to play.

[0047] The invention, while being complex, is less daunting than traditional chess because there is no "opening theory" as yet known. This means that a relative beginner can immediately be competitive and enjoy the game. Also the team element allows for beginners to join teams and participate.

[0048] Quaternity Chess contains a strong human psychological element. This means that very often opposing pieces are protected by other players' pieces (see FIG. 5). This lends the invention one of its most important features -the players must try to evaluate the intention of their opponents not only towards him, as in the traditional chess, but also towards two other players.

[0049] The strong psychological element of Quaternity Chess places it outside of the range of computer technologies. Traditional chess is now dominated by computers. Many nowadays computer programs can easily defeat most players of traditional chess. The invention, with its so strong human element cannot be played by computers--or at most a computer would be a very one dimensional primitive player.

Claims

1. A method for four players to play a modified game of chess, comprising: (1) providing a playing area, said playing area having 144 playing stations arranged in a 12 by 12 matrix, said playing stations being of two alternating colours, said playing are a having four sides, each said side having 12 said playing stations; (2) providing four sets of chess pieces, each set in a different colour; (3) placing each said set of chess pieces in a starting arrangement in a respective corner of the playing area whereby the two rooks of each colour are in respective positions a4, d1; a9, d12; i12, l9; i1, l4; the two knights of each colour are in respective positions b4, c4; d10, d11; j9, k9; i2, i3; the two bishops of each colour are in respective positions d2, d3; b9, c9; i10, i11; j4, k4; the queen of each colour is in respective position b2; b11; k11; k2 the king of each colour is in respective position a1; a12; l12; l1; the two advanced central pawns of each colour are in respective positions d4, e5; d9, e8; i9, h8 and i4, h5 and the remaining six pawns of each colour are in respective positions a5, b5, c5, e3, e2, e1; e8, b8, c8, e10, e11, e12; h10, h11, h12, j8, k8, l8; h1, h2, h3, j5, k5, l5; (4) one said player disposed adjacent to each said side of said playing area, wherein said set of chess pieces disposed on a particular corner of said playing area belong to said player who is also disposed on said particular corner, and (5) providing rules of play, said rules of play including; conventional rules of chess play; and additional rules of play which modify said conventional rules of chess play, said additional rules of play including: said four players sequentially taking turns in a clockwise or in a counterclockwise direction moving their said chess pieces; the advanced central pawns may, for their first move, take a direction either left or right, and thereafter they are said to be committed' and must only move in the initially adopted direction; before the advanced pawns are committed, they may defend or capture in any of the three directions forward, left or right; and the game proceeds until only one player remains with a king that has not been checkmated.